Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua was an elder-statesman and an unrelenting patriot. He was irrevocably committed to the unity and indivisibility of this country. A servant-leader, Evangelist Olumilua provided leadership and mentoring to many of us during the aborted Third Republic and even after. He believed in democratic principles and worked assiduously to advance them. I knew this about him because we were together in the defunct Social Democratic Party and could attest to all he did to advance the course of democracy in the land and ensure the will of the people triumphed. Evangelist Olumilua was extremely loyal to his disciples. And this was why he had a large army of followers across not only the South-west but the entire country who believed in him and in what he represented. He was a brilliant man and was always bristling with noble and creative ideas about how to move the country forward. One remarkable thing also about the late Olumilua is that he was fiercely honest, almost to a fault of his. As governor of the old Ondo State from 1992 to 1993, he ran a transparent and accountable government. Though he was in office for that brief period of the aborted Third Republic, his contributions to the development of the old Ondo State was unmistakable. Evangelist Olumilua died when his wisdom and counsel are still needed by many of us and the younger generation of politicians in the country. But we must thank God that he lived to a rather advanced age of 80. I commiserate with members of his immediate and extended family, particularly the children including Muyiwa, the eldest son, who is Ekiti State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation. My condolences also go to Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, the entire people of the state and indeed the whole country. We have all lost an illustrious father and leader. May we all have the courage to emulate his life of selfless service to the people. May God in his infinite mercies grant the late Evangelist Olumilua eternal rest.
