By Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado-Ekiti
The Vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and former Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, have stressed the need for Nigeria leaders to make sacrifice for the country’s growth and development.
The eminent personalities urged leaders to shun greed and embrace humility by exemplifying sacrificial tendencies while presiding over the affairs of the people.
They said humility in governance elicits stability and remove frictions between the leaders and the led for economic prosperity.
They spoke in Ikere Ekiti, on Friday, during the dedication and consecration of Saint Peter Anglican Church ultra-modern auditorium donated to Anglican Communion by a legal giant, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN).
Speaking during the church service marking the dedication, Osinbajo commended Olanipekun for dedicating his life to the service of God and humanity through his philanthropic gestures.
He said: “David was the most favoured in the history of mankind despite not being a saint of any kind.
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“If you read your Bible, God described David as a man after his heart. Even while trying to describe Jesus, they referred to him as a son David. But why was David so favoured? Some said because he sang and danced for God, but that is not the case, it was because he built a tabernacle for God.
“So, when this smart lawyer (Olanipekun) told me a year ago that he was building a house for God, I considered him a wise man. And as you doing this, the mind and heart of God will always attend to your supplications.
“You have filed so many briefs and won many cases, but this edifice you donate for God is the best brief because it is filed for God,” Osinbajo stated.
The former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, said Olanipekun started fighting for the rights of the people since his university days at the University of Lagos in the 70’s, saying that agitation had groomed him ahead for leadership.
Gowon said: “as a student, Olanipekun was attacking my government when I was the military Head of State. He was fighting for the students as a leader, so his contributions to the growth of humanity now that he has become a successful lawyer is not surprising.”
In his remarks, Olanipekun said: “With this donation, I will be more humble. I will never serve any other god except the living God. I stand on this pulpit to tell you that I don’t belong to any secret society. The secret of my life is God.”
Olanipekun advised well-meaning Ekiti indigenes to come home and contribute to the development of the state, saying government alone can’t fix all the problems.
“Staying in Lagos, Abuja and watch from afar without coming around won’t solve our problems at home. When we die, what shall we be remembered for?” he queried.
