Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), on Tuesday, empowered about 500 widows with cash donations to celebrate the group’s fallen heroes and heroines in the struggle, saying those that laid down their lives should be remembered for paying the supreme price.
The event was held at the OPC National Secretariat, (Oodua House) in Ikeja, Lagos, with many of the beneficiaries drawn from the long list of widows of fallen OPC members, including Mustapha Aremu from Apapa Iganmu, Tajudeen Adeyalu, Rukayat Oguntimeyin, Iyabo Sulaimon, Saidi Ganiyu, among others.
Aare Ona kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, in his speech, said the reason for celebrating OPC’s heroes was because of the sacrifice made by them as members, arguing that the greatest undoing from the living was to forget the fallen heroes and heroines.
This was just as the Yoruba generalissimo recalled that OPC lost over 3000 of its members between 1998 and 2005, saying it was a long period of real sacrifice, but vowed that the group, whether now or in the future, would not relent in the struggle to liberate the Yoruba race, being the “greatest lessons we can infer from this.”
According to Adams, who is also the national coordinator of the group, those that laid down their lives, including Kola Arowosaye should be remembered for paying the supreme price, even as he said OPC could not hold the event last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a sad experience, the late Kola Arowosaye was murdered by the then ‘Operation Sweep.’ It was such a very challenging moment for the OPC. Arowosaye died a hero. His death remained the symbol of our struggle and it became an inspiration to all of us.
“Between 1998 and 2005, OPC lost over 3000 members. It was a long period of real sacrifice where we lost some of our heroes,” he said.
“The greatest lessons we can infer from this is that whether now or in the future, OPC will not relent in the struggle to liberate the Yoruba race,” he vowed.
Iba Adams said the reason for the empowerment was to put smiles on the faces of the widows who had lost their breadwinners to the struggle.
“I don’t like calling wives of our fallen heroes widows because the word is too uncomplimentary for them. I prefer to call them our wives because they have endured the most trying moments of their times. So, we decided to empower them, to put smiles on their faces so that they could live their lives with their children,” the Yoruba generalissimo said.
Other beneficiaries include widows of late Rafat Omoboriowo, Ayinde Abiodun, Jimoh Onifade, Yinusa Babalola, Sarafa Akinsanya, Adesina Olapade, Rasaq Babatunde, Kayode Babarinde, Ramota Akanbi, Micheal Aderinade, Jumoke Adeyemo, among others.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Viral Voice Note On WhatsApp Billing False
Claim: A viral WhatsApp voice note, purportedly made by the director and CEO of WhatsApp, claims users will have to start paying for WhatsApp services.
Verdict: The viral WhatsApp voice note claim is a hoax. The content is not new and has been circulated as a broadcast message several times in the past.
and then