The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has expressed his condolences on the death of the former Military Governor of Lagos States and Chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu.
The late Rear Admiral Kanu, also served as military Governor of Imo State, passed on Wednesday, Aged 77.
Dr. Fayemi in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, described Admiral Kanu’s death as a monumental loss to Nigeria as a whole given the late activist’s commitment to the stability of the country.
He credited the late Admiral Kanu with contributing to the physical, social and economic development of Lagos and Imo States where he served as military governor and left worthy legacies that had endured decades after leaving office.
The Governor described the late Admiral Kanu as a gallant officer, highly detribalised leader, an altruistic patriot, astute administrator and one of the pillars of democracy movement that fought for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
Describing the demise of the late NADECO Chieftain as a personal loss to him, Dr. Fayemi also described the deceased as a friend, a big brother and a fellow comrade in the struggle for freedom and democracy in Nigeria.
The Governor noted that history would always be kind to the late Admiral Kanu, for joining other patriotic Nigerians to establish the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) as a movement that fought for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by the late Chief MKO Abiola, as well as ensuring a return to democratic rule in 1999.
The Governor said the late Admiral Kanu rather than hiding under the pretext of the military’s espirit de corps chose to be on the side of the people at a critical time in the nation’s history by calling for an end to military rule.
He said the deceased, at the risk of his life during the most brutal military dictatorship in the nation’s history, never stayed in his comfort zone but sacrificed his time and convenience to work for the restoration of democratic rule.
While praying God to grant the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss, Dr. Fayemi urged them to be consoled by the good legacies of service, sacrifices and contributions to the entrenchment of democracy he left behind.
