25th December, 2022
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, on Sunday, commiserated with the State Pension Commission (PENCOM) over the demise of its part-time Chairman, Dr (Mrs) Anthonia Smart.
Akeredolu said he was personally touched by her death, according to a Press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Richard Olatunde, in Akure.
“It is a huge, irreparable loss that has left deep scars of pain in our hearts,” he said.
Akeredolu said Smart accepted to serve the state out of sheer passion and commitment to public service.
He described the deceased as a resourceful and selfless woman whose track record in her chosen career served as a beacon to many women.
“The death of Dr Tonia Smart is, indeed, a huge loss. It’s a piercing pain that only time can heal. We have lost a very resourceful woman.
“Her immeasurable contributions to pension matters in our state can never be forgotten.
“I commiserate with the family she left behind, especially my brother, the President of the African Insurers Organisation, AIO, Mr Tope Smart, on this irreplaceable loss.
“We can only pray to God to give you the fortitude to bear this loss,” he said.
Akeredolu said the late Smart was an experienced insurance practitioner and pensions administrator with nearly three decades of work experience.
“Her short time as the Part-Time Chairman of the Ondo State Pension Commission (PENCOM) was marked by remarkable feats.
“She deployed her wealth of experience in insurance broking, life insurance, pension administration and pension regulation in the discharge of her duties.
“As Christians, we can only accept this as an act of God. He giveth and taketh. We will take solace in the quality of life Dr Tonia Smart lived while here with us. She was an achiever who still had so much to offer.
“As we mourn our departed beloved, we pray God to grant her eternal rest and console the family she left behind,” Akeredolu said
(NAN)