President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday led members of the Federal Executive Council to pay tribute to a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, late Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru.

Ashiru died of brain tumour at a South African hospital on November 29.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, who hails from Ogun State as the deceased, burst into tears while seconding the motion moved by the Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammed, that a minute silence be observed in honour of the deceased.

Adesina described the late former minister as an outstanding diplomat.

Earlier, Muhammed, who served under Ashiru as Minister of State II, Foreign Affairs, had described the late diplomat as “a gentleman to the core.”

He said he only saw the deceased angry twice and on the two occasions.

He recalled one of such instances as a day he and the then Minister of State I, Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, wrongly accused the late minister of arbitrariness and non-inclusion.
“He was somebody that we have worked together, laughed together and at times quarrelled. As a doctor, I never knew he has brain tumour,” he said.

He further described the combination of himself, Onwuliri and Ashiru as the most peaceful set of ministers.

Jonathan, in rounding off the tribute session, described Ashiru as a man who spent all his life serving the nation; first as a civil servant and a diplomat and later as foreign minister.

He said, “I met him first as Vice President in 2007 within the first few months because of the issues of the Niger Delta, I had to go to South Africa for some conversations, that was when he was serving as Nigeria’s High Commissioner.

“He used that opportunity to give me some briefings in foreign relations. I came into government quite green in terms of foreign relations, because I have never been in international relations and I found him quite interesting.

“He was then getting close to his retirement period and he told me he will retire in a year or so. I had jokingly told him that when he retires, I will present him with the PDP membership card and we laughed over it.

“But somehow when I resumed office as the President, I was looking for somebody who will be the minister of foreign affairs. There were three portfolios that I sought for the kind of character that will fit in and one of them was foreign affairs because I know that international relations was key to the success of any government. And Ambassador Ashiru was recommended.

“Initially I did not recall the name as the person I met in South Africa until I saw him. By appointing him a foreign minister, I literally presented the PDP membership card to him, it was a prophesy that was fulfilled the day I took his oath as a foreign minister.”

Others who spoke about the deceased included Vice President Namadi Sambo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; Attorney-General of the Federation, Muhammed Adoke (SAN); Minister of Interior, Aba Moro; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga; Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; and Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, among others.

punchng.com

That's thoughtful of Mr. President. RIP to the death!