 A tribute to Chief Ernest Adegwule, Olladaende, Shionekong. If ever a man could have said to have made a life of two equally consequential halves and in service, that man would be Chief Ernest Adegwule, Olladaende, Shionekong, G.C. Ewa. And so it transpired that within the first four and a half decades of his life, Chief Shionekong had established himself as one of the nation's foremost corporate technocrats and a figure of renown in the boardrooms of many private companies, multinational and indigenous, in which he served as chairman and director. It was in this position that he became known as the face of Nigerian free enterprise. As the UACN under his leadership fully evolved from being a trading outfit to a manufacturing colossus with interests in diverse sectors ranging from agriculture and the automotive industries to cosmetics, to electronics, textiles, amongst many other areas. He was known in the business community for his personal integrity and his reliability and trusted in the corridors of political power for his counsel and guidance by successive governments. And as Shionekong had a position in Nigeria that few had before him or even have now. But no one could have written the script of the dramatic series of occurrences that thrust upon him the role of the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces of Nigeria in one of the most turbulent chapters of our nation's history. And it became his lot to stare the ship of state in those extremely stormy waters. He was in his own words compelled by a sense of duty and responsibility to accept the role and give his best in shepherding his country through an experience unknown and unprecedented in our history. He once said in an interview shortly after he was named chairman of the Transition Council and head of government, if your country needs you leave everything and go and help. He saw the government that he had been chosen to lead as he himself described it as quote a child of circumstance and his mission as that of ending a cycle of instability as he said was and I quote leading progressively to a catastrophe. Chief Sean Econ lived his life always conscious and motivated by a burden of duty as a citizen of considerable privilege to give back either in his many philanthropic and civic pursuits or in public service. It is a testament to that sense of duty that even while out of office Chief Sean Econ remained deeply vested in the fate of his country. In 1994 he founded the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, a continuation of his lifelong advocacy of free enterprise as well as a demonstration of his belief that national development is attainable only if the private sector and the public sector collaborate deeply. It summed up the professional duality of his own life as a businessman and as a statesman. In December 1996 he was appointed chairman of the Vision 2010 Committee, a group of distinguished Nigerians from all sectors of national life charged with developing a blueprint for the country's transformation by its 50th year of independent nationhood. It was an assignment to which he applied his customary dedication and diligence. In the larger chapter of his life, Chief Sean Econ seamlessly assumed the mantle of an elder statesman. He was supportive of all governments and served his nation in this role far above the trenches of partisanship. He was consistently calm and dignified, a calm and dignified presence in the sanctums of the National Council of State and a steady voice of measured counsel to all who sought him out. But he was also a man of great wit and humor. I remember when I invited him and some other heads of states and vice presidents to do a recording of the hymn, Oh God our help in ages past, for the archives in the different Nigerian languages. When I spoke to him about it he laughed and when I asked him why he was laughing, he said, when you hear me singing, you too will laugh. Afterwards he said, and dear mother, Mrs. Margaret Shoneko was possibly one of the few witnesses to the rehearsals for the singing of that hymn. But afterwards, after we had all sang, he said, after hearing the others he didn't think he did badly either. So we both laughed and I said to him that in due course if he groomed his very well-known baritone, he might actually make the world stage. We had in that great choir, General Yakubu Gohan who is here today, Baba Ulusegma Basongio, who also sang his beat, Komando Ebitu Ukiwe and the late Dr. Alex Ekweme and General Oladipo Diem. In time he would make so many other notable philanthropic and civic contributions to society. But today we stand in the light of this great man. The inevitable transition of the people that we love, sad as it is gives us a somber opportunity to celebrate the lives that they led and in the light of that to reflect on our ongoing human experience. That Chief Enoshoneko lived an extraordinary life, is self-evident. His accomplishments as a businessman, a political figure and a bridge-builder is already the stuff of legend and will be talked about for generations. But perhaps what deserves greater attention is the way he carried himself through life and the high values he exemplified, that genuine respect that he had for all people, of all classes, of all religions, of all tribes and gender. His unflinching belief in the inherent goodness of everyone, his love and generosity, not just to his family but to all, his knowledge and experience-driven leadership and counsel that he provided always with unfailing humility and courteousness. These were the unique virtues that underpinned his extraordinary achievements. Your Excellency, Enoshoneko lives a life lesson for the nation that he lives behind. What might that be? We would be right to think of Chief Enoshoneko as a man of destiny, a man chosen for his time. Just as we would also be right to think of Nigeria as a nation of destiny, uniquely positioned to be a rallying point and an inspiration for the entire black race. He proved by his life that destiny for one or for a nation is a manifest result of small choices made every day by ordinary people doing the best they can and persevering in goodness. May his example endure in our individual and collective memories as we continue our journeys through life and nationhood. On behalf of the President, President Mohammad Buhari, the government and people of Nigeria, I extend sincere condolences to his immediate family. Mama, Mrs. Margaret Shoneko, and their children, Adeboye, Kourade, Kemi, and Yeli. Thank you for giving him room to serve this nation and to serve humanity at large. And we pray that the Lord will comfort you all in Jesus' name. And bless the memory of your father and the father of our nation, Chief Ernest Adeboye Shoneko, GCFR, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic. God bless you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.