26th March, 2023
By Oladapo Udom
Sen. Anthony Adefuye on Sunday said that the late Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya would be fondly remembered for the role he played during the June 12 struggle, where he stood by the people and their mandate.
It could be recalled that the annulment of the presidential election held on June 12, 1993, sparked a chain of events that began with a civil uprising in Lagos and across Nigeria.
Adefuye said this when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the deceased at his residence at 31 Adekunle Fajuyi Street, Ikeja, Lagos.
The senator said that the late general stood for honesty and he was a fan of the media.
“When he was vice president he was always on the side of the people even during the June 12 problems, he stood with us and that is why we have a good bond.
“He has performed more than an ordinary person for this country and we all mourn him as he died at the age of 79,” Adefuye said.
Rt. Rev. Babtunde Ogunbanwo, Anglican Bishop of Ijebu South, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Diya was highly disciplined and stood for the unity of the nation.
“In 1993 he had every opportunity to become the Head of State, instead he stepped down for General Abacha just for the sake of peace and unity.
“When he was governor of Ogun State, if you stole money he would throw you in the guardroom because he’s a committed Nigerian.
“We as Yoruba people, as Odogbolu people, and as Ijebu people, we are proud of him. He lived a simple life of impact and integrity and we thank God for a life well spent,” Ogunbanwo said.
Also, Mr Oyewole Diya, a younger brother to the deceased and a former member, Federal House of Representatives, said that the Diya family had lost “a unifying factor”.
“We lost our dad 40 years ago and my late brother took it upon himself to send everybody in the family to school.
“He practically made everybody in the family and gave us all an opportunity to be successful in life without reservation.
“I am what I am today by the grace of God and with the help of my brother,” he said.
The former politician represented Shomolu Federal Constituency in the House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007 and was also in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2019.
The late General Oladipo Diya died in the early hours of March 26.
(NAN)