A great Oyo son and an industrialist of repute, Prince Ajibola Afonja is dead. His passing is a significant loss for Oyo Alaafin, Oyo State, and Nigeria as a whole.
Afonja who served as a minister under the short-lived interim administration of late Chief Ernest Shonekan, died on Sunday night at the University College Hospital (UCH), in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The former Chairman of First Bank passed on at the age of 82.
The industrialist who is known in his Oyo community by his company’s name, Integrated Dimensional System – IDS, reportedly sustained injuries from a lone accident he was involved in at Ilora, a few kilometres from his country home and was from there rushed to UCH in Ibadan.
The late Prince Afonja who was a rallying point in his hometown was loved for his commitment to peace and development of Oyo and was at a time the senatorial candidate for Oyo Central Senatorial District under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Confirming the passage of the former minister in a late Sunday statement, a foremost community-interest group, the Oyo Global Forum (OGF) through its Chairman, Taiwo Adebayo described the late Afonja as a unifier.
In the same vein, the United Vanguard of Nigeria, UVAN, Oyo, also described him as a great pillar of support to all and sundry. He was known as a kind-hearted man who will be greatly missed.
“On this dark day in Oyo, we mourn the loss of Prince Ajibola Afonja, former Labour Minister and Chairman of First Bank Nigeria, who passed away on Sunday night, aged 82.
“Although a national figure with tremendous influence, he was particularly light for the Oyo community where he made pioneering efforts as an industrialist. His legacy of generosity and open-heartedness touched countless lives, and his presence will be profoundly missed.
“Until his last month, Daddy IDS, as he was affectionately known, as a reference to his manufacturing company, remained hardworking, dedicated to realising one of the most transformative business visions for the country’s economy. It was the E-Customs project,” Adebayo said.
He added that his absence leaves a void that will be difficult to fill, but added that his spirit of generosity and leadership will continue to inspire the community.
“For all of us that he inspired, we shall honour his memory by carrying forward the values he embodied and continuing his legacy of service and compassion, the values that guide OGF, which he supported during his lifetime,” the statement read.
The OGF and UVAN have extended the group’s deepest condolences to the deceased family, the entire Oyo community, his friends and associates in this mourning period.
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