The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, has said the former occupant of her position, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi , had a deep mastery of politics and governance during his public service career spanning over four decades.
Mrs Afuye said this vividly manfested in the impressive performance exhibited by the late Deputy Governor in the landmark successes recorded by the administration of immediate past Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
The Deputy Governor, said this in Ado Ekiti ,on Wednesday, at a special Bar Session held within the premises of the Ekiti State High Court in honour of the late Chief Bisi Egbeyemi by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ekiti chapters.
Egbeyemi, who was the Fayemi’s Deputy between 2018 and 2022 , died on March 18, 2023 at the age of 79, barely six months he bowed out of office.
Addressing the lawyers who graced the occasion, Mrs Afuye, who betrayed emotion at the occasion, described Egbeyemi as a mentor and role model to many lawyers and politicians in Ekiti, saying his contributions would remain evergreen in the annals of history.
She said many innovations introduced into governance by Egbeyemi helped in settling so many puzzling land and chieftaincy disputes in the state and ensured stability and development in many towns.
Mrs Afuye stated that Egbeyemi lived a successful and fulfilled life through a din’t of hardwork, dedication and devotion, and rose to stardom as a Lawyer, politician, businessman and community leader of note .
The Deputy Governor said; “The news of Baba’s death was shocking and unexpected coming at a time I was looking up to benefitting from his wealth of experience. Baba contributed to the development of this state and its people. Indeed , we have lost a wonderful and great leader.
“As the Deputy Governor who superintended over chieftaincy matters during his tenure, he appointed and installed the Elepe of Epe, Oba Adesoye Williams, Obalaaye of Ejiyan, Oba Adekunle Adepoju, Onijesamodu of Ijesamodu, Oba Samuel Daramola and Onijaro of Ijaro, Oba Oluwagboyega Ogunbiyi.
“The former Deputy Governor settled over 20 chieftaincy disputes across various communities in Ekiti State . Equally, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi successfully resolved several intra state boundary crises as well as two inter-state land disputes.
“He would be remembered as a committed politician and an astute grassroots mobilizer with inspiring powers of political organisation. In fact, Baba will be sorely missed.
“May God grant the family and the good people of Ekiti State the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss”.
In their separate remarks, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, Ekiti State Chief Judge, Justice Oyewole Adeyeye, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barr Dayo Apata, former Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Obafemi Adewale(SAN) and the Chairmen of Ado, Ikole and Ikere branches of NBA, paid glowing tributes to the legal icon.
They averted that his footprints would remain indelible in the sand of time, especially in the meteoric growth of legal profession in the state.
In his lecture woven around the contributions of the former Deputy Governor to the restructuring of the chiefs law in Ekiti State, Justice Adeniyi Familoni, praised Chief Egbeyemi for injecting many innovations into the state’s chieftaincy matters, thereby removing some hurdles being encountered in the ascension to the vacant thrones.