MANAGING Director of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Bashorun Askia Ogieh, has described the death of the member representing Isoko South constituency I, Hon Kenneth Ogba as “painful and sad.”

The DESOPADEC boss in a statement, Tuesday, said he was in a numb and dazed state when he got the sad news of the demise of the lawmaker whom he said is a strong grassroots mobiliser and a key player in the grassroots.

Describing the late Ogba as a very close confidant, friend and junior brother, he said: “I am pained and in torment because of the near perfect, excellent relationship he had with me, during which time I had first hand knowledge of the enormous impact he made on the people. 

“He was a bridge builder who bonded across all divides. He was so good at it that he knew no boundaries, he bonded with the old, the young, the poor, the indigent and the rich. And he was a giver, a philanthropist per excellence who always casually relieved others of their pains. I can attest.”

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Speaking further, he said: “Kenneth was a crowd-puller from when he was young. He was a self-made person in terms of the name and popularity that he enjoyed, a strong grassroots mobiliser. A key player in the grassroots, he bonded across board. Yes, Presido was my political soulmate who believed in me and demonstrated his trust in me in ways that make me cry now that he has left me.

“My last moment with him was at a thanksgiving service at Irri, the same day that he died. We were both at the thanksgiving service by Apostle Oki and he was dancing to the glory of God. Little did I know that was going to be his last moment before God. That was his last assignment he did before God. I take solace in the scriptures (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2) knowing that he served God well. But even as we cannot question the will of God, a good man, Kenneth died too early, too young. Like a candle in the wind.

“I know that no human being is perfect and Kenneth may not have been perfect. I therefore beseech the Almighty God to forgive all his sins and trespasses and accept his kind and generous soul in His bosom.

“I pray that the Almighty God grant his wife, children and the family the grace and fortitude to  bear this huge loss. May the soul of my friend and brother rest in perfect peace. Amen.”

Vanguard News Nigeria