…Aiyedatiwa, Oyo CJ, Akintola, others present as NBA holds special court session for late gov
By Odunayo Agboluaje
The Chief Justice of Nigeria {CJN}, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Monday , urged Nigerians to learn from the life of service of the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State who died in December.
Ariwoola, made the call during a special court session held in honour of Akeredolu at the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan. The session attracted many stakeholders in the legal profession, including the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Iyabo Yerima; the Attorney-general of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; former Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, Chief Niyi Akintola, Olusole Oke and others.
The event was organised by the Nigerian Bar Association {NBA}. Akeredolu was a former President of NBA.
The CJN said: “Akeredolu was my very good friend. We started a long time ago. He was a wonderful person. He touched many lives. But God loves him more. That is why we have to accept the will of God to take him home. May his soul country rest in peace. And we should learn from Akeredolu’s life of service to humanity. We God see his family through. We may live a peaceful life to make impacts in the lives of those around us. It is not the number of years one spends on earth but the impacts made’’.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, highlighted Akeredolu’s doggedness, love, fight for justice and his intervention in the President Bola Tinubu government in the area of the first statutory amendments that led to the extension of the tenure of judicial officers.
‘’I urge us all to take heart over this national tragedy, his immediate family, the legal profession, and the fortitude to bear this seemingly irreparable loss’’, Fagbemi said.
Chief Judge Yerima, acknowledged Akeredolu’s indelible positive impact on humanity, stating that his legacy would be impossible to fully quantify.
Oke remembered the late governor as an advocate of justice who was straightforward, frank, and positively daring.