Governor Dapo Abiodun has described the demise of Olusegun Awolowo, grandson of the late Nigerian nationalist and statesman, Obafemi Awolowo, as a personal loss.

The Ogun governor, in a condolence message on Thursday in Abeokuta, said the death of the lawyer and former executive director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council at 62 came as a rude shock.

Mr Abiodun described the deceased as “a gentleman par excellence, a voice of courage, and a consummate public servant”. He said he received the news with utter disbelief, adding that he would forever treasure memories of their acquaintance.

According to the governor, the deceased was affable, highly intelligent, and extremely easygoing, traits that endeared him to many and made his death even more painful.

“It is extremely hard to process the news that Segun Awolowo Jr. is gone, but we submit unreservedly to the will of the Almighty God, who has called him to His bosom. We are deeply heartbroken, but we take consolation in the exemplary lessons his life taught us, for he was indeed a jolly good fellow,” he said.

The governor noted that although Awolowo was born two months after the death of his father and was acquainted with grief from childhood, he rose above life’s challenges to become an icon in his own right.

He added that his service as special assistant to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, as secretary for social development, and later secretary of transport between 2007 and 2011, remained exemplary and unblemished.

He said Mr Awolowo’s dedication to national development earned him the unanimous election, in July 2021, as president of the National Trade Promotion Organisations from an ECOWAS member state.

“His earthly sojourn may have been brief, but it was hugely impactful,” the governor said.

(NAN)