Subomi Balogun buried in Ijebu-Ode hometown
The remains of founder of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Michael Olasubomi Balogun, were on Saturday committed to mother earth in Ijebu-Ode, his hometown after a funeral service, which attracted who is who in Nigeria and beyond.
Penpushing reports that the funeral service kicked off at 10 am at the Cathedral Church of Our Saviour in Ijebu Ode, and was followed by a private family interment, as thousands of residents trooped out to give the deceased last honour
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima who represented President Bola Tinubu at the ceremony described Balogun, as an institution in the Nigerian banking sector and a model for generations of bankers and lawyers, among other professionals.
Penpushing further reports that Shettima also described the late Balogun as a banking icon who was everything ailing world desired, adding that he was a philanthropist extraordinaire, noting that departing from this world at age 89 is a gift that only a few have benefited from.
‘He not only immortalised your industrious spirit as the founder of the flourishing First City Merchant Bank, which we all know as FCMB, but the world is going to remain grateful to him even much longer than he lived’, Shettima stated.
‘We are here to celebrate life. As he peacefully departs from this earthly realm at the remarkable age of 89, we lift our voices in prayer, offering our heartfelt appreciation for the profound impact he made during his time among us. So, this is more of a gratitude to the Almighty God for bringing such a noble person to our world and changing the course of our history’, he added
‘Our dear people of Ijebuland and the Ijebu Christians must be grateful for the personality you have raised for the nation and the world, in fact. In this moment of farewell, we ask for your divine comfort and solace to embrace the loved ones and friends of Otunba Balogun’.
‘May they find strength in the shared memories, and may their hearts be filled with gratitude for the privilege of knowing and being touched by such an extraordinary individual. May Otunba find eternal rest in your heavenly abode, and may his legacy continue to inspire generations to come’.
Penpushing also reports that Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State in his remarks, said the deceased was a prodigious intellectual, an economist and a lawyer who attended the Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, before proceeding to the London School of Economist to read law in 1956.
The Governor pointed out that Balogun worked in the banking sector first as the Principal Counsel and Company Secretary to the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) and held many positions in the sector before he founded the First City Monument Bank (FCMB), recalling that in 1989, he donated the newly built and fully equipped General Hospital to Ijebu Ode.”
Penpushing reports that dignitaries at the funeral, include former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo Olu; former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, and former governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson.
The other notable personalities were the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Philanthropist, Femi Otedola; President of African Development Bank, Femi Adesina; first class traditional rulers and Bishops of the Ijebu Anglican Diocese, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, among others.
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