Gov Aliyu visits Awolowo’s home

By Jackson Udom - 10.02.2008

GOVERNOR Muazu Babangida Aliyu (OON) of Niger State on Saturday described the Nigerian Tribune Editorial as the best in the country, even as the governor’s style of leadership has been recommended for other governors in the country.

Governor Aliyu stated this while on a courtesy call on the Awolowo family in Ikenne, Ogun State. According to the governor, “ the Tribune titles editorial comments have been very wonderful and educative. You read patriotic comments and they show the kind of patriotic zeal in them. You could see the urge for national unity. They never personalise issues. Whenever you read them, you’ll know that they are very serious matters they have handled, and they have been helping Nigerians”.

He noted further that “ my visit to the Ikenne home of the Awolowos is a dream come true because since my secondary school days,I had fallen in love with Papa’s writings. Papa shares the same birthday with my Dad, and if these kind of leaders had been allowed to go on, Nigerians would have been somewhere above where we are now”.

“Papa’s writings and what we read about him are still sustaining some of us today and giving us the courage to do what we are doing at the moment, transparency, accountability and participatory democracy that had been captured in every political writings of Papa Awolowo” he declared.

In her welcome speech, the Matriach of the Awolowo dynasty, Yeye Odua HID Awolowo, thanked the people’s servant governor for deeming it fit to visit the country home of Sage Obafemi Awolowo, saying “ I want to so much thank the governor for the love that he has for this family which has made him to visit us today. I am very grateful and I wish you the best of luck and God’s guidance in all your endeavours”.

Earlier in his welcome address, Publisher, Tribune titles, Evangelist (Dr.) Oluwole Awolowo, described the governor’s visit as the first by any northern governor in this dispensation saying, “I am very happy that you are the first to visit this family from the North in this dispensation. I am very happy with your style of administration which is different from the others’”.

Evangelist Awolowo noted that “ you are such a wonderful administrator who has instituted a perfect strategy in curbing corruption. I pray that God give you the grace to forge ahead. I have no hesitation recommending your style of leadership to all other governors”.

In his comments, former Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Bola Ajibola, described the Awolowo family as a complete one which does not lack in any aspect of family life, be it politics, morals and education. “This is a home of homes, a home of importance, a home where you can learn not only about the political advancement of Chief Obafemi Awolowo but also how to keep a good home and how to take care of a home. Papa said when he was alive, that “if you cannot keep a home, how can you possibly manage a local government not to talk of the nation. The mastery of things of this nature must come from the home,” he said.