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Funmilayo Okunade
Deputy Governor of Ekiti, Mrs Monisade Afuye, has said the former occupant of her position, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, had a deep mastery of politics and governance during his public service career spanning over four decades.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Afuye said this on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti at a Special Bar Session held in honour of the late Chief Bisi Egbeyemi by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ekiti chapter.
Afuye said that the deceased’s mastery of politics was manifested in his impressive performance while serving as deputy governor in the administration of former Gov. Kayode Fayemi.
The deputy governor, who broke down and betrayed her emotion at the occasion, described Egbeyemi as a mentor and role model to many lawyers and politicians in Ekiti.
According to her, his contributions would remain evergreen in the annals of history.
She said many innovations introduced into governance by Egbeyemi helped in settling so many puzzling land and chieftaincy disputes in the state and ensured stability and development in many towns.
Afuye also said that Egbeyemi lived a successful and fulfilled life through hardwork, dedication and devotion, and rose to peak as a lawyer, politician, businessman and community leader of note.
“The news of Egbeyemi’s death was shocking and unexpected coming at a time I was looking up to benefitting from his wealth of experience.
“He contributed to the development of this state and its people. Indeed , we have lost a wonderful and great leader.
“As the deputy governor who superintended over chieftaincy matters during his tenure, he appointed and installed the Elepe of Epe, Oba Adesoye Williams, Obalaaye of Ejiyan, Oba Adekunle Adepoju, Onijesamodu of Ijesamodu, Oba Samuel Daramola and Onijaro of Ijaro, Oba Oluwagboyega Ogunbiyi.
“The former deputy governor settled over 20 chieftaincy disputes across various communities in Ekiti State . Equally, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi successfully resolved several intra state boundary crises as well as two inter-state land disputes,”she said.
“He would be remembered as a committed politician and an astute grassroots mobiliser with inspiring powers of political organisation. In fact, he will be sorely missed.
“May God grant the family and the good people of Ekiti State the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss”, Afuye added.
In their separate remarks, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, Ekiti State Chief Judge, Justice Oyewole Adeyeye, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata, all paid glowing tributes to the deceased.
Others eminent personalities in attendance included; former Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr Obafemi Adewale (SAN) and the Chairmen of Ado-Ekiti, Ikole-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti branches of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).
In a lecture delivered woven around the contributions of the former deputy governor to the restructuring of the Chiefs Law in Ekiti State, Justice Adeniyi Familoni, praised Chief Egbeyemi for injecting many innovations into the state’s chieftaincy matters.
He said that the contributions of the late Egbeyemi removed some hurdles to the ascension to vacant chieftancy stools in the state.
NAN reports that Egbeyemi, who was the Fayemi’s deputy between 2018 and 2022, died on March 18 at the age of 79, barely six month after leaving office.
(NAN)
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