OSOGBO— FAMILY of the late former Internal Affairs Minister and frontline politician, Chief Sunday Micheal Afolabi has concluded plans to mark his 74th birthday anniversary posthumously.
According to the burial programme, the late politician who died on May 10, 2004 at a Manchester hospital will have his birthday celebrated with a church service at Methodist Church, Ibadan, Oyo state next Tuesday to herald his rites of passage.
The Osun State Deputy Governor who is also the Chairman of the funeral committee for the burial, Erelu Olusola Obada told newsmen in Osogbo yesterday that it was the family’s belief that the “celebration of the life of the great politician”, should start with a service in remembrance of his birthday.
Mrs. Obada, who unfolded the programmes for the ex-minister’s funeral, said Osun and Oyo states were working together to ensure that chief Afolabi gets a befitting burial.
According to her,”as you will remember, Baba (Afolabi) was a former Deputy Governor in the old Oyo state, so it behoves us to carry our Oyo state counterparts along. With his antecedents in the two states, the good people of the two states are convinced that he deserves a befitting burial”, she said.
She explained that her committee levied friends and associates of the late politician in order to generate fund to give him a “decent burial”, noting “we did not collect one kobo from either Osun or Oyo state governments”.
She said “even though Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in government in Osun, the state government is not funding the burial of this great leader. Baba’s burial deserves the involvement of the government, but we don’t want anybody to use that to score any political point”.
Asked if she thought the Osun government was being fair to the late politician, she said “I don’t think that the government is being ungrateful. You see, we live in a very abnormal time as what you do today can come up in 10 years time.
“Baba (Afolabi) was a great leader and it is better for his name to remain untarnished. We don’t want people to say that the money we are spending on his burial could have been used for them. We don’t want his name to be mentioned or be dragged in the mud. But we are giving him a beffiting burial as our great leader”.
She said although the Federal Government may want to do something to assist the family of the late politician, “for now, nothing has been given to the committee”.
The deputy governor disclosed that there would be service of songs which will feature a galaxy of orchestra and choirs at his Bodija residence on June 23 with commendation service at Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan the following day.
Mrs. Obada added that President Olusegun Obasanjo, his vice Abubakar Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) team led by Chief Audu Ogbeh is expected at the event which ends on Sunday, June 26 at African Church, Iree.
