Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly could not hide their sadness on Tuesday as they gathered for a Valedictory Session for their late colleague, Hon. Tunde Braimoh.
Braimoh, who represented Kosofe Constituency 2 in the Assembly, died recently after a brief illness and at the session, his colleagues called him a rare legislator, whose death would be greatly missed by all.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, said that it was believed in Islam that a day is dedicated for everybody to die just as he described the demise of Hon. Braimoh as an incident he was yet to come to terms with.
"I have lost one of the most resourceful members that I depended on for advice, who was always willing to offer his advice at every given opportunity. He had never disappointed me. He never had no for an answer and he had a ready answer to any question.
"He was a man with an uncommon intelligence and political sagacity and a man of honour.
"He was a respecter of constituted authority. He has made his impact and contributed to the growth of Kosofe and his vacuum cannot be filled in the next decade.
"We have lost a formidable member of rare quality in the late Hon. Tunde Braimoh. We have lost a very valuable member, who was outstanding as a lawmaker.
"We will miss his insightful and intelligent contributions to issues on the floor of the chamber. We recall his sharp wits and words. I will miss his cheerfulness and his closeness to everybody," Obasa said.
The Speaker added that Hon. Braimoh was a philanthropist per excellence and that he would be missed by the people that had come across him over the years.
The Speaker thus urged the lawmakers to use their positions to serve humanity, adding that a day would come when people would talk about them.
He said the Assembly had lost a formidable member, but that this could not be compared to the loss being borne by the wife and the children of the deceased. He prayed that God would give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.
The Speaker then directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. Azeez Sanni, to write to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about the death of Hon. Tunde Braimoh.
In his contributions, Hon. Rotimi Abiru (Shomolu 2), said: "Braimoh was such a sociable man. His death happened at a period we were enjoying him. It is most unfortunate that he has dropped at his own bus stop. May the Almighty God give the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
"I commiserate with his family, his political family, the people of Kosofe Constituency 2 and the members of the state house of assembly."
In his contribution, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni (Lagos Island 1), said his heart was heavy as he spoke about Braimoh.
"We went to the same university and graduated together.
"We started the fourth republic together in 1999. He was sociable, and intelligent. I commiserate with Mr. Speaker, and I pray that may we not witness any loss in the state House of Assembly again. May we all finish the journey together. I commiserate with his family members and this is one death too many."
Also speaking, Hon. Mojisola Miranda (Apapa 1) commiserated with the people of Kosofe Constituency 2 and the family of Hon. Braimoh.
Miranda added that Braimoh was a good man and a good listener.
She recalled working with the late lawmaker in various committees and that he was a sociable man.
Hon. Bisi Yusuf (Alimosho 1), who was obviously emotional, simply prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased, while his colleague, Setonji David (Badagry 2) said Braimoh was a very passionate and charming fellow.
"There was never a dull moment with him. The few times we had discussions, he was full of ideas. I will miss him personally. I commiserate with the Speaker over this sad occurrence and I pray that we will never witness this kind of incident again," he said.
Hon. Nurein Akinsanya (Mushin 1), while commiserating with the family of the deceased, said that he met Tunde Braimoh in 1999, when he became a councillor in Mushin then and Braimoh became a local government chairman.
Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifako/Ijaiye 1) said that the House had lost a mouthpiece and a good friend to Mr. Speaker, while Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 2) said he imagined if Tunde Braimoh were to be in the chamber to speak.
"He had a lot of words to describe us. He had a name for each and everyone of us, especially when our birthdays came up.
"We will miss him, he was very sound and he contributed extensively to the success of the House.
"His vocabulary was very deep, he was very fluent. He spoke even Yoruba Language extensively. Death is a certainty and we pray that when the time comes, may the Almighty God accept us into paradise.
"I pray that the Almighty God would forgive him and grant him Aljana. On behalf of the people of Eti Osa Constituency 2, I condole with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our party chairman, the Speaker of the House and all my colleagues," Yishawu said.
Hon. Tobun Abiodun (Epe 1) said that he had lost a friend, a brother, a socialite and a team player.
"Who else would understand my way of life like Hon. Tunde Braimoh. I wept when his wife said that her helper had gone. That was the first time I would cry since 1970, when my father died.
"I commiserate with the Speaker for the loss of the image maker of the House, the MC extraordinary of our party, the wife for losing a dear husband, the children for losing a dear father. May the Almighty Allah grant him Aljana fidaus," he said.
The Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, later moved that the name plaque of Hon. Tunde Braimoh be removed and his position as Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Publicity, Security and Strategy be relinquished and this was supported by all the lawmakers.
The House later adjourned sitting to Monday July 27th, 2020 at 12 noon.
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