Shettima Condoles with Ex-Oyo Gov Ajimobi’s Family Over Loss of Eldest Daughter, Abisola Kola-Daisi

•Extols Mrs. Gbemi Olowolafe’s life of sacrifice, philanthropy

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has paid a condolence visit to the family of the late former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, on the recent death of their eldest daughter, Abisola Kola-Daisi, aged 42, in the United Kingdom.

A release issued on Thursday by Media Assistant to the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, stated that during the visit, prayers were offered for the deceased, just as Shettima conveyed the President Bola Tinubu’s condolences to the former First Lady of Oyo State, Dr. Florence Ajimobi, and other family members.

“May God give you the fortitude to bear the loss. You lost your husband nearly four years ago, now your eldest daughter. I am sorry.

“The President and the entire government stand with your family during this difficult time. Your husband’s contributions to our nation’s progress remain unforgettable, and we share in your grief,” the Vice President said.

Also, Shettima extolled the philanthropic and sacrificial life of the late Mrs Gbemisola Olowolafe, particularly her concern for the well-being of her community and humanity at large.

According to the Vice President, the late philanthropist “lived not for herself, but for others”, describing her life as “the greatest complement each of us could ever have, no matter the height we climb in our pursuit of meaning”.

Shettima stated this on Wednesday during a service of songs and night of tributes for the late Mrs Olowolafe, held at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos.

Mrs Olowolafe, wife of the Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, and former Chairman of GZ Industries (GZI), Dr Tunji Olowolafe, passed away on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, after a brief illness at the age of 63.

Speaking during the service of songs and night of tributes, Shettima said the tributes that have amassed since her passing are a 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 passing through.”

Describing the late Mrs Olowolafe as a matriarch of grace, a philanthropist without fanfare, and a believer in the sacredness of humanity, the Vice President regretted that she is now being described in the past tense, contrary to the spirit she radiated during her lifetime.

“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 noted.

To her husband, Dr Tunji Olowolafe and children, Shettima expressed his heartfelt condolences, even as he prayed to Almighty God to comfort them “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.”