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Tag: Adegbite

  • Tinubu, Osoba, Olowude, others pay tributes to ‘a great leader’ Adegbite

    Tinubu, Osoba, Olowude, others pay tributes to ‘a great leader’ Adegbite

    National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chairman, Industrial and General Insurance plc (IGI) Chief Remi Olowude, former Lagos Deputy Governor Alhaja Lateefat Okunnu were among the dignitaries at the Fidau for the late Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr Abdullateef Adegbite. They took turn to eulogise the former Egba High chief.

    They described the Seriki and Baba Adinni of Egbaland as a “great leader.”

    The three-day Fidau organised for the late Adegbite held at the main bowl of Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos yesterday. The event featured prayers and recitation from the Holy Quran led by Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Garuba Akinola Ibrahim and Baba Adinni of Lagos, Sheikh AbdulHafeez Abou.

    Executive Secretary, Muslim Ummah in Southwest of Nigeria (MUSWEN) Prof Daud Noibi and National Missioner, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdurRahman Ahmad, delivered soul-inspiring lectures before floodgates of goodwill messages opened.

    Those who spoke include; Chairman, Jaiz Bank Alhaji Umar AbdulMutalab; Dr Abdullateef Adetona of the Lagos State University (LASU); Alhaja Okunnu; Asiwaju Tinubu and Amir (President) Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Lagos State Area Unit, Alhaji Qasim Badrudeen.

    Tinubu said the deceased contributed immensely to ensure many students acquire education.

    He said: “Dr Lateef Adegbite was a great father, a great brother, a great leader and an icon. He was a man we all must emulate at all time. The simultaneous prayers holding here in Lagos and Abeokuta showed that he had a great exit. This, confirmed the blessings of Allah on him.”

    The former Lagos governor marvelled on the day the Pioneer National President of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) answered Allah’s call, describing him as a “rare blessing.”

    Tinubu said: “He died on a great day – Friday and his Fidau is holding today – when Nigerians are marking the 52nd anniversary Independence Day. It is extremely instructive. He was truly, a bridge-builder and fearless fighter of his religion.

    “He related with the Christians, quoting copiously from the Bible to preach tolerance. No doubt, he died well because he lived well. You cannot fault him on uprightness – he says things as he sees it and his judgements were also sound.”

    Alhaja Okuunu described Adegbite as a man with good listening hears and good servant of Allah.

    She said: “He nurtured many of us; as women, he was always there for us. He was extremely accommodating, caring and loving. I do not know anybody who did so much for the society like the late Dr Adegbite.”

    Chief Olowude who saw Dr Adegbite two days before his demise, recalled how the deceased spent long time praying for so many people and Nigeria as a country.

    “He lived a life of a blameless individual. If there is anything called a ‘saint’ he was truly a saint,” the IGI chief said.

    Alhaji AbdulMutalab, who had related with the late Adegbite for 25 years, said he received his death news with a big shock.

    “It is going to be difficult to replace him,” he said.

    Dr Adetona said the deceased wanted nothing but perfection.

    Among the dignitaries at the event include Lagos Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Minister of Communication Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson; former governors of Ogun and Ekiti States, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Niyi Adebayo; former Lagos Deputy Governor Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu; Chairman, Business mogul Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Mr Goddy Ibru; Chief Rasak Okoya; Secretary to the Ekiti State Government Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi; Justice Ishola Olorunnimbe; Justice AbdurRashid Sahid; Prof AbdulFatah Mabadeje, his wife Prof Saida; Prof Taofeequat Odutola; Prof Muhib Opeloye; Prof Yahya Oyewole; Prof Is-haq Akintola and hosts of others.

     

  • Adieu! Lateef Adegbite

    Adieu! Lateef Adegbite

    SIR: I started reading about Dr. Lateef Adegbite in the late 1970s. I was so impressed by his intelligence and sincerity that I could not resist reading anything connected with his name, whether he granted an interview, or he presented a paper. He was the Secretary-General of Nigeria’s Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), and a Muslim leader to reckon with in Yorubaland. He was a legal luminary.

    I pulled Dr. Adegbite’s legs on two occasions. One day, he said he could not imagine himself, as a Muslim leader, giving his own daughter in marriage to a Christian. I waited till another occasion when I heard him talking about Nigeria’s unity. I quickly reminded him of what he said that he would never give his own daughter in marriage to a Christian. He ignored me. But, if I had a son old enough to marry his daughter, he would have learnt a lesson of his life.

    On another occasion, Dr. Adegbite rated Islam, as practiced in northern Nigeria, higher than what obtained in the south, where, according to him, Islam was syncretised with African traditional religious practices. I then asked whether syncretism was not better than mass impoverishment that pervaded northern Nigeria. I mentioned the case of a highly placed northern Muslim who was accused of being behind the disappearance of train (the railway system) in Nigeria, so that his own long trucks (popularly called trailers) would get business.

    In all of that, I did not lose respect and admiration for Dr. Adegbite, because I knew he was sincere, and would say things as he saw them, or what he actually felt, without hypocrisy. On another occasion, he said it was not possible to maintain the Ramadan discipline after the Ramadan, given human nature, and the fact that the Ramadan was a special month. You see he was not given to illusion!

    Just about two months ago, Dr. Adegbite impressed me again when he told America not to include Nigeria on the list of terrorist countries, nor brand Boko Haram as a terrorist group without qualifications. He spoke my mind, because I believe the real terrorists are those who truncated rotational presidency, and are creating mass poverty through embezzlement of public funds, and “fuel subsidy scam”.

    I mourn the demise of Dr. AbdulLateef Adegbite in empathy with Nigeria’s Muslim community. The country misses his wisdom and sincerity. May the Almighty Allah grant eternal rest to him, and grant his family members the fortitude to bear the loss.

    • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, Ph. D,

    University of Ilorin.

  • Adegbite, a true patriot, says Saraki

    Adegbite, a true patriot, says Saraki

    The senator, representing Kwara Central at the National Assembly, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said the late Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, was a true patriot.

    Saraki, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, said he was shocked by Adegbite’s death.

    The Ogun State Government announced the death last Friday.

    In a statement by his media aide, Akintoba Fatigun, the former Kwara State Governor described the late Baba Adinni of Egbaland as “a true patriot, who represented the symbol of peace”.

    He added: “The many feats he achieved were exemplified as the Secretary-General of the NSCIA; a position he used judiciously to foster unity and peaceful co-existence among Muslims and non-Muslims. A renowned lawyer and former Attorney-General of the defunct Western Region, Alhaji Adegbite’s contribution to nation-building is unparallelled.

    “He was full of life. Until his death, he was a strong advocate of religious tolerance. He will be missed by all Nigerians, most especially the Muslim community. He was a quintessential role model to the younger generation.

    “He died at a time when the country needs his pragmatism the most. No doubt, his role with other religious leaders in advocating religious forbearance will be deeply missed.

    “On behalf of the good people of Kwara Central, I commiserate with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the government and the good people of Ogun State. I also extend my condolences to his family; I pray Allah grants them the patience and the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.”

     

  • Adegbite, effective mouthpiece of Islam – CAN

    Adegbite, effective mouthpiece of Islam – CAN

    President, Christian Association of Nigeria , Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has described the late Dr. Lateef Adegbite as “an intellect, a distinctive spiritual charisma and an extremely popular and effective mouthpiece of Islam.’’

    Adegbite, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), died in Lagos on Friday, at the age of 79.

    Oritsejafor said this in a statement released in Lagos on Sunday.

    The CAN leader said he was deeply pained by the demise of the Islamic scholar because he was “a visionary, passionate and consummate lover of peace.’’

    The cleric said that the late Adegbite was a unifying factor in his moderate and temperate approach to ethno-religious issues.

    “I received with shock the news of the death of Dr Lateef Adegbite, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), renowned Lawyer and former Attorney-General of the defunct Western Region.

    “The foundation of his message consists of joining religious belief and modern education, one that is based on positive activism, interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

    “Adegbite spent his career impressing on people that true religion preaches love, tolerance, open-mindedness, compassion, hard work, peace and many other values and practices that lead a person to virtue and perfection.

    “Indeed, he was a perfect influence on those who desire a better understanding of the Islamic religion. Nigeria and the international community will surely miss him,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Oritsejafor as saying in the statement.

     

  • Rain of encomiums from Jonathan, Sultan, Obasanjo, govs as Adegbite is buried

    Rain of encomiums from Jonathan, Sultan, Obasanjo, govs as Adegbite is buried

    The late Secretary-General of the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr. Lateef Adegbite, was laid to rest in his Abeokuta hometown yesterday amid eulogies and deep feelings of sense of loss from President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saa’d Mohammed Abubakar, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr Babatunde Fashola(SAN), among others.

    President Jonathan in a condolence message called Adegbite a bridge builder while Sultan Abubakar, Obasanjo, Amosun and Fashola described him as an icon and a patriot who invested his time, energy and resources toward uplifting mankind.

    Adegbite who ,until his death on Friday, was the Baba Adini and Seriki of Egbaland was buried in his private residence at Onikolobo, Abeokuta, Ogun State, after a brief jannazah (Islamic burial rites) led by the Sultan and the Chief Imam of Egbaland, Alhaji Liad Orunsolu.

    His remains encased in a silver colour casket and draped in clothes bearing Arabic inscriptions and designs of the Holy Kabba, arrived his compound at 3:35pm in a Mercedes hearse marked TOS 7.

    The arrival of the body elicited a spontaneous chanting of “Allahu Akbar,” from the large number of sympathisers, friends and relations who gathered in and around the compound.

    He was lowered into the grave at 3:56pm.

    At the burial were Governors Amosun and Fashola, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the NSCIA, Abubaker Sa’ad, former President Obasanjo, former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan and former Governor of the old Western State, Brig-Gen Oluwole Rotimi in whose administration Adegbite served as the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and later, Attorney – General and Commissioner of Justice.

    Also present were former Ogun State governors, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Gbenga Daniel, Senator Gbenga Kaka, Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Prince Surajudeen Adekumbi, Chief Alani Bankole, former Minister of Mines and Steel, Alh. Sharafadeen Tunji Ishola and a host of others.

    President Jonathan in a condolence message said of the deceased: “Dr. Adegbite’s tenure as the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) would forever be remembered for fostering peace and unity among religious groups in the country and for his moderating influence.”

    “He was a devout Muslim leader, distinguished lawyer and academic,” the President further noted, adding that the late Seriki Musulumi served meritoriously as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Public Awareness on Security and Civic Responsibilities.”

    President Jonathan urges the Adegbite family, the people of Ogun State, the Muslim community and Nigerians to take consolation in the knowledge that the late renowned Muslim leader made indelible contributions to the development of the country. He prays that God Almighty would grant his soul eternal rest.

    The Sultan said :”Words are not enough to express how the Muslims accept the loss of this great servant of Allah. We have worked with him for six years and I know how much he had put his energy and resources to serve the Muslims. The family has not lost any body, the loss is for the Muslim Ummah.

    “The Almighty took him for reasons best known to him. Let’s continue to remember Baba Adinni whenever we are praying, because he has paid his dues to Islam. May the Almighty Allah in his own wisdom who knows that we have worked for Him and reward him.”

    Other tributes :

    Obasanjo: “We know that we are missing an icon. But we take consolation in the fact that he lived a worthy life and legacy worthy of emulation. His place will be difficult to fill within our community, Egbaland. We pray that God will not leave us mourning and groping in the dark for a worthy replacement.”

    Amosun: “Another national icon of Ogun State extraction is gone. One by one, the ranks of those whose toils and sweats got Nigeria Independence and nurture the nation is being depleted. His life was an admirable confluence of religion, tradition and civilisation, leaving indelible footprints in the sands of time.”

    Fashola: “I am privileged to know that if he puts himself first, he would probably have lived longer, but he spent much more time; Islam came first, community came first, Nigeria came first. And that is the life of service that should be cherished by all of us and perhaps our multi ethnic, multilingual and multi religious gathering here will help us move closer to the unity, the peace and the kind of Nigeria we he lived and died for.”

    Oluwole Rotimi : “He was not just my Commissioner but my personal friend. We entered King’s College together in 1950 and left in 1956. I left for the University College, Ibadan and then to the army. He travelled to England to study law and he too became a lecturer at the University of Lagos.

    “In 1971 when I became to the Military administrator of Old Western Nigeria, I invited him over to serve his father land. He was my Commissioner between 1971 – 75 first as Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and later the Attorney – General and Commissioner for Justice.”

    The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) : “Dr Adegbite died preaching religious tolerance and coexistence because he was a true and strong believer in one united Nigeria inhabited by people who are socially diverse, economically empowered and politically active.”

    The Jama’atu NasrilIslam (JNI) :”Dr. Adegbite was upright, fearless, committed and an accomplished Islamic worker and a lawyer of high pedigree, alhamdulillah. It is on record, that he was the pioneer National President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN).

    Senate President David Mark: “He was a colossus of sort, a true statesman and a passionate believer in the unity of Nigeria.”

    Speaker Aminu Tambuwal: “ the death of Dr. Lateef Adegbite, is a monumental loss to the Muslim ummah and Nigeria. He lived an exemplary life of service, humility, and dedication whose impact would forever be felt by all Nigerians.”

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State: “Dr. Lateef Adegbite was an illustrious citizen of this country. He was always ready to offer sincere advice to successive governments on peaceful co-existence and religious harmony in the country.”

    Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State: “Nigeria has lost a bridge builder between the North and South who worked tirelessly for the unity and progress of the country.”