Popular Òyó-born business magnate and former Minister of Labour under the interim government of Ernest Shonekan, Prince Sulaiman Ajibola Afonja is dead.
Prince Ajibola Afonja CEO, of Integrated Dimensional System (IDS) and a former chairman of First Bank of Nigeria died at 82 years.
He died on Sunday night at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.
The deceased contested under the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (APP) for Oyo Central Senatorial district at the return of democracy in 1999.
According to the reports, it was learned that he was rushed to the medical facility where he breathed his last after he got injured in a lone accident in Ilora town, a few kilometers drive from his country home in Eleekara, Oyo.
The influential community leader whose love for his hometown was top of his priorities was chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria at a point.
According to a Press statement by the Chairman of Oyo Global Forum (OGF), Hon. Taiwo Hassan Adebayo stated; “On this dark day in Oyo, we mourn the loss of Prince Ajibola Afonja, former Labour Minister and Chairman of First Bank Nigeria, who passed away on Sunday night, aged 82. Although a national figure with tremendous influence, he was particularly light for the Oyo community where he made pioneering efforts as an industrialist. His legacy of generosity and open-heartedness touched countless lives, and his presence will be profoundly missed”.
Until his last month, Daddy IDS, as he was affectionately known, as a reference to his manufacturing company, remained hardworking, and dedicated to realizing one of the most transformative business visions for the country’s economy. It was the E-Customs project.
His absence leaves a void that will be difficult to fill, but his spirit of generosity and leadership will continue to inspire us. For all of us that he inspired, we shall honor his memory by carrying forward the values he embodied and continuing his legacy of service and compassion, the values that guide OGF, which he supported during his lifetime.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, the entire Oyo community, and friends and associates throughout the world during this time of mourning.
