The Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr Zacch Adedeji, has described as shocking, the death of former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.
Adedeji, in a statement on Wednesday, said he was in a meeting with Alao-Akala’s at the former governor’s house in Abuja on Monday where discussion centred on Ogbomoso.
“We held the meeting in Abuja on Monday and he was very healthy. He never showed any sign of someone who will die quickly. When he was leaving Abuja for Ogbomoso on Tuesday, he phoned me. I never knew he was saying his final farewell to me.
“During the telephone conversation, he even asked me if I would grace the 70th birthday of his wife, the mother of Olamijuwon, this weekend. I told him I would try and be there. But to hear such a great leader is no more is to be in great shock.
“He will be remembered as a governor who, though passionate about Ogbomoso, spread development projects across other divisions of the state. He was genuinely interested in the development and welfare of others. He was a humane leader, very generous and kind-hearted.
“We will greatly miss him and his very rich experience on governance. There are great testimonies of his good deeds as governor and the numerous people he made what they are today.
“He served God, humanity and fulfilled his dual earthly mandate well. May God repose his noble soul,” Zacch said.
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