How Dr. Olusola Saraki prepared for his death

The Generalissimo of Kwara politics, Dr Olusola Saraki, fondly called Oloye, had long foreseen his death and had prepared well ahead for it, given the scenarios that played out some weeks before he passed on.
Nigerian Tribune can reveal authoritatively that Saraki deliberately chose the period of the last Eid-el-fitr celebration, couple of weeks ago, to hint his family members, political disciples, godsons and friends about his impending journey to the great beyond, as he called them to his side batch by batch to pray for each one.
The strong pillar of Kwara politics was said to have even bequeathed his precious belongings such as money, landed properties, his holy books, apparels and souvenirs to very close family members and aides, as part of hints on his impending departure.
The most touching gesture detailing the large heart demonstrated by Saraki to his followers centered on how he dashed out one of his wide expanses of land in Ilorin two weeks ago to market women who were initially driven out of the Ago market where they had been doing business for decades.
Saraki, on hearing of the predicament of the market men and women, reportedly ordered that one of his parcel of land at Ilorin, be shared out to them fairly so that they could continue with their businesses.
Nigerian Tribune can also reveal that Saraki had invited his close aides to Lagos during his last days and blessed them profusely for the loyalty they had all shown to him and his cause, just as he entreated them to continue to operate in unison for the sake of the progress of Kwara State.
Saraki entreated his aides to continue politics of serving the downtrodden from where he stopped, as he went further in telling them that he was already done with the assignment given to him by God, urging them never to disappoint him after he might have gone.
One of the close aides of Saraki, Alhaji Abdullahi Ayodeji, who was with him few weeks ago, confirmed that the grandmaster of Kwara politics, invited heads of parastatals, local heads, commissioners, local government officials and close family members to his residence in Lagos, one after the other to prepare them for his final exit.
Saraki, he said, broke the news that he had appealed at different times to Senator Gbemi Saraki who, he felt, was most aggrieved about some certain issues, to bury the hatchet with her brothers and sisters, most especially the serving Senator, adding that the late Waziri of Ilorin expressed optimism at the end that his two most prominent children would bury the hatchet soon.
Alhaji Ayodeji said, “I was there when Baba told us to beg Gbemi. He appealed to everybody to look out for Gbemi and apologise to her on his behalf for the wrongs the Saraki family might have done to her.
He said although Saraki looked healthy as of the time he met with batches of his supporters and officials of government in Kwara State in Lagos, there was no mistaking the hint that the grandmaster of politics was preparing for his exit.
The crack within the Saraki political family had widened shortly before the 2011 general election when the deceased had to step aside from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a new political party, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) on the strength of refusal by the PDP to allow Senator Gbemi Saraki use the platform to actualise her governorship ambition.
Although, the senator contested the governorship election in Kwara state on the platform of ACPN, she could not muster sufficient votes to outplay the incumbent governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, notwithstanding the strong backing she enjoyed from the elder Saraki.
Gbemi, since the last general election has been keeping a low profile in politics as she left the country afterwards for the United States where she stayed for some time before returning to Nigeria.
About two weeks to his eventual death on Wednesday morning, Dr Olusola Saraki could neither eat nor drink, a domestic staff in his Ikoyi home revealed to the Nigerian Tribune yesterday.
He was reportedly being fed through drips.
But for cancer that he reportedly battled for about five years, he would have turned 80 on May 17, 2013.