‘Our great son and proud ambassador’– Yahaya Bello showers encomium on Adesanmi

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi State, has described the demise of Pius Adesanmi, Nigerian- born Canadian professor as “one death too many”.

Adesanmi, who hailed from Kogi, was among the 157 who died in an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed on its way to Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday morning.

In a statement issued through Onogwu Muhammed, his chief press secretary, Bello said Adesanmi was an “illustrious and proud ambassador of Kogi and Nigeria at large.

The governor sympathised with the deceased’s wife, daughter and family members, lamenting that Kogi had lost an accomplished scholar who was proud of his roots.

“We are really pained and shocked over the tragic death of our great son and proud ambassador,” the statement read.

”This is one death too many. The whole of Kogi State has been thrown into deep mourning. Our sincere prayers and words of encouragement go to his young family, mother and the beloved ones he left behind.

”We shall continue to remember him for the honour and glory he brought to Kogi State and Nigeria through his literary accomplishments.

“Prof. Adesanmi never denied his Kogi roots as he continued to draw our attention to areas that we needed to accord priority as a state.

”His words and submissions were always hinged on the need for government to address challenges facing our people. As sad as we are over this unfortunate occurrence, we have taken solace in the fact that his creator has called him home for good.”