Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed how the former Attorney General of Federation and minister of Justice, Prince Olasodun Adesumbo Bola Ajibola sold his houses and other valuables just to enable him establish a university, which turned out to be the present Crescent University.
Professor Osinbajo, who paid tribute to Prince Ajibola at his interment in Abeokuta yesterday, April 9, said: “I recall that he sold all the houses that he owned and several other things to be able to establish Crescent University.”
The former Justice Minister died at the age of 89 in the morning of Sunday, April 9.
The Vice President said: “First, he (Ajibola) did not accept to be paid a salary when he was Attorney-General. At some point in his life, he told me that he wanted to establish a university, which turned out to be the Crescent University and that he was going to sell everything that he owned to establish that university.”
“This place where we stand is also a place he established for primary education and secondary education.”
Professor Osinbajo, who described himself as the “first son” of the late Justice Minister, described him as a man of integrity who had a deep commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria.
He said that late Ajibola, who also served as Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom was “an excellent role model.
“He was a man who believed that the worth of a person is what he is able to give back to society and he demonstrated it throughout his own life. So, I think it is a life that ought to be celebrated and it is a life that is an example to us all.”
According to him, the deceased demonstrated his belief in a united Nigeria, adding: “more importantly, is his belief that one could serve in the public domain with integrity and with altruism. He demonstrated this all his life.”
Earlier during a special prayer session, the Vice President said: “I am sad that he is gone. As Segun the first son said, I am actually ‘his first son.’ It is really a great honour to have known him and to have been mentored by him.
“It was when I worked for him that I gained the knowledge and experience that eventually helped me when I became Attorney-General in Lagos State.
“I used to tell my former Attorney General colleagues back then that none of them had the sort of experience and exposure I had because I learnt so much from Bola Ajibola for 5 years before I became Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State.”
The Vice President emphasized the significance of Prince Ajibola’s contributions while alive, saying: “we can’t talk about him briefly; we would have to keep going on and on. I’m thankful that I knew him. He was not only known in Nigeria but internationally.
“He was an International Arbitrator even before he became Attorney General of the Federation and then later a World Court Judge. Even being a World Court Judge doesn’t come through appointment but rather through election by the United Nations. We are thankful to God for all his achievements during his lifetime. We pray for his wife, the children, all of us, that we will be comforted and that all of us will live long.”
A statement by the Vice President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande said that Professor Osinbajo was accompanied by his wife, Dolapo Osinbajo, to the internment of late Ajibola.
Dignitaries at the event, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba and the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Salako-Oyedele.
akande said that Vice President Osinbajo met with the wife of the departed elder stateman, Alhaja Amatulaye Ajibola and their children, where he expressed his condolences and offering prayers.
