Family, friends mark second year remembrance of Iyayi Efianayi

The family members, friends, and other well-wishers of Iyayi Efianayi, the late industrialist, have marked the second anniversary of his passing.

Efianayi died on October 11, 2018 at the age of 87.

As part of the activities to mark the anniversary, members of the family visited his graveside during which they sang songs of praises to God and prayed for the continued repose of his soul.

There was also a service at the Church of Unity, Egba in Uhunmwonde local government area of Edo state.

During the service, Caesar Iyayi, the eldest offspring of the late philanthropist and managing director/CEO of Caesar Engineering and Construction Limited, led his family members and other dignitaries to give thanks to God for the exemplary life of their father and for blessings in the last two years.

Frank Ezele, the officiating minister, in his sermon, extolled the children for their unity and for maintaining the legacy of their father.

“With what I have been seeing amongst you all, your father laid a very strong foundation and the legacy is really lasting,” Ezele said.

Speaking on his father’s passing, Iyayi disclosed that the family has become stronger and more united in the past two years.

“That our father led a particularly good life and worked very hard is an inspiration for us. We believe that the cooperation that we have, the cohesiveness that we have been able to demonstrate in the last two years, is enough momentum for us to build a stronger and more prosperous family. We want everybody to be successful,” he said.

Affirming the unity within the family, Larry Iyayi, younger brother to Caesar, said: “I will say a big thank you to my eldest brother, Dr. Caesar Osaheni-Iyayi, who has done a very great job to try to keep the family together.”

The late Iyayi Efianayi was a philanthropist who contributed significantly to the development of Egbaland and Edo state.

As part of efforts to sustain his charitable legacy, his family has since set up the Iyayi Efianayi Foundation which has been providing platforms for skills acquisition, empowerment, and entrepreneurial development for the underprivileged of the society.

Before his death, Efianayi was an honorary life member of the Nigeria Red Cross Society; fellow, Nigeria Society of Engineers; received an honorary doctorate degree in business administration from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; was a life patron of the Amateur Boxing Association of Nigeria and Egba community development organisation.

The late philanthropist received certificates of honour from the Nigeria police force, Bendel state government (now Edo state), Egba development organisation, Oredo local government area, among others.