Titilayo Ajanaku persuaded me to contest for president - Obasanjo
- A former Nigerian head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, has voiced his pain over the death of his former aide, Titilayo Ajanaku
- Obasanjo said that Ajanaku's efforts helped most women in Nigeria to realise their responsibility in the country's politics
- The former president added that the late icon was one of those who persuaded him to run for president in 1998
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed his deep regret over the death of his former aide, Titilayo Ajanaku, the then adviser on women affairs.
Showering posthumous encomiums on his late former aide, Obasanjo said that Ajanaku displayed an unprecedented commitment to the development of women in the country when she was alive.
The former president also revealed that the late icon was among those who persuaded him to run for the office of the president in the 1998 presidential election.
In a statement made available to Legit.ng, Obasanjo said: "I remember vividly one of my memorable encounters with Chief Titi Ajanaku when she accompanied a group of politicians led by Chief S. M. Afolabi of blessed memory to my Abeokuta residence to persuade me to contest as president of Nigeria.
"It was partly their persuasion and that of other groups alike that later yielded my final submission to contest for the office of the president of Nigeria."
Obasanjo said that late Ajanaku's courage and contributions laid a solid foundation for Nigerian women to rise and take their place in the nation's politics.
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He added: "Her memory will remain evergreen in Ogun State, Nigeria as a whole and beyond for performing her duties with integrity and quiet efficiency as well as with generous disposition, magnanimity and unstinted love for the people."
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Ajanaku, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), died in the early hours of Thursday, December 5, at the age of 73.
She was said to have been battling with cancer before her health failed her. A trained nurse, administrator and women leader, Ajanaku was the first woman to be elected as a local government chairman in Nigeria.
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Source: Legit.ng
