By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Son of the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Late Chief Bola Ige, Architect Muyiwa Ige
has declared that his father died for democracy to thrive in Nigeria despite that the country was not worth wasting ones’ life for.
Speaking with newsmen in Esa Oke at a service held to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the murder of the former Attorney General of the Federation, the former Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning in Osun State, Mr. Muyiwa Ige also said the Ige family has handed over the masterminds and killers of Chief Bola Ige over to God for punishment.
Architect Ige pointed out that although Chief Bola Ige died for democracy to thrive, Nigeria was not worth wasting one’s life for,saying,“my father believed in Nigeria. He said Nigeria was worth living and dying for. The truth of the matter is, once your heart is in the right place, Project Nigeria is worth pursuing for all of us. Death is what we all owe and he paid the price for democracy to thrive”.
“We thank God for his mercies. We thank God for wonderful legacies. It has not been easy but God has kept us on and by the grace of God, all the perpetrators behind his (Ige) death, God will deal with them. It was my father’s death that took away my mother some 20 months later,” he said.
Architect Ige added that “I am not so sure that Nigeria is worth dying for; however, we all have a responsibility to ensure that we don’t waste our lives for Nigeria.”
Speaking further,the former Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning lauded Osun state government for immortalizing his late father by naming a university after him.
“Whether the country wants to immortalise my father or not, I don’t care in as much as the State Government of Osun has named a university after my father, which is massive. It is the highest level of immortalisation. The road in this community is about 5km and it is named after my dad. There is a Bola Ige Information Technology Centre in Abuja. There are streets in Oyo State named after him”.
In his sermon,the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Ijesha North, Rt. Rev. Isaac Oluyamo, called on politicians in the country to emulate Late Chief Ige who he according to him was selfless during his lifetime,saying the free education provided by the administration of Late Chief Ige was unparalleled.
Rt. Rev Oluyamo stressed further that although there was still free education in some states in the country, the quality of such present day free education could not be compared with that of Chief Ige administration.
It will be recalled that Chief Bola Ige was assassinated at his Bodija residence in Ibadan on December 23, 2001.
