Banji Alabi greets Aketi @ 65
My dear Arakunrin ,
“ AND WHO KNOWS BUT THAT YOU HAVE COME TO YOUR ROYAL POSITION FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS “ Esther 4:14”
In any generation, there can only be one like you. You are that one star. You are a child of destiny, born for no other time than the one we found ourselves today . Destined to lead his people at the time total extinction was staring us in the face. When our ways of life came under brutal attack.
The enemies turned our roads, farms, homes and cities in the southwest into a big nightmare, our very freedom, our ways of life came under barbaric and brutal attack in frequent deadly armed robbery , kidnapping attack, killing and maiming all over our cities.
There was no one else to come to our rescue except you — . You fought to keep us alive when our people were being slaughtered like rams on the street, farms, in our homes and villages for no reason, when our women and mothers were been raped and kidnapped for ransoms.
Today, I celebrate you on your birthday anniversary, as the years grow by, you have continued to show a stronger zeal and determination to make peaceful co-existence and democracy grow in our nation by providing alternative platform for engagement. Your role as chairman of southern Nigeria governors forum has remained significantly illustrative of your human capacity to make things happen. You stoop to conquer. You have remained a strong voice from the south west and the southern Nigeria as a whole, reminding all of us of the politics of the second republic when Chief Obafemi Awolowo called the shots and gave voice to the voiceless majority.
I can’t imagine how it would have been, if the southern Nigeria governors forum under your able leadership, had not created the alternative force and balance of power, to provide a platform to other Nigerians who are not in agreement with the marauding and implacable enemies, whose main agenda is to cause genocide , take over our lands, turn us to slaves and second class citizens in our own land.
You are not only doing the country a great deal of good, you are creating a political ideology that is driven by convictions to make democracy more attractive to the discerning and ordinary minds. I am further impressed by your clear cut resolve to insist on the rule of law and true federalism so as to avoid actions that may plunge the country into darkness and war. You fought that we may live.
The legal profession is a call to leadership, Soldiers and lawyers are trained to fight, while solders shoot guns, lawyers fire legal missiles but today we all know that words are more lethal and potent than guns.
Mr Governor – How do I sum up this my amazing almost four years of my apprenticeship and learning under your inspirational leadership in one page?
I salute your courage, I salute your confidence: I salute your fearlessness , I salute your ability to do what is right no matter whose horse is gorged , you never relented from speaking truth to power –
Today in southwest, with the Amotekun initiative , It is freedom from fear. It is freedom from bondage. It is freedom from kidnappers and the internal colonization of our race
Mr Governor, I learnt through you to be full of laughter, joy, kindness and the ability to find something good in almost everyone and every situation and then to flare up at any injustice but in the next minutes or instant, cracking a joke again .
Please accept my warmest wishes on your birthday. : You enjoy deep respect in Nigeria and around the world as an outstanding statesman who devoted his talents to serving the people of Ondo state and indeed the people of Nigeria as a whole ,
Lola and I love you so much and we pray for you everyday . We are very proud to be associated with your success and wish you good health, longevity, vitality and prosperity.” Happiest Birthday Celebration
Banji Alabi Esq
Fort Abi-Simisola
Ondo- State
