Mimiko is Real Awoist —HID Awolowo

                                         Mimiko is real Awoist —HID Awolowo

YEYE Oodua, Chief (Mrs) H.I.D. Awolowo on Friday hosted Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko at her residence in Ikenne where she described him as a real Awoist.
Chief (Mrs) Awolowo, who expressed delight for the visit, said she was happy Governor Mimiko was re-elected by the people of Ondo State.
She said although she could not take a tour of the state to see for herself the transformation wrought by the medical-doctor-turned politician, she nonetheless followed his achievements through reports she read about the Mimiko-led administration before, during and after the October 20 election.
She described Governor Mimiko as being a real Awoist not minding the number of politicians who appropriate the title unjustifiably, saying we now know who the true Awoist is.
She recalled one of the songs with which Awoists were recognised, intoning, “We are the scions of Awolowo. Ostrich is the avian king; lion the king of the jungle. Hitherto had they pretended to be Awo followers. Mimiko is real Awoist.”
Mimiko in his speech said that truth and robust journalistic output of the Tribune titles are the core essence of the newspaper’s staying and flourishing power in the media industry.
Mimiko was in company with a retinue of cabinet members including the Chief of Staff, Dr Kola Ademujimi, Information Commissioner, Mr Kayode Akinrinmade, his counterpart in the Environment Ministry, Chief Sola Ebiseni and others.
According to him, “Tribune’s staying power is not only because of the quality of the output of Tribune but also because God saw through the heart of the man that founded the Newspaper, Chief Awolowo- the purity of his heart in terms of serving the interest of our people. That contributes to the staying power of Tribune. The Newspaper is an enduring legacy of our sage left behind.
“On behalf of the people of Ondo State, we say thank you. You may not immediately know what you have done for us. You have shown to us that although money has value, Awolowo represented something worth more than money- truth and its perception in the struggle to liberate our people. To this we remain committed.
“For us, the struggle for the emancipation of Nigerians, especially the Yoruba kingdom over which Chief Obafemi Awolowo superintended as Premier is a continuous struggle and we believe every politics that should be called progressive in Nigeria must take a cue from the fundamental tenets of Chief Awolowo’s politics.
“It is using the instrumentality of government and all endeavour to make life more abundant for our people, especially those living on the margins of society, those for whom the circumstances of birth and socio-economic circumstances are not favourable. That is what we believe in in Ondo State and that is what we will continue to pursue unequivocally.
“You have convinced us that the cause we are pursuing is right. Whether one likes it or not, you and your newspaper represent the very quintessence of progressive politics in Nigeria.
“More importantly Ma, we thank God for your life and for holding the fort. You are strong in faith and you have been the keeper of that tradition. We are very proud to be associated with you and the Tribune Newspapers,” he said.
While wishing Chief (Mrs) Awolowo ‘Caleb anointing,’ the governor prayed to God to grant his host more years in good health.

By Dare Adekanbi
Culled from Nigerian Tribune.