Ololade Adeyanju/
As prominent Yoruba leaders including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and Aare Ona-Kakanfo, Iba Gani Adams grieve over the death of Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has issued a statement with mixed reactions on the passage.
In what appears to be a mockery of the late Yinka Odumakin over his forthrightness and loyalty to the Yoruba Agenda, the ACF message, conveyed by one Emmanuel Yawe, says: “The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) today received the sad news of the death of Yinka Odumakin, the spokesman of the AFENIFERE.
” While he was alive, Yinka held on to his views very strongly. We often disagreed with him on many issues. Our disagreements were however on principle and not personal.
” The fundamental difference is that the AFENIFERE group admits only descendants of Oduduwa as members, while we in the ACF admit even descendants of Oduduwa who are northerners. The nature of our membership, accomodating hundreds of ethnic groups has made it very difficult to always agree with a group whose membership is limited to one ethnic group.
“We continue to hope that the AFENIFERE will one day turn a new leaf and see issues not from the narrow and limited perspective of one ethnic group but from the broad perspective of a multi ethnic federal republic.
” We had hoped that Odumakin will live long enough to work for and see the new day.
His death today has robbed us of that opportunity. We however pray for the CONDOLENCE of his family and his colleagues in AFENIFERE. We shall certainly miss him.”
Meanwhile, a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has commiserated with Afenifere and Odumakin’s widow.
In a condolence letter which he signed on Saturday, Otunba Daniel described the death of Odumakin as “… a dark moment that eclipsed one of the vocal voices of the Yoruba Nation and of social, cultural and political activism in Nigeria.
“Yinka lived a good life, and for a great cause and purposes. His memory is well preserved because he stood firmly for all that he believed in. Such men never die.”
Daniel expressed his deepest condolences to both the wife and leadership of Afenifere, while praying that God should grant his soul great repose and to grant the family the fortitude to bear the very painful loss.
To the wife, the former Governor wrote: “It is surely a harrowing experience to imagine that the man with whom you have spent several years together, starting from your university and students Union days will no longer be there by your side, to offer the comforting words in moments of need. Yinka was your alter ego, a great Comrade and a good companion”
The Aare Ona-Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, described the demise as one death too many. He said that the Yoruba Race had lost a gem, who, according to him, was a dependable ally.
He added that the death of Odumakin was a big loss to the Yoruba nation and that death had dealt the Yoruba nation a big blow, leaving in its wake, sad memories of the loss of a brother, a friend and dependable ally.
While mourning his friend of many years, Iba Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, described the late Odumakin as a true Yoruba son, a committed fellow, and the voice of the people, especially, the downtrodden.
He stated: “We’ll all miss his voice. We’ll miss his commitment, we’ll miss his bravery because the late Yinka Odumakin’s fearless image loomed larger than what we can easily forget in a hurry”
“He was a phenomenon that spoke truth to power. He cut a picture of an all-rounder, a media personage, an analyst and public commentator that had warmed himself to the hearts of many people”
“His exit had left a big vacuum in the social and political milieu and Nigerians will always remember him for who he was because in his life, the late Odumakin was truly one of the few gifted soul of our race”The extent of the shocking news for me has been inexplicable. It will take a very long time for me to accept the realities of his death”.
“We are in the struggle together, we shared so many memories together and I was very close to the family, so for me, it was a personal loss and I wish my sister, his wife, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin and the deceased relatives well, especially at this trying moments”.
“For the Yoruba nation, and Afenifere as a whole, Odumakin’s imprints will always be in the book of history, but as much as his death was so rude and shocking, we are consoled that the man died, though, very young, he will be remembered for his invaluable contributions to the development of Nigeria and the Yoruba nation in particular.”
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