Obasanjo, Ogun governor mourn Titi Ajanaku

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has expressed shock over the passing of Mrs. Titi Ajanaku on Wednesday evening at the age of 76.

Abiodun described the late Otun Iyalode of Egbaland as a foremost political activist and woman leader, an astute administrator who served the state meritoriously as the chairman of the old Abeokuta Council and the nation at the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

His words: “I received the news of the demise of this great woman with shock and disbelief.“Mama Ajanaku was a woman of many parts; a trained nurse, an activist fighting the cause of women, a politician of high esteem and a great philanthropist.

“As her name implies in Yorubaland, she trod were even men feared to. In politics of Ogun State and even Nigeria, she was a colossus, being the first woman in Nigeria to be elected council chairman and a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

The governor noted that the death of the former Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Women Affairs created a vacuum which would be difficult to fill, adding that the state, his administration in particular, would miss her services and wise counsel.

While praying God to give the soul of the late Otun Iyalode eternal rest and the family the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss, Abiodun urged all to imbibe her exemplary life of service to God and humanity.

Also, Obasanjo noted yesterday that Ajanaku’s loyalty and commitment to women affairs development was exemplary and worthy of emulation.The former president stated yesterday in Abeokuta that Ajanaku’s son confirmed to him in a telephone chat that his mother had passed on. He recalled how the deceased, a nurse by profession, joined other Nigerians to visit him in 1998 to persuade him to contest the presidential election.

Describing her as a woman who would do everything in her capacity to advance the cause of women, he added, “This is why I appointed her as Women Affairs Adviser, the position she served creditably.”Obasanjo wrote a personal condolence letter to the Ajanaku family saying, “In her lifetime, Mrs. Ajanaku had a genuine desire to contribute to building a better society, through advocacy for fundamental human rights and service to humanity.

“She was an activist dedicated to the cause of women within the context of culture, policy and law. An advocate of gender balance, she remained mindful of those fundamental responsibilities of women, which remain critical to family life and family stability.”