I have seen some statements describing the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as being evidence of the emptiness of life and vanity of wealth. I beg to disagree.
Governor Akeredolu lived for sixty-seven years, in a country where the average life span is in the fifties, and in that time, he positively affected the Earth. He was a successful legal practitioner who rose to the pinnacle of his profession when he was appointed Attorney General of Ondo State in 1997.
Thereafter, he was honoured by his peers through his conferment with the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1998. A meritorious stint as the Chairman of the Legal Aid Council followed this.
Ten years after he became a SAN, his colleagues gave him a stellar endorsement by electing him the President of the Nigerian Bar Association in 2008.
He subsequently became Governor of his state eight years later.
None of these achievements are vain or empty. Therefore, the life and times of Rotimi Akeredolu are self evidently the opposite of that classification. He lived a very meaningful life and should be emulated in many areas.
Instead of sanctimoniousness, what we could do is learn lessons from his life. One lesson is that we are one united country. This Akeredolu demonstrated by his inter-tribal marriage to an Igbo lady.
Another lesson we can draw from his life is professionalism. He was not a Jack of all trades. He micro-focused on his legal career and made it to the top. Proving that school is not a scam, and that success awaits if you focus by Following One Course Until Success.
Finally, we learn that cancer can afflict anyone at any time. Therefore, we need to pour more investment into fighting it and making treatments as local and as affordable as possible, because early detention is often crucial to defeating that scourge.
We would all do well to get a regular health check-up, even as local, state and Federal Governments should do more to make this a possibility for ordination Nigerians. That would be a worthy tribute to Aketi, as Akeredolu was fondly called by his people.
I did not know him enough to mourn him. So I will not do that, as it may be considered hypocritical by his immediate family. But I know of him sufficiently to celebrate his life.
May his soul rest in peace, and may God grant his family fortitude and succour. Additionally, we pray for the peace, progress and stability of Ondo, the state Akeredolu loved so much.
We can go at any time. So, let us use the present like a present and live with presence of mind. Live life well before you leave life.
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