FAMILY
HOLDS MEMORIAL SERVICES
FOR 2ND
REPUBLIC ACTOR
the Rt Honourable Abdulraheem Adeku's shot taken in 1982 when he he was 43 years of age
BY
ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.
Family,friends
and associates of the late Right Honorable
Abdulraheem Adeku have held memorial services to mark the 10 th years
anniversary of the politician,who hails from Ikuehi Division in Ihima ,OKehi
local Government Area of kogi state of Nigeria.
Honorable
Adeku's memorial service was held at the family mosque and mausoleum built in
his honor by his children at their
country home in Ariba Quarters at Ikuehi-Ihima with gifts then shared around
the town in his memory.
Thanksgiving
and commendation services were also expected among immediate and extended
family members living in Lagos,MInna,Lokoja,Yola,Auchi and Abuja in Nigeria
,with similar events expected to hold in London,United KIngdom and KIlderick
,Republic of Ireland.
The late
politician was born under a very humble circumstance by Alhaji Badamasi Idah
Adeku and his wife,Mrs Aishatu Adeku ,both deceased in 1966 and 1978
respectively.
After
attending the mandatory Quranic educational tutelage under the late Sheikh
Ahmed Rufai in Okene he excelled in
other areas of life educationally.
He passed
through the Native Authourity Primary School in OKene,OKene Secondary School
,Okene and the Advanced Teachers College,Kano almost after the other without a
hitch.
The Young
Abdulraheem was a literary talent who combined his skills in education with
that of other areas in liberal arts as he graduated with a double honours
degree in English and Arts from the University of Ile-ife now Obafemi Awolowo
University with flying colours in the early 70s.
He was a
teacher at various at the Government College,BIda in Niger state,Government
Secondary School, Ilorin,Government Craft School in Idah now in Kogi state
,Kabba Teachers College,Kabba,Ihima Community Secondary School and Ebira Muslim
College,Ihima.
He was at
the peak of his educational career as a principal under the grade of a Director
in the Ministry of Education when he retired to go into partisan politics in
1978 and he played it till he breath his last.
Alhaji
Abdulraheem Adeku was elected into the Kwara state House of Assembly in 1979 by
his people of Ihima and was selected to head the educational committee aside
from his membership of the local government committee .
In the annals
of the political history of Kwara state ,Adeku's qualities as an astute
administrator are still spoken of in a very high volume till this day.
He was
elected the Majority Leader and leader of the National Party of Nigeria[N.P.N]in
the state legislature after receiving the backings of the late Senator Abubakar
Shola Saraki for the position.
He was
appointed the state commissioner in charge of Chieftaincy and Home Affairs by
Chief Cornelius Adebayo ,Governor of Kwara state as at then after stepping down
via a shadow election to choose the
latter's running mate for kinsman and fellow politician ,the late Alhaji Umaru Abatemi Usman .
Upon the
overthrow of the Shehu Shagari regime by the military at the time,Alhaji Adeku
threw himself into the uncertain waters of maritime and shipping as he became a
stevedoring clearing and forwarding contractor .
He learned
the ropes via V.W. Jack Nigeria LImited in Port Harcourt ,Rivers state where he
was Executive Director via joint venture operations but he later left to form
his A.Radec NIgeria LImited .
Due to his
outstanding contributions to education and administration ,Alhaji Abdulraheem
Adeku was awarded a Fellow of the
institute of Corporate Administration [F.I.C.A]during his lifetime.
He was at
various times a member of such political groups like The National Party of
Nigeria [N.P.N],the Liberal Convention ,Social Democratic Party [S.D.P] and the
Peoples Democratic Party[P.D.P]..
It is on
record that the P.D.P. had the highest vote in Kogi state from his Ihima
territory in 2003 especially from his
ward at Ikuehi as in this area they were ranked the top five nationwide in the
voting pattern.
He
represented the P.D.P at various forums at local,state and national level as a
delegate whenever he was called upon to
do so.
Honorable
Adeku is listed in the 1980 Africa Journal LImited,U.K.'S version of Africa's
Who is Who ,Page 50,a periodical biographical encyclopaedia on some of the
greatest achievers on the continent of Africa.
.In Kogi Central in 2003 ,he served as the
campaign manager of the elections that brought Alhaji Ibrahim Idris as Governor
of kogis state with his kinsman ,Phillips Salawu as the Deputy Governor of the
state.
He also
served on the Board of several private concerns during his lifetime.
He was
married to two wives during his lifetime with the younger of the two ,Regina
dying at least three years before him while the eldest surviving wife; Hajia
Halimat holds the family bond together till this day at the age of 72 years..
Like every
human being,Alhaji Adeku also saw the vicissitudes of life as he lost two of
his children ,Masu'd and Musilimat during his life time but is however survived
by 10 children in all,among whom Ghani
Adeku,A judge in the Kogi state judiciary,,Mr mumin Adeku,the reporter with
Paedia Express Multimedia Group,Dr Kabir Adeku who works with a Federal
government agency in Lagos,Nigeria and Ishaq Abdulraheem :an accountant turned fashion
business man in Abuja,Nigeria.
On the 2nd
of June,2007 at exactly nine P.M.,bosom friend and Chief Medical Director of
the Federal Medical Centre ,Lokoja as at then, Dr Inda Alli pronounced the
death of the politician after he had gone into a coma at the hospital while
battling ill health.
There was
no oxygen at the hospital to revive him at the time leading to instant death of course.
The likes
of Late Senator Abubakar Shola Saraki whose portrait still adorn the country
home of the Adeku's till this day,late Senator
Ahmed Tijani Ahmed,Senator Alli Ghani ,Alhaji Ali Banara,Senator Joseph
Funsho Obasaju,Chief Wole OKe,Alhaji Aliyu Omeiza Salami,Mallam Alli Mamman
Makele, Senator Muhammed Shiaba Lafiaji,Senator Isa Obaro,Late Emir of
Borgu,Alhaji Haliru Dantoro kigera the 3rd ,Senator Shehu Usman, Chief Tunji
Arosanyin ,Dr Amuda Aluko ,Alhaji L.A.K.Jimoh,Oba Wankasi,Usman Laaro just to
name but a few were some of his political contemporaries ,whom they criss
crossed the whole length and breadth of Nigeria together dreaming dreams about
a better tomorrow for the Federal Republic of Nigeria .
He is one
of the architects of what is now known as kogi state of Nigeria and if he was
alive he will be 78 years by now.
At his
funeral ceremony on the 3rd and 4th of June,2007,Governor of Kogi state ;Alhaji
Ibrahim Idris and his Deputy,Dr Phillips Salawu had paid glowing tributes to
the politician while praying for God to
strengthen his family and all those he left behind.
Ohi of
Adavi Eba and Ogasube of Ure Clan,ironically the clan of the deceased were at
the head of the team of traditionalists who were on hand to bid their son
goodbye to a sinful world and so were church leaders who wept openly and prayed
for the repose of the soul of a man everybody identified as dependable at all times.
So at
around 4:30 P.M. on the 3rd of June,2007,
after the mandatory ritual washing for Islamic corpse and the Janaiza
prayers ,The Rt Honourable Abdulraheem
Adeku was lowered into the grave dugged for him in the presence of his
children, associates and friends at his country home in IKuehi Ihima, Okehi
local Government Area of Kogi state
