Tributes poured in torrents yesterday for the late Dr. Olusola Saraki, the Second Republic Senate Leader who passed on in Lagos.President Goodluck Jonathan said Dr. Saraki will be remembered as a political colossus.
A statement by Presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “President Jonathan extends sincere commiserations to the elder statesman’s family and the people of his home state, Kwara, to whose service and upliftment he selflessly devoted his long and very successful career in politics.
“He urges them to be consoled by the knowledge that their departed father, leader and mentor lived a very successful and fulfilled life, rising to national prominence by dint of hard work, uncommon generosity, political sagacity, dedication and wholesome commitment to the service of his people and the entire nation.
“President Jonathan believes that the late Dr. Saraki will be long remembered and eulogised as a consummate politician, an astute grassroots mobiliser, and a political colossus with awe-inspiring powers of political organisation.
“The President has no doubts that this public-spirited politician will always occupy a place of honour in the hearts of his people, supporters, friends and associates across the nation.
“He believes that the ordinary people of Kwara in particular will always remember the “Oloye” with great affection because of the constant support they received from him.
“The President further notes that Dr. Saraki’s brand of people-oriented politics and his success in building on his strong support base to contribute positively to Nigeria’s political development as a powerful voice in the nation’s dominant political parties, as the Senate Majority Leader in the Second Republic, and as the ultimate reference point in the politics of Kwara state for decades, have assured him of a place amongst Nigeria’s heroes of democracy.
“President Jonathan urges Nigerians to emulate Dr Saraki’s patriotic commitment to national unity, politics without bitterness as well as his magnificent spirit of philanthropy.
Senate President David Mark said Saraki was a political giant and shinning star of Nigerian politics.
A statement by Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the President of the Senate, Kola Ologbondiyan, quoted Mark as saying that Saraki was “a political tactician and political engineer” who navigated the political environment like a colossus.
He noted that the political sagacity of Saraki helped to midwife the modern day Nigerian politics.
Mark said: “Saraki was a political leader who stood to be counted when it mattered.
“He stood on the side of the people and worked assiduously for the liberation of the down trodden.
“He was a leader who lived and worked for others.
“We shall miss his fatherly counsel. We shall miss his candour. We shall miss his humility. We shall miss his robust political debate. He was one of our brightest and focused political leaders.
“Saraki has left a vacuum that would be difficult to fill.
“The nation has lost one of her best and fertile minds”.
As a parliamentarian, Mark noted that Saraki distinguished himself and unarguably laid solid foundation for today’s National Assembly.
He added that Saraki left his positive footprint on the sand of time, saying the only way to immortalise him is to uphold the virtues of hard work, honesty and dedication to the ideals of nationhood which he stood for.
House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal described Dr. Saraki as a quintessential politician and father-figure who gave his all for the development of the country.
In a message of condolence issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said Saraki has earned his place as one of Nigeria’s most consistent advocates of democracy.
He said Saraki would be best remembered for his pioneering role in the formation of leading political parties in the country especially during the Second Republic which led to the establishment of the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and in the present dispensation, the All Peoples Party (now ANPP).
Tambuwal said as the Senate Leader in the Second Republic, Saraki, along with his colleagues, worked assiduously to entrench parliamentary democracy by putting national interest above personal and other parochial interests.
While urging Nigerians to emolute Saraki’s virtues of dedication, humility and compassion for the ordinary folks, the Speaker prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the deceased and grant him Paradise.
National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said Nigeria has lost a statesman and political tactician.
In a statement, Tinubu said the death of Dr. Saraki, the man popularly called “the strongman of Kwara Politics” is a monumental loss not only to the people of Kwara State but also to Nigeria. “Saraki remains one of the builders of modern Nigeria. He was a political tactician who played pivotal role in the political advancement of his people and that of Nigeria”, Tinubu said.
“From his days in the Constituent Assembly in 1977-1978 to his meteoric rise to become Senator of the Federal Republic where he served as majority leader, Saraki soon became a political institution, a force to be reckoned with not just in Kwara politics but also in national politics. He worked with others to make laws for the development of Nigeria’s political culture.”
Tinubu recalled that Saraki was one of the brains behind the formation of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). “A tactician, Saraki’s image loomed large during that era as he pursued a populist oriented politics and became a rallying point for the masses and a reference for political tolerance”.
The former Lagos State governor described him as a political phenomenon, loved by his people and respected by his political peers. “Nigeria, has lost a political general and a formidable leader of influence and clout. Saraki was not just the issue, he was the main issue in Kwara politics and now that he is no more, Kwara politics will never be the same again”.
The ACN expressed shock and sadness.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party described Dr. Saraki as a colossus who possessed ab efficient political machinery that he used effectively to rally the people.
‘’Dr. Saraki defined his era, and since his entry into politics several decades ago, politics has never been the same again, especially in his native Kwara state, where he became synonymous with the politics of the state.
‘’Any politician who ignored him in his lifetime did so at his own peril, and only the casualties of his deft political manoeuvring can appreciate his clinical political efficiency,’’ it said.
ACN said the death of Dr. Saraki, coming a few days after the passing of another great politician, Lam Adesina, is a big loss to Nigeria, especially at a time the nation needs the wisdom and rich experience of its great sons and daughters to help steer it to less-turbulent waters.
‘’The vacuum being created by the death of these political titans is a challenge to young politicians to strive hard to step into their shoes and work hard to make our country a proud member of the comity of nations,’’ the party said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the late strongman of Kwara politics as a political Titan, saying his death marks the gradual extinction of the last of the Mohegians.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh said the nation has lost a political guru who compared in every respect with the generation of the independent Nigerian leaders. The statement reads: “Here was a fine medical doctor, philanthropist, humanist and an astute politician. Here, most importantly was a game changer, a man who changed the destiny of his people. Like the great Zik of Africa, like Ahmadu Bello and like Awo”.
The party commiserated with the government and people of Kwara State and prayed God to grant them, especially the immediate family, the fortitude to weather storm of the irreparable loss.
Culled: The Nation
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