They came not merely to mourn but to honour a man whose quiet dignity left an enduring imprint on Nigeria’s institutional memory. In the Lagos residence of the Senbanjo family, the footfall of power – governors, magnates, captains of industry – echoes with a message louder than words: Oluwole Senbanjo was no ordinary patriarch.
Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State; Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest industrialist; and Femi Otedola, business mogul and philanthropist, are among the prominent Nigerians who have filed through the doors of the late statesman’s home. But it is not their titles that matter – it is their presence, their deference, and their shared understanding that they are witnessing the end of an era.
Born in 1932, Pa Senbanjo came of age with the Nigerian Republic. He began his career at the Central Bank of Nigeria in the early 1960s, a moment that coincided with the birth of the nation’s financial autonomy. Later appointments at the Federal Mortgage Bank and ITT Telecommunications placed him at the nexus of Nigeria’s housing finance and its early telecommunication ambitions. His service was not loud, but it was lasting.
Now, at 92, he has passed on – leaving behind eight children, countless grandchildren, and great-grandchildren – but more notably, a legacy that attracted Nigeria’s most powerful voices in reverence.
Yet, it is also a personal loss. To OmoOba Segun Senbanjo, APC chieftain and regional director at Seymour Energy Consulting, he was not merely a public figure. He was a father, mentor, and compass.
His funeral is scheduled for May 1 at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina – a fitting setting for a life rooted in service, lifted by principle, and now crowned by honour.
There are deaths that go unnoticed. And then there are departures that stop nations in their tracks. Despite how long Pa Senbanjo lived, his departure is of the latter category.
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