 It is a special pleasure and privilege to celebrate Papa's birthday with you all today. Papa, your birthday is an opportunity to thank God for preserving your life for close to a century, 94 years, and also that you are hailed and hearty to hear and see for yourself how truly appreciated you are. Truly, the Lord is to be praised. But perhaps more importantly, we are gathered to celebrate a life of significance and to reflect briefly on what that might mean today. Papa represents a political tendency to which many of us here belong, that is, that established by Papa Obafemi Awolo, described by many as progressivism or progressive politics. Being a part of the founding of the Action Group and the various other iterations of that idea, the Unity Party of Nigeria, and the Alliance for Democracy, Papa has been in the forefront of propagating the idea, the strategies, and the programs which recognize that the Nigerian person is our nation's most important resource, that his or her physical, material, mental, and societal welfare must therefore be at the center of all policies of government. In the results, the progressive tendency came to be expressed in the emphasis on free education, on free universal healthcare, on access to land, and other forms of capital, to own, to manage businesses, full employment, and a robust social safety net for those without work or those who can't work. But Papa was not merely involved in the formulation of ideas and strategies, he also played the practical role of working out how these egalitarian programs were to be paid for when he served most creditably as commissioner for finance in the government of Papa Jassi in the old Ondo state. But as we've seen in the chequered history of our nation, there is no shortage of those who espouse egalitarian ideas and claim that they are committed to serving the people. But it is at the point of the courage of one's conviction, at the point of walking the talk, of paying the price, of demonstrating integrity, that the rubber truly hits the road. Papa Ruben Fashionati in all these years, through thick and thin, in tragedy and victory, has not only maintained his calm to quote Professor Akitoi, but he has also maintained his integrity and commitment to his race, to our people and the nation, the quintessential Omanuabi, faithful to his word, not just to friends, but also to adversaries. Everyone knows where he stands. This is why his life and times inspire hope about what is possible in our country, that it is possible for leaders to truly represent the people, that political office is a public trust, meaning that neither the opportunities nor the resources of the nation should be squandered or appropriated for personal purposes. I am pleased that there is a clear plan to preserve a part of this incredible legacy by the establishment of the Ruben Fashionati Center for the Advancement of Democracy. This is a project that deserves the support of all of us individually and collectively. Papa, thank you for your life of exemplary public service and for the invaluable lessons that your existence has taught and will continue to teach. We pray that you will live even longer in excellent health, in peace and joy, and that the Nigeria of your dreams will emerge. On behalf of the president and the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish you a happy 94th birthday. God bless you, sir.