Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed shock at the sad news of the death of Afenifere spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who passed on after battling, according to his wife, Joe, Covid-19 complications.
Osinbajo “commiserates with his wife, family and associates. He prays that the Lord will comfort the family, and bless his memory always,” a stament by his spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, said.
Said his wife, Dr. Joe Odumakin, who, like her husband, is an activist, “With gratitude to the Supreme Being for a life well spent, I announce the passing on of my beloved husband, Comrade Yinka Odumakin to the great beyond after a brief illness.
“The sad event happened this morning (Saturday, 3/4/2021) at the intensive care unit of LASUTH where he was being managed for respiratory issues due to complications from COVID-19 which he had recovered from about a week ago.
“I appreciate the outpouring of grief and sympathy from home and abroad as I mourn my irreplaceable soulmate. I urge us all to remain steadfast in the cause of the masses to which he dedicated his life.
“Burial arrangement will be made public in due course.”
Also, the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG has commiserated with the family of Yinka Odumakin, the late spokesperson of the Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere who reportedly died on the early hours of today, Saturday, 3 April of covid-19 complications at the intensive care of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos.
In a statement by its chairperson, Dr Abiola Afolabi – Akiyode, TMG said it received the death of Comrade Yinka Odumakin with rude shock and as a colossal loss too much to bear for the entire nation.
It adds, “Comrade Odumakin was a relentless fighter, activist of repute and public intellectual whose penchant for a just and fair Nigeria knew no bound. He spoke tenaciously for the rights of Nigerians, particularly his people in the south-west geopolitical zone.
“Late Odumakin amongst other things was a frontliner on the call for fiscal federalism and political restructuring of the country as a panacea to some of the the socio-economic misery that is bedeviling Nigeria in recent time.
“He had consistently engaged the polity in the last two decades pushing for sustainable reforms that will bring lasting solutions to Nigerian many crisis.
“Late Odumakin will be sorely missed by all, especially the progressives for his pragmatic style of politics and contributions to debates on contemporary national issues in Nigeria. His indelible legacy as an activist will remain in our hearts for a long time.
“Once again, we sympathize with his wife, Dr Joe Okey Odumakin, his son, associates and the entire civil/human rights community in Nigeria.
“May his soul find eternal repose as we pray God to grant the family that he left behind the great fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
“Fare thee well, my comrade brother and friend!”