GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde and other top politicians, family and friends on Friday extolled the virtues of the late governor of Oyo State. Alhaji Lam Adesina.
They eulogized him at the 10th memorial lecture which was held at Jogor Centre, Ibadan.
Adesina, who governed the state from 1999 to 2003, died on November 11, 2012.
Makinde, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Adebayo Lawal, said the late governor, who was popularly known as Great Lam, was a great man in every sense as he lived for the masses.
He said: “Lam was a great man, a great politician, a great community leader, and a leader of thought. He fought for the masses. That was why he became a prisoner of war.
Former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, recalled the virtue of contentment that stood Lam out among his peers.
He said his position as an ardent follower of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo remained unfilled. “Lam remains fully recognized in the circle of followers of Awolowo’s legacy. I am so happy today, believing that he’s smiling as he stirs at us today.” Osoba said.
He urged Lam’s followers to sustain his legacies.
A former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Pa Abiodun Ogunleye, also described the deceased as a forthright man who fought for the emancipation of the people. “Today’s gathering confirms that he didn’t labour in vain,” he submitted.
In his own short goodwill message, the APC governorship candidate in the state, Sen. Teslim Folarin, said Lam loved and believed in the people. He recalled that his meeting with him during the 2011 election exposed him a lot to how Lam thought.
Lam’s deputy, Chief Iyiola Oladokun, described the good attendance at the lecture as a testimony of Lam’s worthy legacy, stressing that he deserved to be celebrated.
Speaking on the topic: “Identity Politics in Lam Adesina’s Political Writings: Implications for 2023 General Elections,” the guest lecturer Prof. Lai Olurode analyzed Lam’s column in the Nigerian Tribune Newspaper. He pointed out that his writings showed that he believed in the rotational presidency, emancipation of the masses, and unity of Nigeria but where every citizen is treated equally.