The remains of Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim were laid to rest at his hometown, Okene, Kogi on Sunday.

Reports says that the corpse of the paramount ruler was committed to mother earth according to the Islamic rites around 8.40 p.m.

Secretary of Ebiraland Traditional Council, Alhaji Salihu Sule, explained that the burial could not hold earlier because of unforeseen challenges as the corpse left Abuja late and only arrived in Okene around 6.

“On arrival, there was a family meeting that was held before the final internment according to Islamic rites,’’ Sule said.

Sheik Salihu Ebere, the Chief Imam of Ebiraland, who led the burial rites and prayers for the repose of the soul of the late Ohinoyi, prayed to God to forgive the royal father his sins.

The cleric said since death is inevitable, all humans must be conscious of the fact and live a loving, peaceful and God-fearing life.

In his remarks, Dr Godwin Oyibo, National President, Ebira Development Association, described the death of the paramount ruler as shocking and very painful.

“With painful heart we have just laid to rest the remains of our leader and father, who died in the early hours of Sunday in a hospital in Abuja.

“Committing his corpse to mother earth is very painful and unbelievable.

“I have never been this close to someone who suddenly is no more. It has never happened to me till this time. He is the kind person one would not want to part with.

“I have worked very closely with him for three years and he was a very wonderful leader. He has shown me that leadership is not about occupying the position, but about making impact.

“It is unfortunate that we are greatly going to miss him,’’ Oyibo said.

Present at the funeral were sons and daughters of Ebiraland, the Kogi governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the Attah of Igala, His Royal Highness, Matthew Opaluwa and other royal fathers in Kogi.

Reports says that the deceased Ohinoyi of Ebiraland was born on Feb. 7, 1929 and was the fourth traditional ruler and Ohinoyi of Ebiraland.

He was a son of the second Attah (now “Ohinoyi’’) of Ebiraland, Ibrahim Onoruoiza of the Omadivi Clan, who reigned from 1917 to 1954.

Ado-Ibrahim was enthroned as the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland in 1997 and reigned until Sunday, when he died.

Before ascending the throne, Ado-Ibrahim was a successful businessman who lived most parts of his life in Lagos.

Dr Ibrahim was born to His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Onoruoiza Attah and Hajiya Hauwawu Ozianuva.

Young Ado Ibrahim completed his Nursery and Quranic education at the age of 11 years.

He was enrolled at the Okene Native Administration School from 1934 to 1940 for his elementary education. Upon completion of his elementary education, he was admitted to Okene Middle School in 1941.

After spending two years, he moved to the famous Ondo Boys High School for his secondary education from 1943 to 1946. From 1947 to 1949, he moved to Oduduwa College, Ile-Ife, Osun where he completed his secondary education.

He was employed by the United African Company (UAC) in 1950 as a special entrant for accelerated management.

Having successfully gone through the Accounting and Sales Department in 1952, he was promoted to the post of Manager at the Kingsway Stores, Kaduna.

In January 1953, he quit Kingsway Stores and moved to Jos as Personnel Manager of Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria Limited in charge of maintaining operation areas of Bukuru and Barkin Ladi.

In that same year, he attended the first Mining School in Jos and qualified as a Mining Prospector and Area Manager.

Later in the year, the company sent him on a further technical training course, organised by the Anglo-American Mining Corporation, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Upon his return, he was immediately promoted to Area manager and assigned the responsibility to excavate the Lead/Zinc Ore deposits at Izom in the Abuja district, and to lead a team prospecting for gold and base materials in the location.

Meanwhile, he had enrolled in 1952 as an external candidate for a degree at the London School of Economics, by utilising the extramural study facilities organised by the British Council in Jos.

He combined his mining and prospecting duties successfully with the undergraduate study programme and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from the London School of Economics in 1954.

In 1955, he won a Ford Foundation Sponsorship to undertake a six-month course in Marketing and Business Strategy at the Business School of Harvard University.

On the strength of his performance, he was readmitted into the Master’s Programme of the school as a full-time student. He thus earned the celebrated Harvard MBA in 1959.

Having fortified himself with practical industrial experience and sound academic training, he settled into marriage with Miss Abimbola Solomon on Nov. 1, 1959. (NAN)