The Local Government Pensioners Association of Nigeria (LOGPAN), Ogun State branch has renamed the association’s secretariat after the late Chairman, Chief Sikiru Akangbe Ayilara, who passed on peacefully at age 80, on September 27,2022
Penpushing reports that, this was made known at the
lying-in-state programme for the departed labour leader, organized by the association on Friday, held at the association’s secretariat, behind Ita-Oshin motor park, Abeokuta, the state capital
The Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi unveiled the secretariat named “Sikiru Akangbe Ayilara LOGPAN Secretariat”, a ceremony attended by large number of the association, members as well as other guests from within and outside the state.
Penpushing further reports that, the Governor while unveiling the new name said, the deceased deserved the honour and eulogized him for his strong will at which he pursuit whatever he believes in, pensioners welfare in particular, adding that Ayilara was an old man of many parts
“It’s deserving naming this facility after Pa Sikiru Ayilara. I hereby commissioned this secretariat in the name of God and for the benefit of humanity. To his enemies, Chief Sikiru Ayilara JP was a terror. To his friends, he was a gentle soul”, Abiodun emphasized
The Governor observed that the late activist was seen as terror by his enemies and to his lovers and admirer was a gentle soul, assuring that his legacy of fighting for the welfare of his colleagues would not be jettisoned by the government
” For LOGPAN, I know you are the extended family of Baba Ayilara. I am happy and impressed about what you have done to immortalize him. May God continue to honour you as well. The leadership that Baba Ayilara provided for you, God will give you somebody else to give such kind of leadership. I would admonish you to take solace in the Bible that when it was the time for Moses to go, God gave them Joshua. You will get your own Joshua that will take you to your promised land. And I want to be with you when you get to the promise land”,he said
“And what is the promise land for LOGPAN? It’s all that Baba Ayilara has been fighting for that will be delivered to you. And I want to be there within this next time His Excellency will be in office, he will be able to do all that Baba Ayilara wanted, so that you can start praying for us. To the family, His Excellency will like you to know that his thoughts and prayers are with you; be in one accord, God will grant you peace”, he stated
Penpushing also reports that the chairman of the burial committee, Pastor Ademoye, in his remarks noted that, renaming the association after the late labour leader was unanimous decision of the members in all the twenty local government areas of the state as one of the enduring ways to institutionalize his legacy,stressing that honouring him was not only right but also justifiable because the deceased had truly lived for the utmost interest of the retirees in the state.
“Could you believe that starting from the purchase of this piece of land up to the completion of the building till the commissioning of the secretariat, it was as if Chief Ayilara was carrying out his personal project considering the level of determination, zeal, passion, and the elegantry he put into all the phases. Chief Ayilara monitored every bit of the documentation, ensured that the construction adhered strictly to the 21st century architectural design befitting of a meeting place for the senior citizens”, he stated.
“You see, Chief Ayilara nurtured the pensioners as if he was their biological father, elder brother or sibling; on most occasions, he would exhaust himself during agitation or protest for the welfare of his retired colleagues”, Ademoye emphasized
Penpushing reports that Secretary of the association while reflecting on over sixty years of relationship with the deceased said he recommended him(Ayilara) to be trained in the community service in 1968 because he noticed im that he had genuine passion to care for others and the willingness to make people’s burden his own.
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