Presidential aspirant and businessman, Gbenga Hashim, on Thursday paid a condolence visit to Mrs. Adebola Awolowo, widow of the late Segun Awolowo, offering prayers and words of comfort as the family begins funeral rites today.
During the visit, Dr. Hashim expressed the somber mood surrounding the ceremonies, saying, “The sorrow as the funeral begins today is overwhelming. May God strengthen us all.”
Just two weeks earlier, Hashim had released a heartfelt tribute to Segun Awolowo — the former Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and grandson of the legendary Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In the message titled “Good Night My Brother and Friend, Segun Awolowo,” he said he received news of his friend’s death while in Madrid, a moment that left him stunned and deeply shaken.
Hashim described Awolowo as part of a close group of Abuja friends that spanned over two decades, including Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Terry Waya and the late Abdul Kokori.
He reminisced about their last meeting in Abuja a few months ago, where Awolowo was vibrant, optimistic, and full of ideas for the future. Awolowo had proudly introduced him to his senior staff and offered what now seems like a final charge: “Gbenga, please keep standing for Nigeria. Among all of us, you’re the one I know has the capacity to stand.”
Hailing him as “humble, thoughtful, patriotic, and exceptionally hardworking,” Hashim noted that Segun Awolowo built a solid reputation through service and personal integrity, not merely because of his illustrious family name. Their relationship, he added, was marked by deep conversations and shared prayers. “I am thankful for our friendship and saddened it ended so soon,” he wrote.
Tributes have continued to pour in from political, business, and social circles nationwide as the country mourns the passing of Segun Awolowo.
