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Olusegun Agagu, Two Years After

By Abiodun Fanoro
19 September 2015   |   4:36 am
THE family of the late former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, recently marked the second anniversary of his transition.
AGAGU

AGAGU

THE family of the late former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, recently marked the second anniversary of his transition.

Apart from a thanksgiving by the family at their Lagos Family House, a public lecture was also held last Sunday in honour of the late Agagu at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the auspices of the Olusegun Agagu Foundation.

The late Agagu, who was born on February 16, 1948, died on September 13, 2013. He was buried on October 4, 2013, in his hometown, Iju-Odo in Okitipupa Local Council Area of Ondo State.

Family members, associates and admirers of the late astute and cerebral administrator poured tributes on him during the event.

His eldest son, Feyi Agagu, while speaking about his father, said: “He lived a simple but a fulfilled and happy life. He left amazing memories and fantastic legacies behind. I will miss the friendship; I will miss the advice. He was pretty much anything any wife, son or daughter could ask for in a father. He was a mentor to many, a brother, a benefactor; I’m sure a lot of people are missing him.”

Bishop of the Diocese on the Coast, Bishop Ebun Ogunele said: “The Olusegun I knew was not a Nigerian politician who worked to win election in order to make name for himself, but to wipe tears away from the eyes of those that were bruised by our economy which has been badly and wrongly managed by those who ordinarily should have been behind bars but still continue to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth.

“When Agagu managed the affairs of Ondo State, he established General Hospital in all the local government headquarters. He also established health centres/maternities in all wards and ensured that they were equipped with drugs and health workers. He built at least a block of six classrooms in every primary school even in the remotest village, constructed bridges (at least I know five) and constructed roads everywhere, even to the Atlantic Ocean.”

According to the cleric, in the days of Agagu, “employment was yearly on merit after rigorous examination and interview. Salaries of all workers were paid as and when due. He did all these and more without borrowing a kobo from anywhere and he even left billions of naira for his successor. Agagu, the great administrator who was a minister, deputy governor and executive governor for over 10 years, did not have a building within those periods of service, no wonder when he left office, EFCC did not invite him for questioning or charge him to court.”

The Coordinator, Assembly for the Protection of Ikale Agenda (APIA), Henry Olatunjoye and the National Chairman of Congress for the Rights of Ondo Southern Nationalities (CROSN,) said the greatest honour the Ondo State government could do Agagu is the completion of the numerous people-oriented projects he started most of which were at over 60 per cent completion stage before the present administration abandoned them.

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