Fasoranti, Afenifere leader, dies at 100 as Senate leaders pay tribute
- Afenifere national leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti has died at the age of 100.
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele both mourned him in separate statements.
- Both described him as a patriot who put Nigeria above personal and ethnic interests.
Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the national leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, has died at the age of 100. His death was announced on Tuesday, and tributes began arriving the same day and into Wednesday.
Two of the country's top lawmakers have led the mourning. Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele each issued statements describing Fasoranti as a patriot and an elder statesman whose example should guide younger Nigerians.
For many Nigerians, Fasoranti's name is tied to Afenifere, a group that has spoken for the Yoruba people in national politics for decades and often weighed in on how the country is run. His death closes a chapter in that tradition.
What the two leaders said
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central and is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said in a statement he signed himself that he was shocked and saddened by the news. He called Fasoranti a man of rare honesty who always put the country's interest ahead of his own or his region's.
He noted Fasoranti's work as a teacher, school administrator and community leader, saying he shaped generations of Nigerians. Bamidele also described him as one of the last surviving followers of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and as a bridge between the politics of the First Republic and the Fourth Republic.
Akpabio's statement, signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, said Fasoranti belonged to a generation of leaders whose lives were defined by service and firm beliefs. The Senate President said his contributions to democratic governance and the pursuit of justice would outlive him.
"Pa Reuben Fasoranti was one of those rare elder statesmen whose lives embodied the wisdom of experience and the strength of conviction," Akpabio said.
He said the loss was painful not only for the family and the Yoruba people but for the whole country, and asked the family to take comfort in a long and meaningful life.
Both men sent condolences to the Fasoranti family, Afenifere's leaders and members, the people of Akure and Ondo State, and the Yoruba nation.
What happens next
Neither statement gave details of burial arrangements. Afenifere and the Ondo State Government are expected to announce funeral plans in the coming days.
