PROMINENT Nigerians among them three state governors and former military rulers yesterday paid their last respect to the late one-time Works and Housing Minister, Maj.-Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa, who died in a London hospital at the weekend.

At his burial in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the leaders, including former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida could not hold back their emotions as they wept profusely when Adisa's remains were committed to mother earth.

Adisa's death came barely three months after his father, Alhaji Adisa, passed on in Ilorin.

Babangida was forlorn in looks and refused to be consoled.

The two hours burial journey started at 10.00 a.m. when the body arrived at the Ilorin International Airport amid wailings of associates of the deceased, who had thronged the airport as early as 7.00 a.m.

After the aircraft bearing the casket had touched down on the tarmac, the friends of Adisa, including former Minister of Police Affairs, Maj.-Gen. David Jemibewon, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Barnabas Gemade and the former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Prof. Olurotimi Fakeye, moved towards it and paid their last respect.

The Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Chief Azeez Alao Arisekola, the Chairman of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), Chief Yemi Farounbi and Adisa's last child, Abidemi, followed suit.

Arisekola, while condoling Abidemi could not hide his emotions but managed to force back tears occasioned by the striking semblance of Adisa and the child.

Alighting from the plane were the Chief Medical Director of the UITH, Dr. Suleiman Kuranga, the only daughter of the deceased, Miriam, former Lagos Military Governor, Brig.-Gen. Raji Rasaq (rtd), Lt.-Col. Theophilus Bamigboye (rtd) and the publisher of Source magazine, Comfort Obi.

The brown sealed casket was promptly lowered into a white 504 Station Wagon ambulance, marked FGN 16H 12. The ambulance is owned by the UITH.

The body eventually arrived at the Aderemi Adeleye residence of Adisa at 10.54 a.m.

Persons suspected to be members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), cordoned off the premises as they rendered various dirge tunes in honour of Adisa.

Babangida and the former governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, shed tears after the Ghusul-Janazat (the last spiritual birth for the dead). But the weeping of Miriam, Adisa's daughter, wracked the spines of the dignitaries.

The burial, which brought seven chartered aircraft to Ilorin was also attended by Chief of Staff to the President, Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd), Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, his Oyo State counterpart, Rasheed Ladoja, Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Samuel Afolayan, the Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Senator Suleman Ajadi, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Victor Malu and former Inspector-General of Police, Chief Sunday Adewusi.

After the prayer for the dead by the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Bashir, the remains were lowered into the grave within the residence at noon.

To Bashir, "the choice of the grave was that of Adisa in his life time."
Regretting Adisa's death, Babangida told reporters that the nation has lost one of its finest officers, a dedicated, loyal and selfless personality, who used his resources for the benefit of the people.

Arisekola said: "What do you want me to say? Just pray for him, that is all."
Afolayan noted: "Life is short and brutal but as a soldier, you have played your part, as a politician, you left a mark in Kwara State. As a patriot, kept no malice, you were warm, and forthright, may your gentle soul rest in peace."
At the event where Lawal and his successor, Governor Bukola Saraki, met for the first time after the last governorship election, Lawal bemoaned the loss of a confidant.

He said: "I received the news of his death with a great shock. I have lost a confidant and a friend. It was indeed shocking."
The General-Secretary of Kwara Progressive Movement (KPM), Chief Wole Oke, regretted the departure of "a major pillar" within the movement. Adisa was the vice-chairman of the group.

Oke said that "the greatest victims of his death are the poor people of this state for whose cause Adisa devoted the latter part of his life. These are people whose children have been beneficiaries of Adisa's Education Endowment Fund through which thousands of children have enjoyed bursary award/scholarship yearly for the past several years.

As the sympathisers departed from the residents after the burial, employees of the deceased gathered together apparently to discuss their fate.

The state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has declared a three-day morning in honour of Adisa, who was one of its patrons.

The chairman of the council, Alhaji Mustaph Lamidi yesterday in Ilorin, said the mourning period would start today, as condolence register had been opened at Ahmudu Bello Way Secretariat of the Council.

The body of the former Military Governor of Oyo State, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos from London aboard Virgin Atlantic Airways early morning yesterday.

Adisa died in a London hospital from injuries sustained in an accident he was involved in in Kwara State about nine days ago.

The aircraft bearing his body touched down at the airport, Lagos, at about 5.25 a.m. in company of his daughter, Miriam, Group Captain Patrick Ugbana (rtd), Senator Musa Adede and Gen. Sam Tiedi (rtd).

On hand to receive the body were Maj.-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (rtd), Senator Tunde Ogbeha and a few family members with Ogbeha and Rasaki co-ordinating how the body would be moved to Ilorin.

After the airport formalities, the remains were taken out of the tarmac in a military ambulance for onward transmission to the domestic wing of the airport en route Ilorin.

Adisa's body was flown out of Lagos in a Downier 228 aircraft, accompanied by several retired Generals and other well-wishers to Ilorin at exactly 9.00a.m. while his associates were conveyed in a chartered EAS B737-200 aircraft.

Many of the Generals declined to comment on Adisa's death but a few who spoke said they were shocked by the incident. They tried to stop reporters from speaking to the deceased's daughter, Miriam, who was reportedly by her father's bedside until he finally breathed his last.

Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was on his way to Abuja, had a brief exchange with the Generals at the VIP Lounge of the local airport, where he also commiserated with Miriam.

According to Oyinlola: "He was my friend, my boss and a great confidant. It is a great loss".

Also, a former Commissioner for Information in Lagos State under Rasaki, Mr. Adesola Macaulay, described Adisa as a humane and compassionate person. "Adisa meant many things to us. Apart from the fact that we were all involved in Project 2007, he had offered us a lot of reasonable leadership. He may be brash in his ways, but beyond that, he had those elements of humanism in him. He was compassionate, very loyal when he believes in you, especially when he believes in a certain cause, he does not deviate. He was a strong-willed person".

Among those who accompanied the body to Ilorin yesterday were Malu, Bamigboye, Maj.-Gen. Ishaya Bakut and Alhaji Muri Okunola, chairman and chief executive officer of Muri Television (MITV).

Others were Maj.-Gen. Lawrence Onoja and Maj.-Gen. Timothy Shelpidi.

In his condolence message, the Edo State Governor Lucky Igbinedion described as shocking and unfortunate the sad news of Adisa's tragic death.

Igbinedion said that Adisa was not only a gallant soldier but an accomplished administrator.

The governor added he was an "astute politician who has left indelible marks in his immediate community and the nation as a whole."`