{"id":151031,"date":"2025-02-17T10:41:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T09:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo"},"modified":"2025-02-20T16:37:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T15:37:34","slug":"nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria lost a figure \u2013 Southern, Middle Belt leaders mourn Adebanjo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), has mourned the passing of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, describing him as a highly revered leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization.<\/p>\n<p>SMBLF said that Pa Ayo Adebanjo also co-founded SMBLF and was its Deputy National Leader until his death.<\/p>\n<p>A joint statement issued by Leader of SMBLF, Pa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, Ohanaeze President General, Sen. Azuta-Nbata, PANDEF President General, Ambassador (Dr.) God knows Igali,<\/p>\n<p>President Middle Belt Forum, Dr Pogu Bitrus and Coordinator, Barr. John Nnia Nwodo explained that the departure of Pa Ayo Adebanjo marked the end of an era, leaving a profound void in Nigeria\u2019s political and socio-cultural landscape.<\/p>\n<p>The statement said, \u201cOn behalf of the people of Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, the Yoruba nation, and the entire country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChief Adebanjo\u2019s life was a beacon of integrity, justice, and unwavering commitment to democratic principles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The statement described Adebanjo as a nationalist, who dedicated his life to the advancement of Nigeria, advocating for equity, fairness, and good governance, saying that unlike many of his contemporaries who wavered in their convictions, he remained resolute in his belief that Nigeria could only thrive on the foundation of true federalism and justice for all ethnic groups.<\/p>\n<p>It added that his progressive ideals remained unchanged from his early days as a disciple of Chief Obafemi Awolowo through the various political transitions Nigeria underwent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of his most courageous moments in recent history was his staunch support for the Southeast\u2019s claim to the presidency in the 2023 elections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven with a Yoruba candidate in the race, he championed fairness, arguing that the Igbo deserved a turn at the helm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis boldness in standing by this conviction, despite immense pressure, reaffirmed his legacy as a selfless leader who prioritized national unity over ethnic interests,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n<p>It stated that throughout his life, Chief Adebanjo was not only a political activist but also a mentor and father figure to many, stressing that his wisdom and counsel were invaluable in the deliberations of the SMBLF, where he played a vital role in shaping the forum\u2019s positions on national issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis absence will be profoundly felt, as his voice was always one of reason, courage, and foresight,\u201d the statement observed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Nigeria<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. The Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), has mourned the passing of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, describing him as a highly revered leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization. SMBLF said that Pa Ayo Adebanjo also co-founded SMBLF and was its Deputy National Leader until his death. A joint statement issued by Leader [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":151030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[627,254],"class_list":["post-151031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-adebanjo","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nigeria lost a figure \u2013 Southern, Middle Belt leaders mourn Adebanjo - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), has mourned the passing of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, describing him as a high ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigeria lost a figure \u2013 Southern, Middle Belt leaders mourn Adebanjo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), has mourned the passing of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, describing him as a high ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-17T09:41:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-20T15:37:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/sm_1739777150.329569.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"698\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Nigeria lost a figure \u2013 Southern, Middle Belt leaders mourn Adebanjo\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-17T09:41:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-20T15:37:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo\"},\"wordCount\":406,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/sm_1739777150.329569.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Adebanjo\",\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-lost-a-figure-southern-middle-belt-leaders-mourn-adebanjo\",\"name\":\"Nigeria lost a figure \u2013 Southern, Middle Belt leaders mourn Adebanjo - 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