Saraki, Emir of Ilorin, others mourn as Olanrewaju Oba dies
NEWS DIGEST – The former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has mourned the death of the PDP House of Assembly Candidate for Ilorin North West constituency, Abdulmajeed Olanrewaju Oba, popularly known as Larry, saying the young politician will be remembered for standing out as an ambassador for the younger generation.
Olanrewaju Oba died on June 7, 2020, in Lagos at the age of 28.
Family sources confirmed to the The News Digest that the young politician died after a brief illness.
One of his most popular act was the 1 million mass march for Saraki which he single handedly organised to show solidarity to the former Senate President before the 2019 general elections.
Saraki in a statement on Sunday described the late politician as one of the ambassador for the younger generation who embodied the argument for greater inclusion of young people in governance and leadership.
Saraki said, “Larry was a man of exceptional character who stood out as an ambassador for the younger generation and embodied the argument for greater inclusion of young people in governance and leadership. He will be greatly missed.
“May Allah forgive his sins and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. I also pray Allah strengthens his family at this very difficult time.”
Also, Ilorin Emirate Intergrity Youth Vanguard under the Umbrella of his Royal Highness Alh Dr Ibrahim Sulu Gambari in a statement by its President, Alaburo Abdulsalam Sheriff, said, “Honourable Olarewaju Larry is one of us, even a blessed Gold in Ilorin, he served as a sign of a bright future for we Youth, unfortunately we lost a Gold, it saddened our heart as he passed away.
“We pray may Almighty Allah forgive him, may HE forgive all his shortcomings, we pray may the peace of grave welcome him with blessing and peace, Aljanah Fridaus shall be his final Home we pray.”
The Kwara State PDP Governorship Candidate, Abdulrazaq Atunwa, said, “Extremely sad to learn of the death of “Larry” Oba. He was a humble and very affable young man who was committed to contributing to the progress of his people. An absolute credit to his generation. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaus.”
A former House of Representatives member representing Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon Zakari Mohammed, said, “I heartily sympathize with the Olanrewaju family and the PDP over this sad incident. The deceased was a young man of vision who was ready to lead the teaming youths out of doldrums.. with the spirit and capacity of “Yes, We Can!”.
Read Olanrewaju Oba’s profile below:
Larry, as he is fondly called, is youthful, vibrant, diligent, foresighted, articulate, progressive-minded and brilliant mind, with an uncommon and sublime leadership charisma.
Talking about his lineage, Olanrewaju-Oba’s illustrious grandfather, Sheikh Sulaiman Akanbi bin Abdulrahman Kawu of Alanamu, Ilorin, is a devout and erudite Islamic scholar of no mean repute.
A celebrated millionaire who was a philanthropist per excellence during his lifetime, Sheikh Sulaiman was an embodiment of uprightness, astuteness, piety, generosity and kindness.
He was also an accomplished businessman and political leader, who actively participated in the activities of the National Progressive Congress (NPC) in the 1960s.
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He had a shipping line called Sulaiman Line which he ran with Prince Faisal bin Turki Al-Saud, while his shipping arbiter was Howard Reeds from Kent, United Kingdom.
More than anything, Sheikh Sulaiman is unarguably one of the greatest Islamic clerics ever to emerge from Ilorin.
In the words of French author Jules Renard, the reward of great men is that long after they have died, one is not quite sure that they are dead.
Many will say boldly, without equivocation, that Olanrewaju-Oba’s grandfather perfectly typifies Renard’s quote, as his impeccable legacies are still been appreciated by the people of Alanamu decades after his glorious demise.
As regards Olanrewaju-Oba’s father, it is a common knowledge that as a frontline scholar, he took after the late venerable Sheikh Sulaiman – his father.
The man who this write-up is spotlighting, Honourable Olarenwaju-Oba, was born in Surulere, Lagos State. He attended Idi Araba Senior High School, Lagos and finished in 2009.
He attended St. Petersburg University of Economics, Russia between 2013 and 2017, where he studied Political Science.
The inimitable and eloquent Olarenwaju-Oba, who was an aspiring State Assembly lawmaker, is a registered farmer in Lagos State and also runs a registered farm company known as ’22nd Agrico Integrated Service LTD’.
The company, which started operations in 2013 runs fish farming, poultry and cash crops.
It also focuses on the production of cassava, maize, yam and cashew.
Furthermore, Hon. Olanrewaju is the founder of the Olanrewaju Oba Foundation’ which has been operating since 2014. The foundation has rendered assistance of different types to people from all over the country.
In addition, he is the founder of ‘The Olanrewaju Oba Youth Forum’ (TOOYF).
The platform has over the years, carried out several developmental projects in Kwara State ranging from offering scholarships to students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, top-notch leadership and educational training, and youth empowerment, among others.
He is also a co-founder of ‘Lagos of our Dream’ and ‘Project Loud’ which create platforms for enabling politicians to work for the betterment of Lagos State.
He owns Quiver Waves Investment Ltd which is into real estate, oil and gas, transport and trading.
Needless to say, In addition, Hon. Olarenwaju Oba owns Nitro Blast Logistics Service, which deals in delivering goods and other products across Lagos state.
Larry has been honoured by many organizations for his exemplary contributions to youth empowerment and nation building.
He was conferred with an award of excellence by the Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP) for his immense contribution to youth development in Kwara State. He was also awarded Most Outstanding Youth of the Year 2018 for his active participation in politics at the National Social Media Summit held in Abuja.
He contributed significantly to the birthing of Not-Too-Young-To-Run bill Act, through his avowed support prior to the passage of the bill by the National Assembly (NASS).
To cap it, Abdulrahman Abdulmojeed Olanrewaju Oba is a man of substance, who always leave indelible footprints everywhere he goes.
Hon. Olanrewaju Oba popularly called “Larry” was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly Candidate for Ilorin North West Constituency.
His organization the Olanrewaju Oba Youth Forum (TOOYF) organised the mass march for Saraki, which had youths trooping in their numbers to participate in the procession for Saraki.
