By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has described the late Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe as an icon, hero, ardent patriot and one of God’s special gifts to our nation.
Late Akinkugbe whose passing was announced on Monday at age 96, was the senior brother of late Professor Ladipo Akinkugbe, a bosom friend of the former President who passed on to eternal glory in 2020 at 87.
In a condolence message made available to newsmen by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi on Monday, Obasanjo noted that “his demise got to me with the feeling of a sense of personal loss as he was the elder brother of my late bosom friend, Professor Ladipo Akinkugbe, who passed on to eternal glory in 2020 at 87 and whose life and path intertwined with mine in many respects.”
According to Obasanjo, “Chief Olu Akinkugbe was an icon and a hero in the true sense of these words. We thank God for his illustrious life of exemplary leadership, ardent patriotism and life-long devotion to the cause of upholding the highest standards of conduct in his business endeavours and within our society.”
Obasanjo remarked that, “Chief Akinkugbe was one of God’s special gifts to our nation, a rare breed who epitomised the finest tradition of African nobility. He lived an enviable, rich and fruitful life which many aspire to emulate and pray to attain. Those of us who saw him as an icon are awed by his formidable achievements, status and stature attained with patience, fortitude, equanimity and high dignity no matter the billows.
“His contribution in the area of pharmacology in Nigeria is legendary. He made a great change in the country’s crucial health sector in different capacities. He was the pioneer General-Secretary of the defunct Nigerian Union of Pharmacists (NUP) and brought international recognition to the
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) when he was invited to serve on the Council of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association (CPA). He was also the first Nigerian Chairman of Procter and Gamble Nigeria Plc as well as former Chairman of Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). We are proud
of him for his achievement and contribution to the socio-economic and political development of our nation.
The former President, who is presently in United States of America for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly session, recalled that he felt much of “the impact of Chief Akinkugbe’s wise counsel and sagacity both during my regime as Head of State of Nigeria between 1976 and 1979 and during my administration as
the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, stressing, “he was a dependable statesman and worthy role model to the younger generations of entrepreneurs and community leaders.
“An employer of labour, a philanthropist, Chief Akinkugbe’s selfless services to the country and exemplary leadership will be greatly missed by his community, Local Government Area, State and the nation in general.”
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