Afenifere chieftain Adebanjo dies, Governor Abiodun mourns

A chieftain of Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo has been reported dead peacefully on Friday at 96 at his residence located at number 8, Ayo Adebanjo Close, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos while he is survived by his 94-year-old wife, Chief Christy Ayo-Adebanjo, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Penpushing reports that that the family in a statement confirming the demise stated that his friends, associates, numerous interest groups across the length and breadth of Nigeria and beyond are been consulted to fine tune plans for a befitting funeral details.

“With a heart full of gratitude for a selfless life spent in the service of God, the nation and humanity, we announce the passing on of our beloved patriarch, Chief Samuel Ayodele Adebanjo. He died peacefully this morning, Friday, February 14, 2025 at his Lekki, Lagos Nigeria home at the age of 96’, the statement reads.

“The foremost nationalist, elder statesman, distinguished lawyer, very distinct politician, apostle of true federalism, former organising secretary of Action Group and the national leader of Afenifere is survived by his 94-year-old wife, Chief Christy Ayo-Adebanjo, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren’, the statement added.

“We will forever cherish his commitment to fighting for truth, equity and justice. His belief and struggle for a truly independent and progressive Nigeria was total and this he fought for until he breathed his last breath’, the family wrote.

‘The family is consulting with Papa’s friends, associates, numerous interest groups across the length and breadth of Nigeria and beyond, to fine tune plans for a befitting funeral detail which will be communicated in due course.

“A condolence register is open at his residence in Lagos (8, Ayo Adebanjo Close, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) and his country home in Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode Ogun State’, the family added in the statement

Penpushing further reports that Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has described the death as the end of a glorious era, adding that he was a man of principle and one of the most prominent and unwavering disciples of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo

The Governor in a condolence message said the foremost nationalist, elder statesman, was unblemished apostle of federalism, good governance, and the defense of Yoruba interests, who stood head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries and set the pace in the critical appraisal of governments and governance as vehicles of social engineering.

Penpushing also reports that Abiodun emphasized that the exit was a profound loss to Nigeria, adding that the government and people of Ogun State could not have wished for a more glorious end for the unblemished apostle of federalism and good governance.

The statement described the late legal and political icon as one of the few Nigerians whose life embodied the story of Nigeria, from the struggle for independence to the post-independence era, straddling military rule and the return to democratic rule, together with all the joys and pains of those epochal moments.

“To all intents and purposes, Chief Ayo Adebanjo represented the finest of Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole, and his ideals will never be forgotten. It does not matter where you stand in the political terrain: Adebanjo was a man whose integrity you could not question’, Abiodun wrote.

‘He lived through the finest and ugliest moments of Nigerian history, was hounded by the Establishment for his beliefs, and was even exiled for resisting autocracy and the suppression of the masses, and never once hid his identity as a passionate defender of the Yoruba nation and its interests, regardless of whose horse was gored’.

‘From his activist beginnings in 1943 as a follower of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to his activities as a member of the youth wing of the Action Group in 1951, right into the early ’60s, where the sage and his lieutenants stood trial for treason, and right into the heady days of the military and the return to civil rule when he actively engaged governments and participated in constitutional conferences to remake the structure, character, and temper of Nigerian federalism, Adebanjo never once refrained from being a voice of courage and a force for good. In particular, his strident advocacy for federalism was unmatched.

“We are still coming to terms with the reality of his passing, but let us just note that we are profoundly grateful to the Almighty God for giving us such a gem in Ogun State. He will be sorely missed’, the governor emphasized

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