Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose, has said that great leaders should be recognised and celebrated while they are alive.
Fayose said this when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Mama Hannah Dideolu Idowu Awolowo.
He warned politicians against playing politics with the death of nationalists and great leaders in the country.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, the governor was quoted as saying “At some point we all have to leave this world. But we cannot forget a life well lived and the assurances of eternity. Our Mama held fort for 29 years after Baba left. She kept the flag flying and nobody can fault that.
“Her death is a celebration of life and ideology. An ideology she stood for. We will continue to celebrate Baba Awo and represent all that he lived for.
“Politicians celebrate people for political reasons but that must stop. We should sustain the legacies left behind by Baba and Mama.
“We need to celebrate our heros before they die. It is better that way rather than making politics of such occasion. I congratulate the Awolowos for a life well lived by their parents. The family should not be abandoned. We can never forget them. They have left legacies that are enduring. Also, visit to this place should not be one off thing.
“Mama Awolowo fought a good fight and finished her race very well.”
Mrs Tola Oyediran, the daughter of the deceased in her remarks said “I say a big thank you for coming despite your tight schedule. Your coming is an expression of deep love for us as a family. We thank you for the beautiful things you said about our parents.
“We also thank God that her children survived her in spite of all the storms of life she experienced in recent years. I pray that you too will live long in Jesus name.”
Meanwhile Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka described her life as “an enviable life, a memorable existence.”
Soyinka wrote this in the condolence register after visiting the family in Ikenne on Saturday.