Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday joined the family of the nation’s former Ambassador to Brazil, Patrick Dele Cole at the thanksgiving service for the late Mrs Mina Cole in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The late Mrs Cole, 73, died on October 1, 2021, and was buried on Saturday.
Vice President Osinbajo said he was at the family house in Abonnema to pay respect to the late Mrs Cole and to honour her husband, Chief Dele Cole, who was an aspirant for the office of the president under the defunct Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the 1990s.
Describing her death as a blow to the Abonnema community, to Rivers State and to Nigeria, Prof. Osinbajo said that the late Mrs Cole left an excellent legacy behind.
“Pastor Mina Cole, first, is the wife of Chief Patrick Dele Cole and mother of Tonye and Biodun Cole. But she is also a very important evangelist.
“She was responsible for starting the RCCG network in Rivers State, and she was someone who paid a lot of attention to the work of God and education and to bringing light and succour to several people; to hundreds of thousands of people in this community and also in the state.”
Vice President Osinbajo said that he did not have the opportunity to come for the burial, but decided to come and join the thanksgiving at the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Visit Shows Empathy
Speaking to reporters, the son of the late Mrs Cole, Tonye, said that Prof. Osinbajo’s visit to the family in Abonnema showed empathy and expressed appreciation to the vice president for finding time to come.
“I think it is excitable for us; first as a family. As a family, this is a very personal visit that the vice president is making in honour of my father; in honour of my late mother and in honour of this family, and we are really, really appreciative of that.
“Apart from the message to the country and for us in Abonnema, it shows empathy; and one of the things we have always yearned for is a government that empathizes; that is able to reach out to the people; to feel when they have their pain.
“Even now that we are celebrating my mother’s life, it is also a time of loss for us. So, for the president and the vice president to come and be represented here is a very big thing. We really appreciate it; my family, my father and the children, we really appreciate the federal government of Nigeria for this show of love they are giving to us.
“So, this coming of the vice president today shows that Nigeria remembers the service of the elders. For those who are younger and coming up they also recognize what we are doing as well.”
Courtesy Call On Amanyenebo Of Abonnema
On his arrival at the community, the vice president paid a courtesy call on the Amanyenebo of Abonnema, His Majesty, King Disrael Gbogbo Bob-Manuel, at his palace.
Expressing his delight at being received by the king in his palace, Prof. Osinbajo noted the monarch has continued to maintain the deep culture and tradition of his fathers.
“This is my first time here, and of course, only the completely ignorant would not have heard of the ancient kingdom of the Abonnemas.
“Fortunately, we are not that ignorant, we know the history of the place, and also of the deep culture here.
“I’m happy and very specially pleased to note that have continued to maintain the tradition of your fathers before you and that this place maintains its deep culture and reverence and respect of people, not just here in Rivers State, but also all over the world.”
Osinbajo informed King Bob-Manuel that he was in his domain to join the Cole family in thanksgiving for the life of their late wife and mother.
In response to the request by the Amanyenabo, asking the federal government to rehabilitate the road leading to the three local governments areas of Akuku-Toru, Degema and Assari-Toru, the vice president said he would find out details of the request.
“I will certainly see what way that would be followed up. As you can imagine, there are several problems and very little resources.
“But I think that advantage, at least, of this at this point is that we can follow it up and see what ways we can do anything about.
“The budget will be passed in another couple of days; but I’m sure that even if it is not done in this cycle, now that you have mentioned it, it will certainly come into play in the very near future.”
Welcoming the vice president to his palace, King Bob-Manuel said it was “A thing of joy to have a personality like you in our midst.”
He said that Abonema is a peaceful place and would always want to have Vice President Osinbajo visit their community.
PIAK
