From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerians to uphold dialogue, mutual respect and responsible citizenship amid political disagreements, saying the death of Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, has deprived the country of a towering voice of wisdom and principled leadership.
Shettima said the late Yoruba elder statesman, who died at 100, represented a generation of leaders whose commitment to public service and democratic values transcended ethnic and regional boundaries.
The Vice President, in a condolence message on Wednesday issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, said Fasoranti’s life and political convictions offered enduring lessons for a country grappling with differences over governance and national development.
He described the deceased as a custodian of Nigeria’s political history whose contributions to education, democratic governance and progressive politics would remain relevant to succeeding generations.
“There are men who live through history, and there are those whose lives become part of history itself. Pa Reuben Fasoranti belonged to the latter,” Shettima said.
He noted that despite witnessing changing political fortunes over a century, the late elder statesman remained steadfast in his convictions and commitment to the common good.
According to him, the significance of Fasoranti’s life lay not merely in his longevity or the positions he held, but in the values he upheld, the people he inspired and the institutions he helped strengthen.
Shettima said the elder statesman’s passing should serve as a reminder of the need to preserve the principles that sustain democratic societies, particularly at a time when political differences can threaten mutual understanding.
He urged Nigerians to draw lessons from the late leader’s commitment to dialogue and responsible citizenship, stressing the importance of building a country where disagreements do not undermine national cohesion.
The Vice President also acknowledged the personal loss suffered by the Fasoranti family, describing the deceased as a father, grandfather, mentor and trusted counsellor whose presence and wisdom would be deeply missed.
“Even a hundred years cannot exhaust the love of a family or prepare the heart for the final departure of a cherished patriarch,” he said.
Shettima expressed condolences to the Fasoranti family, the leadership and members of Afenifere, the Ondo State Government and people, as well as the Yoruba nation.
He, however, said the late elder statesman’s influence would endure through the convictions he inspired, the lives he shaped and the memories he left behind.
The Vice President prayed for the peaceful repose of Fasoranti’s soul and divine comfort for his family and all those mourning his death.