Aka Ikenga, an Igbo Think Tank, has mourned the passing of Afenifere national leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, on 14 February 2025.
While highlighting Adebanjo’s good traits, the group noted that his death occurred on the feast of St. Valentine, a day remarked for a global celebration of love and sacrifice for humanity.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIn a brief tribute signed by Aka Ikenga President, Agbalanze Chike Madueke, and Secretary General, Ogbueshi Mark-Anthony Nduka-eze, the Igbo think tank reflected that “In every death, humanity is diminished, but in Pa Adebanjo’s permanent sleep, Nigeria has lost a grapevine of conscience, planted on the banks of integrity, and stood like an oak above every shrub.”
The group noted that “His roots of courage and irrepressible stamina for justice, equity and fairness to all, are so deep that even enemies marvel at a safe distance.”
“We at Aka Ikenga in particular, the Igbo Nation especially, and Nigeria generally, grieve and mourn a life we cannot celebrate enough, because of the denial of this giant tree of wealth in wisdom, whose shade as a Truth Telling Canopy at every moment, is like unplugging the freshwater of revival at the heat of intense harmattan.
“No one can ever be in doubt of Ayo’s inspiring awe and aura, nor command the value of his vehemence with such undaunting relentlessness, peculiar only to him.”
The group further described him as a rare patriarch and patriot, who “took nine decades and six years of nurture, grit, and divine grace to achieve, sustain, and retain.”
READ ALSO: Adebanjo Was A Great Pillar In Struggle For New Nigeria – Obi
Furthermore, the statement released by the Group’s Director of Publicity and Communications, Collins Steve Ugwu, noted that Adebanjo, on the strength of his convictions, deployed his abilities to fight against injustice and dishonesty, while constantly pushing for the entrenchment of the rule of law, order, good governance, and equal access to opportunities for prosperity.
Aka Ikenga called on Nigerians to pause and reflect on the life and time of Adebanjo, who it described as “a beacon of character, truth and honesty.”
It commiserated with the family of the nonagenarian and prayed for the repose of his soul, and strength for all his disciples and compatriots, to continue propagating the ideals he preached.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
