Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State moved his audience to an emotional applause last week when he revealed how a 1967 contact with the late Military Governor of Western State, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, inspired the dream of becoming a governor in him.
Ajimobi also recalled in the history, how he ended up marrying the then young girl that presented a flower bouquet to the governor, who is today Mrs Florence Ajimobi.
He was giving tributes on behalf of the governors of the six Southwest states at the ‘day of tributes’ ceremony which was one of the week-long activities for the final burial of the late military governor.
At the event which was held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan were Senate President, Bukola Saraki, state governors, senators, traditional rulers, top military and para-military officers and other eminent Nigerians.
Ajimobi recalled that Adebayo, while serving as military governor at the time, visited Bodija International School, Ibadan where he was given a state welcome.
He recalled that the special honour accorded the visitor so much inspired him to dream of attaining the same position so he could be so honoured in the society.
According to him, he immediately prayed God to make him governor some day, using Adebayo as a point of contact.
The governor recalled with nostalgia, how Adebayo conducted himself and lived his life with utmost dignity which he said was impressive enough to inspire people to aim high in life.
Expressing gratitude to God for answering his prayers, Ajimobi said God crowned the answer to his prayer by giving him the then young girl that presented the welcome flower bouquet to Adebayo in the 1967 event as wife. She is Mrs Florence Ajimobi.
The audience was moved to an emotional applause on hearing the story.
The governor urged the audience to embrace the habit of using successful people as a point of contact in their prayers if the wish to succeed like them.
He emphasized that the dignity and effectiveness that marked out the late Iyin-Ekiti-born hero made it difficult for him to survive in partisan politics when he joined the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) after his retirement from the Nigerian Army.
