The Minister of Interior and the immediate past governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has expressed sadness over the death of the President of Osun State Customary Court, Justice Gloria Oladoke, and the state’s Statistician General, Prof Alagbe Gbolagade, describing their demise as ‘painful and destabilising’.
In a statement made available to the media by his media adviser, Mr Sola Fasure, Ogbeni Aregbesola described Justice Oladoke as ‘a jurist of no mean repute who contributed to the development of the legal profession and the administration of justice in the state’.
The former governor also paid glowing tributes to Prof Gbolagade, whom he described as a ‘thoroughbred academic, in the finest tradition, who had both theoretic and practical understanding of statistics who was able to bring facts and truth from data in a nonconflictual manner’.
The statement reads in full. “The report of the deaths of the President of Osun State Customary Court, Justice Gloria Oladoke, and the state’s Statistician General, Prof Alagbe Gbolagade, in quick successions came to me as a rude shock, very painful and destabilising.
“Justice Oladoke was a jurist of no mean repute who contributed to the development of the legal profession and administration of justice in the State. She was an upright and incorruptible judge, well versed in law and jurisprudential matters. Her impeccable credentials compelled her selection as the Acting Chief Judge of Osun in November 2012, a position she held competently and admirably until a substantive Chief Judge was appointed.
“Her death is a huge and irreplaceable loss to the legal profession in the state and Nigeria at large.
“While we were yet grappling with the loss of Justice Oladoke, when death sneaked in again and took the state’s Statistician General, Prof Alagbe Wasiu Gbolagade. This is a blow too many.
“Prof Gbolagade was a distinguished mathematician at the Osun State University, specialising in Fluid/Solid Mechanics and Computational Mathematics. Given this background, he was a prime choice in 2017 when we needed to appoint a Statistician General for Osun. He filled this post nicely and proceeded to compile an economic and social database with full indices on all parameters for the state before his demise.
“Prof Gbolagade is a thoroughbred academic, in the finest tradition, who had both theoretic and practical understanding of statistics and was able to bring facts and truth from data in a nonconflictual manner.
“These two deaths filled me with unspeakable grief and I can only take solace in the understanding that all humans came from God and unto him we shall all return sooner or later. I am satisfied that they both served God and humanity through their works before returning to their makers.
“On behalf of myself and family, I offer heartfelt condolences to the families of the departed, legal practitioners and the justice ministry, Osun State University, the State Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Development, their friends, colleagues and well-wishers.
“May God repose their souls and grant them comfort in their next estate. Ameen.”, the statement concludes.
