Late General Adeyinka-Adebayo

The Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide on Sunday commended the Federal Government for renaming the Federal University, Oye Ekiti after the late Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo.

Aremo Oladotun Hassan, the founder and President of the council, who gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said the late Adebayo deserved the recognition and more.

NAN reports that the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had announced the government’s decision to rename the university on Saturday at the burial service of the late general in Ekiti.

The acting President said the honour was done to immortalise Adebayo for his immense contributions to the unity and development of the Nigerian nation.

Hassan said that the late general was a nationalist par excellence.

He said: “As a council, we first of all commend the Federal Government for the recognition of Adebayo who stood, until his death, for the unity of this country.

“As a nationalist, however, we would have appreciated if a national monument such as the National Arts Theatre, Lagos or the International Conference Centre, Abuja was named after Adebayo.

“The glory of Adebayo should not be reduced to Ekiti where he hailed from. As much as we commend the Federal Government, however, we urge the Federal government to do more.”

According to him, the late military governor of the old western region, comprising Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos states, should also be immortalised by considering what he stood for.

Hassan, a legal practitioner, urged the federal government to re-engineer the Nigerian Constitution to reflect fiscal federalism and constitutional democracy, which Adebayo stood for.

“We want this unfinished vision of Adebayo implemented by the Federal Government, all efforts should be concentrated on restructuring for national unity and development,” he said.

The youth leader said enshrining Adebayo’s ideals and philosophies in the constitution would go a long way to reposition the country.

According to him, Adebayo fought relentlessly for the unity of the country during the civil war that ravaged the country between 1967 and 1970, and remained a symbol of peace and unity.

Adebayo, who died on March 8 in Lagos on the eve of his 89th birthday, was buried in his hometown in Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State on Saturday.

(NAN)