Oyo NURTW boss, Fele, buried amid tears

THE South West and Oyo state Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji taofeek Oyerinde, popularly known as Fele was on Wednesday morning buried at his Elebu house, Ibadan, amidst tears, wailings by family members, colleagues and associates.

His remains, led by the Osun state chairman of the union, Mr Folorunso Olalekan, a.k.a Lekan Salam was conveyed to his palatial home in Ibadan at exactly 9:19 am, in a white Toyota Hiace ambulance with registration number Abuja RAHIS 8.

The ambulance was escorted to the house in snail moving convoy from the Ire-Akari junction to his house with many members of the union crying uncontrollably.

The ambulance, sources informed arrived Osun state yesterday, on arrival in his compound into the waiting hands of members if the union and family members who could not hide their feelings as they betrayed their emotion on siting his body.

The body was immediately handed over for the Islamic Janazah while it was returned for special prayer at about 10:07 led by Sheikh AbdulRosheed Babalamunigun in the company of other Islamic clerics.

Thereafter, his remains wrapped in a light lemon coloured mat was taken to under one of his garages for internment at about 10:12 am.

This exercise drew uncontrollable weeping, panegyrics and shouts of Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar as his remains was carried to the graveside for interment.

Another emotional moment came alive when his wife, Alhaja Kemi and the children were led to perform the dust-to-dust by the relatives as the woman and the children also wept uncontrollably.

 

His eldest son, Alhaji Afeez Oyerinde, in an emotion-laden voice, thanked the people for their love and support for his late while alive and even after his death. He, however, appealed to them to forget about any misgivings about the cause of his father’s death.

He said “My father is a soft personality who loves to help people to the point of his death.

I never know of any wicked act of his while alive. His death was surprising, shocking and painful to me when we learnt of his demise. My prayer is that Allah should forgive him of his sins while alive.

“I want to appeal to everybody because I know he was a man of many people to let us mind our utterances. No one can kill anybody. Allah in his infinite gives life to human being and the only that can take it. I am of the strong opinion that Allah gave us my father, Alhaji Oyerinde, and same Allah took him away from us.”

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Also, the immediate past deputy secretary general, south-west of the union, Alhaji Moshood Ajao who represented NURTW members from Abuja described late Oyerinde as “the best state chairman the union has ever produced throughout the country. Today is a sad day for our union in Nigeria because death plucked the best rose in our garden.”

 

The Chairman, NURTW Lagos state chapter, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede said Oyerinde’s death as a great loss to the union and the society at large.

Dignitaries on the occasion are; Special Adviser to Oyo state governor on security, Mr Segun Bolarinwa who represented the state government, Commissioner of Police, Oyo state, Abiodun Odude, Honourable Kehinde Subair, Honourable Akeem Ige, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Sunday Igboho, some Nollywood actors, musicians stars.