On Tuesday, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, managing director of TVC Entertainment (TVCe), paid tribute to her father, Alao-Aka Bashorun, who died 19 years ago, saying he knew Nigeria would forget him.
Bashorun, the 14th President of the Nigerian Bar Association, died on October 1, 2005, at 75.
Mrs. Afolabi-Brown added in an Instagram post in respect to her father that she pondered why he died on October 1, which is a significant date in Nigerian history as the country’s Independence Day.
“It’s been 19yrs today that my father passed. I often wondered why he decided to leave this earth on the day we mark Nigeria’s Independence. Many said it’s because of his love for the nation. That’s only part of it,” the media personality wrote.
“Daddy left this earth today as a constant reminder to us, his children, never to forget the sacrifices he made for this nation. He obviously knew Nigeria and her government will never remember him. In all our nation’s review of those who fought for Nigeria’s democracy, not once was he mentioned. Now this is not because he didn’t make any relevant contributions worth celebrating but at the point where a democratic government emerged and Nigeria started to reward her heroes, my father had a stroke that affected his speech.
“His sickness removed him from every conversation and process that eventually crystallized our Democracy. He became completely irrelevant to the federal government of the day. Since then we have tried to do our bit to keep his dream alive.”
Afolabi-Brown also berated President Bola Tinubu for excluding her father from the list of June 12 heroes.
“Today, President Tinubu’s government completely forgot him during last year’s celebration of June 12. We were utterly disappointed and felt robbed. Daddy, some of your compatriots in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and your Comrades NEVER forgot you. They fought with their pen for your space but that was the best they could do. I guess that is why some of us can never put our lives on the line as you did.
“But each time I want to give up on Nigeria, I remember your sacrifices and how it gave you great joy, then I continue to BELIEVE. Happy Independence Day, Dad. Miss you loads,” she said.
