Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN on Monday eulogized the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, as a bridge-builder whose great intellectual knowledge and depth would be missed. The vice president in a media interaction in Akure, Ondo State, stated that the late Alaafin of Oyo impacted the lives of many in his community, the Southwest and across the country.
Prof. Osinbajo had stated- “we all feel a great deal of pain and deep sense of loss. The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, was a force of nature all by himself, he was a man of incredible knowledge, depth, he was erudite in every way.
“He was a bridge builder and I think he created several avenues in the 52 odd years that he reigned. He created several avenues for people from the Southwest of Nigeria to interact with people from other zones from those very early days.”
Prof. Osinbajo gave account of his personal experience with the demised royal father. According to the Vice president: “I had several meetings with him, especially in Abuja, whenever he was in Abuja and sometimes in Ibadan.
“He was one of the most intelligent commentators on public life in Nigeria, on politics and he had such a deep knowledge of politics and international relations and international affairs and even in Nigerian political economy.
“He wrote several articles and books and he was always very keen to share them. I think that clearly, the Alaafin of Oyo was somebody I believe that the monarchy hid away from most of Nigeria just in terms of his intellectual depth and his knowledge.”
Vice President Osinbajo, thereafter, declared: “I want to thank God that he was such an incredible and impactful leader and he didn’t just impact Yoruba land or Oyo State, but he impacted the entire nation.
“Today we celebrate a man who has lived a life of impact, who has reigned as a monarch, not just royalty, but he has royally proved that you can make tremendous impact in the lives of common people and in the life of your nation even while serving as a monarch in just one portion, one part of your country. I think his impact has been nationwide.”
He expressed his condolence to the Oyo State government, the family of the late royal father and the people of Oyo State.