Written by Adeolu Adeyemo and Dare Adekambi
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

PREPARATION forthe burial of the lategovernor of Oyo State, Chief Kolapo Ishola, took a new dimension, on Tuesday, as the family of the late politician rejected the state government's offer of N25 million as its contribution to the burial.



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The spokesman of the family, Mr Kunle Ishola, in a letter written to Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Special Adviser (Political) to the state governor, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, called the bluff of the state government on the matter and warned it against unwarranted publicity on it.

The family, which poised for war against the state government's claim that it requested for the sum of N25 million and same was approved, frowned on the development and appealed to the government not to politicise Ishola's burial.

"We take serious exception to the statement that our family requested for the sum of N25 million from the state government and same was approved as requested by us.

"No such request was ever made, but, rather, the state government resolved by itself to offer the said sum as its contribution to the burial ceremony, after the family had completed arrangements for a befitting burial for our late father," the statement read, adding that "we have resolved not to accede to the request to use Lekan Salami Stadium for the interdenominational service, but Liberty Stadium as originally intended on October 7, 2011 and hereby reject the offer of N25 million made to us as the government's contribution to the burial."

Meanwhile, in a reaction, the Oyo State government said it was unfortunate that its gesture, which is in conformity with civilised practice all over the world, would be misconstrued by the Kolapo Ishola family.

According to a release issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, to the Governor, Dr Festus Adedayo, the government said its offer to participate in the burial of the former governor was borne out of respect for him and its appreciation of his contributions to the state.

The statement said upon the death of the former governor, his family formally informed the government and the governor constituted a committee to give him a befitting burial.

According to Adedayo, the committee met with another committee of Ishola's family and they both deliberated on the budget of N58 million brought by the family. The government thus offered to contribute the sum of N25 million, paid directly to the Ishola family and another N5 million for logistics and contingency of the burial like printing of invitation, posters and protocol.

The statement added that with the development, the governor had no choice but to accede to the request.

However, the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, speaking through his media aide, Mr Dotun Oyelade, said the government sought to portray the revered family as beggars, by issuing false statement to gain political advantage.

He said the N25 million was a gratuitous Greek gift, while he described its rejection as the most honourable step under the circumstance.

The statement recalled that when a former deputy governor of the state, Chief David Adeniran Abinusawa, died on January 18, 2011, the government under Chief Alao-Akala, decently honoured him by quietly releasing state's fund to his family for the burial arrangement without publicity. "But what we have today is a wide range of orchestrated publicity, even before the release of fund."