President Muhammadu Buhari paid glowing tributes to the late Professor of Geography and Urban Regeneration, Akin Mabogunje, on Saturday, describing him as a distinguished public policy expert, an advocate of good governance, approachable and extremely humble to all who met him.
At the church service for Mabogunje’s burial on Saturday in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Buhari and other prominent figures extolled his virtues.
Buhari, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, stated that the late professor was a just man who led by example throughout his life.
He went on to say that Mabogunje would live on in the minds of many people for a long time as a great man, claiming that he was a decent man who served God with all his heart.
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Buhari, on the other hand, expressed his condolences to the late professor’s family, saying that the family should be grateful that their late patriarch, who lived an accomplished life, was well celebrated and a cerebral educator.
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the late Geography professor as a distinguished man who lived and stood firm for his faith and belief.
He stated that he combined complete dedication and excellence in all national endeavors in which he was involved.
Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State, described Pa Mabogunje as an erudite scholar and community leader who loved his family and the people around him, revealing that the late professor inspired other prominent indigenes of the town to establish a fund to support and empower transporters, particularly tricycle riders.
While stating that his administration would name a prominent street after the late Professor of Geography, Abiodun also stated that he would write to the president requesting that a prominent street be named after the late professor.
“For all Baba has done for us in Ogun State, for this country, for making us very proud, we have decided that we will be naming a very prominent street in Ijebu-Ode in his memory. I have also discussed with the Chief of Staff to the President, I will also be writing to the president, humbly requesting that a prominent street in Abuja be named after Prof. Mabogunje,” Governor Abiodun said.
Nights of Tributes
Earlier at the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State where the 3-day burial rites begins, other prominent Nigerians have praised Mabogunje, including the Head Pastor and Founder of Trinity House Church, Ituah Ighodalo, former PDP governorship candidate in Borno State, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, and Funso Adegbola, daughter of Nigeria’s late Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Bola Ige.
They referred to late Mabogunje as a rare breed and congratulated his children, including former acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Folasade Ogunsola, on having been fathered “by such a great patriot and integrity personified.”
Mr Ighodalo described Mr Mabogunje as “one of the best in his generation,” adding that “he was a man of great humility who strived to make his country a better place.”
The pastor stated that one of the last conversations he had with the deceased was about the report of a committee headed by Mr Mabogunje to address border issues between Lagos and Ogun State, and how the report was ignored by successive administrations.
“The project was ignored, as most things in Nigeria are,” he explained. “Being friends with both governors, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Prince Dapo Abiodun, I thought I could talk to them, which I did, but I guess the matter is not critical to them, especially at this time.”
Ighodalo Comforted the widow retired justice Titi Mabogunje
He comforted the widow, retired justice Titi Mabogunje, saying she did so much for her late husband and thanked her “for supporting him, caring for him, and allowing him to be himself.”
Mr Ighodalo consoled her by saying that while the widow is older than him, he is her senior “in this business of losing a spouse.”
“I have two years of experience above you, so if you want, I can give you some notes,” he said. You’ll keep looking out the window, expecting them to walk through the door at any moment.
“You surround yourself with their photos and wonder why they did this to you.” Even this morning, I thought about my wife and wondered why she would do this to me, leaving me with these children. You keep hoping it was all a nightmare and that when you wake up, he will be right beside you.
“I read that you said you like to sleep on his side of the bed. I used to enter my wife’s wardrobe and stay there for a while. I left the last pair of socks that she wore the way she kept it and look at it from time to time and I smell it.”
Mr Ighodalo stated that despite the late professor’s five ‘wonderful’ children, all of them are well behaved with the exception of Seun Mabogunje, the husband of Toki Mabogunje, President of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
“I say this because Seun came to join us for A Levels while I was minding my own business at King’s College.” I had previously been a well-behaved King’s College student.
“One day, it was time for us to go home for the mid-term and it was getting a bit late and we didn’t know what to do, then Seun came up with this bright idea that we should go to Ebute-Metta and take a Danfo to Ibadan, which we did and thank God we got to our destination in one piece,” he said.
Mr Ighodalo stated that he has known the Mobogunje family since 1966 and that he went to the same primary and secondary schools as two of the five children, Tolu and Seun.
Adopted children speak
Apart from Mr Ibrahim-Imam and Mrs Adegbola, another man from Borno State, Musa Kida, was identified as the late professor’s adopted child.
Mr Ibrahim-Imam said at the event that doctors predicted the late Mabogunje would only live four weeks more before dying, but he ended up living an additional 12 weeks.
“This demonstrates that he was simply finished with his assignment.” “He was accomplished in every sense,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim-Imam stated that the late Mobogunje was an inspiration to millions of Nigerians and left a positive impression on everyone who came into contact with him.
He stated that his family is his greatest achievement because they are all accomplished in their respective fields of specialization.
He remarked that late Mabogunje was among those referred to by great poet James Riley when he said, “A good man never dies.”
Book of Tribute
According to Ibidun Adenekan, the Head of the Geography Department at the University of Ibadan, late Mabogunje raised the university’s flag high all over the world, and his students have done so much internationally and locally, representing the geography discipline.
“The first question they will ask you is if you know Prof Mabogunje,” she said, adding that wherever you go in the world, “the first question they will ask you is if you know Prof Mabogunje.”
She formally presented a tribute book to the late Mabogunje’s family, saying it was written by the deceased’s former students, associates, and all others whose lives he had touched “because they cannot all be here to give their tributes.”
Mr Mabogunje “blunt to a fault”
Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, Samson Opaluwah, a former president of the Nigeria Institute of Building, Babatunde Lasabi, said, “When the story of great achievers is told and the roll call is made, Professor Mabogunje will make the list because he demonstrated an exemplary lifestyle, his service to humanity, he was a renowned academic, an astute and influential policy analyst, and a development consultant.”
He stated that late Mabogunje was not only a teacher, but also a father, grandfather, uncle, and friend to the scholars he tutored. “He was blunt to a fault and revered by those who crossed his path.” He was a gentle man with a caring nature.”
“The history of geography and urban and regional planning in Nigeria and Africa would be incomplete without mentioning his efforts to ensure that the discipline is not only introduced and accepted, but also incorporated as a major area of scientific study,” he added.
“The development of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was part of his contribution to national development.”
Allen Oyediran, a former Executive Director of the Nigerian Network for Awareness and Action for Environmental Health (NINAAFEH), also spoke highly of the deceased.
