Eminent dignitaries have mourned the death of the Iya Sunnah General of Ansar-ud-Deen in Ekiti State, Alhaja Taibat Amope Bakare, describing her passage as a colossal loss to Orun and Igbemo-Ekiti, Ekiti State and the Muslim community.
The eldest son of the deceased, Alhaji Kola Bakare, said the dignitaries included governors, deputy governors, National Assembly members, state legislators, legal luminaries, top government functionaries and captains of industry.
Bakare, in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, thanked Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who he said led a delegation of prominent dignitaries on a condolence visit to the family of the late Alhaja Bakare in Igbemo-Ekiti.
He stated that “Governor Sanwo-Olu, in his condolence message, urged the family to sustain the legacies of the deceased, who served as the Iya Sunnah General of Ansar-ud-Deen in Ekiti State until her demise.”
Sanwo-Olu described the late matriarch as “a devout Muslim who remained committed to the service of Allah throughout her lifetime.”
According to the statement, other dignitaries on the governor’s entourage included the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai and Senator Tokunbo Abiru, alongside other government officials.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who also led a delegation to the family to express his condolences and offer support during the period of mourning, prayed to Almighty Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest and give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.
Members of the Senate Leader’s delegation included House of Representatives member, Steve Fatoba; the Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Bolaji Egbeyemi; and Chief Remi Oguntuase, alongside other government functionaries.
Also, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the last Osun State gubernatorial election, Bola Oyebamiji, visited the Bakare family to commiserate with them over their loss.
He described the late Alhaja Bakare as “a woman who actively promoted Islamic teachings and supported developmental projects through her charitable contributions”.
A former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, in his condolence message, urged the family to take solace in God, describing the late matriarch’s death as a transition to glory.
Oni noted that the contributions of Alhaja Bakare to the family, religious community and society during her lifetime would continue to speak for her, as he urged her children and other family members to preserve and institutionalise the legacies she left behind.
Frontline legal practitioner, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), recalled his visit to Alhaja Bakare shortly before her passing and prayed that Almighty Allah grant her Aljanat Firdaus.
The children of the deceased, Group CEO of Country Petrolite and Gas, Alhaji Kola Bakare; and the Divisional Executive, Business Support, Wema Bank, Tajudeen Bakare, expressed appreciation to all the visiting dignitaries “for creating time in view of the distance and their very busy schedule and for the show of love, their prayers and support for the family.”