The family of the late Brigadier General Benjamin Maja Adekunle, a revered Civil War hero, has expressed disappointment over the lack of adequate recognition for his significant contributions to Nigeria.
Adekunle, an Ogbomoso-born distinguished soldier who trained at the Sandhurst Military Academy, died 10 years ago.
He was renowned for his leadership in reclaiming the delta and riverine areas from the Biafran forces during the Nigerian Civil War.
Speaking with journalists during the Golf Kitty organized by the family at Ogbomoso Recreation Club on Saturday, Adekunle’s eldest child, Barrister Mrs. Busola Olagunju, said the recognition is long overdue. “My late father was a patriot who loved his country and sacrificed everything he had for the unity of this country. He was a good father, and we still miss him till today.”
Asked how she wanted him to be properly immortalized, Barrister Olagunju said, “The same thing they did for other patriots and nationalists, by naming notable monuments, institutions, roads, etc., could be named after him, just for people to remember that such a patriotic person existed.”
Brigadier General Samuel Gbenga Ladipo, in his remark, said, “I am happy that the family has put this together because, for a long time, Black Scorpion has not been given the recognition he deserved, and I want to believe that charity begins at home. Now that Black Scorpion is being recognized at Ogbomosoland, in no distant future, Nigeria will accord him the recognition he deserves.”
A retired Permanent Secretary at the Federal Civil Service, Sir Olusegun Adekunle, OON, KJW, while expressing optimism that the late civil war hero will be given adequate recognition, said, “I believe that process is underway; there is no time that God cannot touch the heart of a leader to remind him of somebody who deserves to be honored.”
