Olayinka: Heroine of democracy

Residents of Ekiti State were shocked  when the news of the death of Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Aduni Olayinka, filtered into the state in the evening of Saturday April 6. Many were aware that she was sick having taken a sick leave two weeks earlier but death did not listen to pleas of many of her admirers, and she eventually succumbed to breast cancer despite her struggles to pull through.

Olayinka’s death at 52 brought grief to the state and the grief was shared by the majority of the people in the state irrespective of political or religious belief.

The late deputy governor who was fondly  referred  to as Moremi by members of the Action Congress of Nigeria because of the role she played during the struggles which led to the retrieval  of what is described as a stolen mandate from the ousted administration of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Mr. Segun Oni.

Olayinka, who returned to Nigeria after studying at  the USA started her banking career with First Bank in 1986 and her last role in the banking sector was at ECOBANK where she was the Head, Corporate Services. She entered into politics in 2007 when she was nominated as the running mate to Dr. Kayode Fayemi on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria.   While working at the United Bank for Africa, Olayinka was said to have influenced the establishment of a branch of the bank in Ado Ekiti, her hometown.

Her roles in the struggles which culminated in the eventual declaration of Fayemi as the winner of the 2007 governorship election was highly remarkable. She was always at the forefront of protests by members of the party which they were known for.

She was a woman of courage and she had great faith which made her a source of encouragement to members of the party especially whenever they were distressed. And these times of distress came on many occasions when Election Petitions Tribunals dismissed their case.

She was described as a bastion of hope for members of the party during the struggle.  Olayinka was always there to encourage party members including  Mrs. Bisi Fayemi and other leaders who were not very strong emotionally.

Olayinka, who was said to have been suffering from breast cancer since 2002 did not resign to fate expecting death like many would do.

The Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, described Olayinka as a courageous woman who fought cancer without allowing many to know what pain she was going through.  He said that each time Olayinka returned from her treatment abroad, her next port of call would be Ekiti State and her next assignment would be on the rostrum to campaign.

The state witnessed an influx of personalities coming to commiserate with the governor and the parents of the deceased. Among sympathisers who thronged the state are; Governors of Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ogun, Abiola Ajimobi, Olusegun Mimiko. Rauf Aregbesola and Ibikunle Amosun respectively. Former Presidential Candidates,  Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, ex-Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shetima were among hordes of other sympathisers.

The former secretary-general of the Commonwealth during  his visit  to Fayemi said that Fayemi was right to liken the death of his deputy to the death of a co-pilot during a flight.  He said, “ I am here to pay my condolences  to you and the people of the state on the tragic loss of your deputy. I read in some papers where you likened her death to the death of a co-pilot  mid-air. You are right.”

The Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, Mr. Tunji Ogunlola, in an interview with our correspondent described Olayinka as a courageous woman who lived short but a committed and dedicated life. She said that Olayinka contributed immensely to the transformation of Ekiti State under this administration.

He said, “ Through her active supervision, local government councils were able to construct five-kilometre road projects which was never so in the history of the state. On chieftaincy, it is on record that many towns have been given autonomy through her efforts. Gone too soon, but Funmilayo Olayinka’s life will continue to speak for ever in Ekiti State.”

Fayemi, who betrayed emotion the day he and his wife, Bisi, went to condole with the parents of the deputy governor, Pa Festus and Mrs. Grace Famuagun has not stopped shedding tears.

He described the relationship between him and Olayinka as cordial and said the same relationship existed between his wife and Olayinka.

Fayemi said, “From the time Funmi Olayinka became my running mate to the day the Lord called her, our bond remained strong – even in the saddest of times, we gave each other strength. After the egregiously rigged election of April 14, 2007, when I apologised to her again for dragging her into politics and suggested that I would understand if she chose to return to her corporate world since she only took a leave of absence, she was very displeased with me.  “She was so confident that we would get to government because we won the election and because we genuinely wanted to serve our people. Although I had no doubt she was right, the depth of her conviction was infectious.  Even when we lost at the Justice Bukar  Bwala led Tribunal in Ado Ekiti, she remained unperturbed.  A woman of immeasurable faith, she urged the team to go on Appeal as Chair of our Strategy Group. When we won the appeal in February 2009 and a re-run election was ordered, she worked with Bisi on one of the most challenging elections in the country, not just organising the women but also charging the men not to go wobbly at the knees.

“We went back to the polls in April/May 2009 and the election was again rigged. We were back in court from June 2009 till victory finally came our way in October 2010 and she was unwavering in her commitment all through.

I cannot now recall the exact date she gave me the worrisome news about the lump she had felt in her breast but it was after the re-run election in 2009. She kept me in the picture from that moment – right from the first wrong diagnosis to the second diagnosis later in the year that confirmed there was a problem – leading to surgery late 2009 in the United Kingdom. Virtually all through 2010, the cancer was in remission following chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as regular checks in the UK and at home in Nigeria and we were relieved.

“By October 2010 when we won at the appeal court and were sworn into Government in Ekiti State, the indication was still good. Early in 2011, she had gone back to the UK for yet another check and there was an indication that the cells had metastasized to another part of the body. And so she renewed the battle with the dreaded disease with some of the world’s most renowned oncologists on the case from Nigeria, America, Canada and the UK. It was a tortuous time for a woman who had given her all to the struggle to retrieve our mandate.  All through, Bisi was at hand with her in the UK from September 2009 till her last visit in February 2013. We did everything and refused to accept that the situation could not be saved. She was also a source of inspiration.  Just as she refused to give up on the struggle to retrieve our mandate, Funmi never gave up on recovery from cancer.

“She kept hope alive, refused to stay off work – no matter my admonitions; she insisted she could not give in to the disease. Even when she came back from the UK in February 2013 and I had to insist that she stayed off work, she was still insistent on serving Ekiti people.  She believed she must continue to relieve others of pain even at a time that she was experiencing excruciating pain. She was so selfless in service and was hopeful till the end. Indeed, when I saw her a week before she passed away, she still felt the need to discuss work. Till the end, she felt she had let me down by not being there to contribute her quota due to ill health.  That’s Funmi Olayinka for you – a stickler for hard work, determination and perseverance till the very end.”

As the state continues to mourn the departure of the late deputy governor who will be buried today, many are calling on the state government to immortalise the deceased who fought for others especially the women and the less privileged.  In this vein, the Alumni of the Central State University, Edmond Oklahoma, United States of America (Nigeria Chapter)  urged the Ekiti State Government to immortalise  her  with the establishment of a Cancer Research and Treatment Centre in her name.

Chief Femi Akinyemi  in a statement said that the  late deputy governor would be happy even in the grave  if people were being cured of the deadly disease in a centre established in her honour.

“However, as we continue to mourn her, the government of Ekiti State must also realise that immortalising the late deputy governor in a way that will assist in waging war against cancer is the best honour that can be done to her.

“We therefore urge the government to establish a centre in Ekiti State where research into the deadly ailment as well as treatment of those suffering from it can be carried out.”

Although, the state government is yet to announce how they will immortalise the Amazon but the National Leader of the ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, while condoling with Fayemi said that Olayinka would be immortalised.  He described the death of Olayinka as a devastating one, adding that she was a family.

member who “cannot  be replaced in our heart.” Tinubu added that Olayinka demonstrated so much commitment, loyalty and hard work that made her a model of what a deputy governor should be and her support to the Governor had culminated in the rapid transformation of Ekiti State.

As the late deputy governor goes home today, her sudden exit is a reminder to political leaders to use their offices to impact positively the lives of the people.

By Femi Makinde

This article was first published in The Punch

Last modified: April 27, 2013