A former Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning in Osun State, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, has said the family has handed over the masterminds and killers of Chief Bola Ige over to God for punishmenat.

Muyiwa said this in an interview with journalists during a service held to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the murder of the late politician, who was the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice at the time he was shot dead on December 23, 2001.

Ige, a former governor of the old Oyo State, was assassinated at his Bodija residence in Ibadan and those behind the killing had yet to be brought to justice 15 years after.

Muyiwa said, although his father died for democracy to thrive, Nigeria was not worth wasting one’s life for.

He said, “We thank God for his mercies. We thank God for wonderful legacies. It has not been easy but God has kept us on and by the grace of God, all the perpetrators behind his (Ige) death, God will deal with them. It was my father’s death that took away my mother some 20 months later.

“But whether the country wants to immortalise my father or not, I don’t care inasmuch as the State Government of Osun has named a university after my father, which is massive.

“It is the highest level of immortalisation. The road in this community is about 5km and it is named after my dad. There is a Bola Ige Information Technology Centre in Abuja. There are streets in Oyo State named after him.

“My father believed in Nigeria. He said Nigeria was worth living and dying for. The truth of the matter is, once your heart is in the right place, Project Nigeria is worth pursuing for all of us. Death is what we all owe and he paid the price for democracy to thrive.

“I am not so sure that Nigeria is worth dying for; however, we all have a responsibility to ensure that we don’t waste our lives for Nigeria.”

Earlier, the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Ijesha North, Rt. Rev. Isaac Oluyamo, urged the present day politicians to emulate Ige, whom he described as selfless.

The bishop said the free education provided by the administration of Ige was unparalleled. He stated that although there was still free education in some states, the quality of such programmes could not be compared with what Ige did.

The Owaniran of Esa Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran, also eulogised the late politician who he said sacrificed everything for the development of the masses.

Among the dignitaries present were monarchs, friends and family members including Ige’s daughter, Mrs. Funso Adegbola.