Tribute to Funminiyi Afuye By Odunayo Ategbero

Former Chairman, Efon Alaaye Local Govt

Glory be to God at all times. No matter what situation we find ourselves, we must at all times give praises to God. Today 22 October 2022, the daughter of late Speaker of the Ekiti state house of assembly, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, was joined in holy matrimony with her heartrob, despite the sudden death of her father few days to the wedding ceremony. All living mortals have a destiny with death. Any mortal that prides his/herself, either for occupying positions of authority or has wealth, must quickly have a rethink and live a humble life. It could be the turn of anybody, because death does not announce who its next target is. Late Funminiyi Afuye lived a fulfilled life of integrity, honour, dignity and humility. In Ekiti state politics, he served as a member of Ekiti state house of assembly from 2007 to 2011 with an unblemished record. He later served as Hon. Commissioner for Information in Dr. Fayemi's first tenure. During those periods, any time we met at the airport either in Akure or Abuja, he humbly refered to me as his senior colleague in the Ekiti state ministry of Information. In the second tenure of Dr. Fayemi, he became the Rt. Hon Speaker of the house of assembly, a tenure that is supposed to end on the 29th of May, 2023. Alas! Afuye could not complete his tenure. But it is worthy of note that he served his state meritoriously for a consecutive period of almost 12 years and left an indelible mark in the history of governance in Ekiti state. The lesson we need to learn here is that, whoever finds himself in positions of authority, either public or private, should strive to make positive impact of such positions. I remember that during the thank you tour of  His Excellency, the Governor of Ekiti state, Biodun Oyebanji, immediately after he was voted into office, he made a very strong point that whenever anybody is given opportunity to serve, he should not play god. Late Funminiyi Afuye lived an exemplary life of humility in the course of delivering on the mandate he was freely given  by the good people of his constituency and Ekiti state. Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, you will be greatly missed. But your good legacies will continue to speak for you as your memory lingers on in the minds of those who came across you when you were here. Rest on Niyi Afuye. May God grant the family and friends the fortitude to bear the huge loss your sudden death had caused. ADIEU!.