Obasanjo mourns Fasoranti and Uduaghan, calls them titans of their generation
- Olusegun Obasanjo has paid tribute to Afenifere leader Reuben Fasoranti and former Delta governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.
- In a Tuesday statement, he praised Fasoranti's record in education, finance and Afenifere leadership.
- He described Uduaghan as a calm administrator who served Delta as health commissioner and SSG before becoming governor in 2007.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has mourned two prominent figures who died recently: Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the former leader of Afenifere, and Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, a former governor of Delta State.
In a statement on Tuesday, issued through his media aide Kehinde Akinyemi in Abeokuta, Obasanjo said Nigeria had lost men he placed among the titans of a generation that helped build the modern country.
Neither the statement nor the reports gave the cause or date of either death.
Fasoranti: teacher, finance commissioner, Afenifere anchor
Obasanjo traced Fasoranti's life from the classroom to politics. He said the late Afenifere leader served as principal in several historic schools, shaping young people before he entered public life.
He also recalled Fasoranti's time as Commissioner for Finance in the old Ondo State under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), saying his handling of public money remained a yardstick for discipline and openness.
According to Obasanjo, Fasoranti took charge of Afenifere at a time when the Yoruba socio-political group was divided and the country was uncertain, and held it together. He said Fasoranti stood against military rule and pressed for true federalism, justice and fairness, even when his life was threatened.
"On a personal note, I will always remember Baba's warmth and his open-door policy," Obasanjo said.
He added that the two men disagreed politically at times but never lost respect for each other.
Uduaghan: doctor, administrator, governor
On Uduaghan, Obasanjo said Nigeria had lost a gentleman, a committed medical doctor and a seasoned statesman.
He recalled working with Uduaghan while he was president, when Uduaghan served under then Delta governor James Ibori as Commissioner for Health and later as Secretary to the State Government.
Obasanjo said Uduaghan was a capable administrator and a calming voice during turbulent politics and intense agitations in the Niger Delta. He said those years prepared him for the top job when he became Delta governor in 2007.
For ordinary Nigerians, the tributes are a reminder of the roles the two men played in education, state finances and the politics of the South-West and South-South. Fasoranti's death in particular leaves Afenifere without one of its most recognised elders at a time when the group's voice matters in national debates.
What happens next will be watched closely: who Afenifere turns to for leadership, and how Delta State honours its former governor.
