Babangida described Onabule as a man with a great sense of history who understood what needed to be done to properly situate Nigeria’s governance efforts.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Military President Ibrahim Babangida has said he is saddened by the death of his ex-Chief Press Secretary, Duro Onabule.
The former military leader stated this in a press release made available to reporters on Wednesday in Minna.
Babangida said: “I received with profound sorrow news of the death of my dear friend, adviser and elder brother, Chief Duro Onabule, who passed away yesterday at the age of 83.
“It is a sad irony that Chief Onabule, who was usually amongst the first to celebrate my birthday, died on the eve of my anniversary, and his passing will no doubt cast a long shadow over the festivities.
“For eight years, this highly accomplished journalist and man of letters, stood by me as we tried to re-engineer this country.
“His intelligence, patriotism and absolute fidelity to the unity of this nation shone through, becoming a big part of the successes we managed to achieve at the time.”
Babangida described Onabule as a man with a great sense of history who understood what needed to be done to properly situate Nigeria’s governance efforts.
”Especially in the light of the peculiar circumstances we found ourselves, employing his formidable journalistic skills to get the buy-in of fellow Nigerians.
“Chief Onabule was a man of excellent comportment and I began to call him ‘double chief’ when his people of Ijebu Ode deservedly made him a high chief.
“He brought his usual dignity to bear on the position, as he had done in every job that ever came his way.
“I will always remember his loyalty and support even long after we left office.
“I was happy to see that after over 50 years of journalism practice, he continued to sparkle as a public analyst, columnist, and chairman of the board of directors of National Television Authority,” Babangida said.
He added Onabule was a man who understood that nations must adapt in order to grow and every sacrifice made in the interest of one’s country is worth it.
