Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has described the death of the first executive president of the country, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, as a huge loss to the nation.
Oyetola also commiserated with the family members, the people and government of Sokoto State and Nigerians.
NAN reports that Shagari died on Friday in Abuja.
Oyetola, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Adeniyi Adesina, on Saturday also described the former president as a man of honour, who lived a life worthy of emulation.
The governor said Shagari demonstrated politics without bitterness.
Shagari awarded the country’s highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) to the then leader of opposition Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in 1982, Oyetola said.
He said although the honour was reserved for only presidents/heads of state, Shagari recognized the contributions of the late sage to nation building by his non-partisan action.
Oyetola said that that the late ex-president maintained a dignified posture and respectability out of office.
He urged contemporary politicians to emulate the attributes of the late former president.
He said that Shagari served the country diligently and to the best of his ability in various capacities from the pre-independence era during the first republic.
He also served as the President of the country between 1979 and 1983, Oyetola said.
He prayed that God would grant the Shagari family and Nigerians the fortitude to bear the huge loss
