Ojora family of Lagos has announced the passing of their patriarch, Adekunle Ojora, the Olori Omo Oba of Lagos, who died early yesterday morning at the age of 93.

The family said he would be buried in Lagos according to the Islamic rites and called on members of the public to pray for his soul.

In a statement signed by Mrs Toyin Ojora-Saraki, the family said Ojora passed away “in full submission to the will of Almighty Allah.”

“We say Alhamdulilahi for a life well lived, and we comply with Allah’s words: ‘Surely, to Allah we belong, and to Him we will all return’” (Q2:156).

“He is survived by his wife, Erelu Ojuolape Ojora, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,” the statement added.

Ojora, born in 1932, began his career as a journalist with the BBC in the early 1950s.

He later joined United Africa Company (UAC) as an executive in 1962 and went on to become chairman of the board of AGIP Nigeria Limited from 1971 until its acquisition by Unipetrol in 2002.

He also invested in several foreign firms in Nigeria during the 1970s, contributing significantly to the growth of Nigerian private enterprise.

The family said: “We urge all members of the public to join us in praying to Allah to grant His servant, who has lived a dignified life, reprieve in the grave and a place in Aljannah Firdaus.”

In his reaction to Ojora’s death, the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, commiserated with his wife, Erelu Ojuolape Ojora, the entire members of the Ojora and Adele royal families of Lagos, as well as the good people of Lagos State.

His reaction is contained in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

He described the late businessman as a notable Nigerian who built a legacy of integrity, wisdom, and dedication in his lifetime, stressing that his death was a great loss to the people of Lagos, Southwest zone and the entire country.

He said: “It is with a heavy heart that I express how deeply grieved I was to hear of the death of Otunba (Dr.) Adekunle Ojora, at the age of 93. On behalf of my family and on my own behalf, I wish to commiserate with all members of the Ojora and Adele royal families of Lagos as well as the good people of Lagos State over the passing of this amiable and notable Nigerian, who in his lifetime built a living legacy of integrity, wisdom, and dedication.”