Tinubu pays tribute to Late Prof. Samuel

• SA Education Mourns

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leaders, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has described the late Prof. Tunde Samuel as a reputable and renowned political philosopher, strategist, administrator, social reformer and distinguished academic, who will be greatly missed.

In an emotion-laden condolence message he personally signed at the weekend, Tinubu said the late professor, who died last Wednesday in Lagos, after a brief illness, contributed immensely to the formulation of policies and programmes that have positioned Lagos State as the fifth largest economy in Africa and the investment destination in Nigeria.

The former Governor said: “The news of the death of my friend, confidant and political associate, Professor Tunde Samuel, came as a rude shock which effects still reverberates through my spines. This condolence message is thus, a very difficult task for me.

“Prof. Samuel was a reputable and renowned political philosopher, strategist, administrator, social reformer and distinguished academic. The many awards and laurels he won in his over 73 years of earthly sojourn are testimonies to his cerebral power and leadership acumen. His administrative footprints and intellectual landmarks on higher education in Lagos will remain indelible for a long time.”

His pioneering leadership of the Lagos State College of Primary Education as Provost was the foundation on which the recent upgrade of the institution to the status of a university was laid. His role in the formative years of Lagos State University as a member of the institution’s Provisional Governing Council cannot be forgotten.”

Tinubu said the late professor was his Special Adviser on Education during his reign as the governor of the state, saying his professional inputs contributed to the boost that has attended all levels of education in the state.

“Perhaps, this informed the decision of the Federal Government to appoint him as Chairman of Governing Council, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, a position he held until his death…”

Also, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, described the don’s demise as a big loss to the state government and the education family, stressing that he contributed immensely to the growth of education in the state.

“We are definitely going to miss one of our big pillars in education, who with commitment, laid a solid foundation for strong and sustainable educational growth of the state when he was the Special Adviser on Education to the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“When I assumed office as the Special Adviser on Education under the present administration, I followed his footsteps in the performance of my statutory responsibilities, and things started working perfectly well for us because he had through his rich educational background, genuine commitment and selflessness, laid the foundation for growth and excellence. We will surely miss his wealth of experience in this sector and I assure the public that we will continue to uphold his legacies and follow his foot steps in the implementation of the state’s educational policies, in line with Governor Sanwo-Olu’s education, science and technology vision,” Wahab assured.

Noting that the late academic contributed largely to the birth of two additional state universities, the Special Adviser said Prof. Samuel as a pioneer Provost of MOCOPED, Naforija, Epe brought a lot of infrastructure developments to the college, while he also brought significant transformation to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, when he was the Chairman of its Governing Council.

He added that his efforts on both colleges contributed in no small ways to their being successfully upgraded to the university status by the Sanwo-Olu administration.

“The late academic really imprinted his name on a sands of history in such a way that it would be too difficult to forget him as an erudite strategist, a focused leader. Prof. Samuel died when his wealth of experience was most needed in our political firmament,” Wahab stated.