Vice-President Kashim Shettima has extolled the philanthropic and sacrificial life of the late Mrs Gbemisola Olowolafe, highlighting her deep concern for the well-being of her community
By Salisu Sani-Idris
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has extolled the philanthropic and sacrificial life of the late Mrs Gbemisola Olowolafe, highlighting her deep concern for the well-being of her community and humanity at large.
A statement issued on Thursday by the Vice-President’s spokesperson, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, noted that Shettima gave the remarks during a service of songs and night of tributes held in Lagos in honour of the late Olowolafe.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olowolafe, wife of Dr Tunji Olowolafe, Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, and former Chairman of GZ Industries (GZI), passed away on Tuesday, March 11, at the age of 63.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-President described the late philanthropist as someone who lived not for herself but for others.
Shettima called her life “the greatest compliment each of us could ever have no matter the height we climb in our pursuit of meaning.”
He added that the outpouring of tributes since her passing served as a powerful reassurance that “she was, in the truest sense, a woman of substance.
“Mrs Olowolafe’s life reminds us of the urgent need to live deliberately, to love without conditions, to serve without seeking recognition.
“She challenges us, even in her transition, to be better, to give more, to live as though we are only passing through,” Shettima said.
He further described her as “a matriarch of grace, a philanthropist without fanfare, and a believer in the sacredness of humanity.”
Lamenting the fact that she was now spoken of in the past tense, the Vice-President remarked: “To speak of her in the past tense feels like a betrayal of the very spirit she radiated.
“So tender and so filled with purpose that even death seems an insufficient closure.”
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the Olowolafe family, praying for God’s comfort and strength.
“Not just by her memory, but by the knowledge that she fulfilled the call of her Maker with honour, that she ran her race with dignity, and that she has returned home to rest among the saints,” he said.(NAN)