The Member Lagos State House of Assembly for Ikeja Constituency II, Hon Adedamola Richard Kasunmu on Monday hosted Memorial Ramadan Lecture in honour of his late grandmother and the pioneer Iyaloja General of Nigeria, late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji with the theme: Generosity in Islam: The late Abibatu Mogaji’s example and the necessity of prayers for the incoming Government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Hon Kasunmu in his opening remark expressed gratitude to the attendees of the event and noted that he was spurred to host the event after he dreamt of Alhaja Mogaji requesting an event in her honour.
The Chairman of the LSHA Committee on Lands said that “Alhaja’s greatest joy when alive was to see people happy, she was generous and kind to everyone”.
“Since she died I have always given out two cows every quarter of the year for prayers for her and my late mother and I increased it to 3 cows every quarter last year after the demised of Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson”
“But Mama insisted on a more elaborate event, which I am commencing with this Annual Memorial Lecture and prayers for our family matriarch and my grandmother, Alhaja Abibatu Asabi Mogaji, my dearest Mum Chief Mrs. Arafat Abiodun Kasunmu and Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson for Almighty Allah to repose their souls.”
The Guest Lecturer of the event, Alhaji Ibrahim Olorungbebe spoke extensively on Alhaja Mogaji’s generosity and compassionate lifestyle during her lifetime. He noted that it was no surprise that Mama’s son Asiwaju Bola Tinubu won the presidential election and Hon Kasunmu became a member of the State Assembly, that the legacies Mama left behind will continue to flourish because of her generosity and kindness to everyone she come across during her lifetime.
He testified that he was a beneficiary of Alhaja Mogaji’s kindness, as she sponsored him all through his university and his first pilgrimage to Mecca.
Alhaji Musa who led the prayers also rendered prayers for the successful tenure of the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
One of the anchors of the event, the Publisher of the Lagos Panorama Online News website and magazine Comrade Tayo Aderinola 2017 authored and published a playbook as memorabilia for the coming generation to emulate the kind, hard work, and compassionate lifestyle of Alhaja Mogaji. The play is planned for a movie adaptation to be premiered later this year to coincide with her posthumous birthday anniversary.
The Iyaloja playbook has been listed in the secondary school curriculum for JSS 3 students and the Yoruba version has been submitted for review and planned for launch in June this year.
