The event served as a melting pot for Nigeria’s political class, cutting across party lines. Notable attendees included
By Moses Okorie
It was a gathering of high-profile personalities, political heavyweights, and traditional rulers on Saturday as Osun State stood still for the final Fidau prayers and reception in honor of the late Alhaja Sidikatu Abake Basiru.
The deceased was the mother of the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru. The solemn yet celebratory event brought together friends, family, and well-wishers from across the country and the diaspora to pay their final respects to the revered matriarch.
A Who’s Who of Dignitaries in Attendance
The event served as a melting pot for Nigeria’s political class, cutting across party lines. Notable attendees included Governor Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Governor Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and Governor Ademola Adeleke (Osun), alongside former Governors Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Abubakar Badaru.
Former Interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Adebisi Akande, and Osun APC Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal. Federal Executives: Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole.
Others were legislators and diplomats such as Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Wale Egbedun; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Lasun Yusuf; Hon. Akeem Adeyemi; Hon. Bamidele Salaam; and Hon. Maruf Adewale Gangaria as well as Osun and Oyo APC governorship standard-bearers, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji and Senator Sharafadeen Alli.
Royal and Spiritual Blessings
The occasion was further elevated by the presence of top-tier traditional rulers, led by the Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye II, and the Aragbiji of Iragbijiland, Oba AbdulRasheed Ayotunde Olabomi. The Odofin family delegation was led by retired Assistant Inspector General of Police Raheem Odofin and Alhaji Lai Busari.
On the spiritual front, the Grand Imam of Osun State, Sheikh Musa Animashahun, alongside the Mufassir of Osogboland, Sheikh AbdulLateef Yusuf, guided the congregation through the Islamic burial rites. They were joined by major Islamic bodies—including NASFAT, Ansar-Ud-Deen, Qoreeb, Mubarakah, and FOMWAN—who offered prayers for the peaceful repose of Alhaja Sidikatu’s soul.
The reception also drew notable figures from academia, the business community, technocrats, the Alubarika Movement, and popular Nollywood stars, making it a fitting celebration of a life well-lived.