Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has mourned City People’s Deputy Editor, Ms Bola Davies, describing the incident as depressing and a personal loss.
Davies, who died on October 19 at the age of 49, was also the head of the Oyo and Osun states bureau of the celebrity magazine, with Ibadan, the state capital as her base since August 2002 till she died.
A statement by the governor’s Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Mr. Yomi Layinka, on Tuesday, said she succumbed to an undisclosed illness that had taken her in and out of the hospital in the past few months.
She was said to have been buried in Akure, Ondo State, on Friday.
Ajimobi said, “Bola’s death is a personal loss that hit me like a rude shock. This sad event once again underscores the emptiness called life, the vanity called earthly struggles and the enigma called death.
“As a mortal, I am naturally tempted to ask why adorable and lovable people like Bola die so young, but I won’t because of my firm belief in the infallibility of the Almighty who alone chooses who, when, and how to summon us unto the great beyond.
“Bola, from what we gathered from those who kept vigil at your sickbed, you appeared hopeful of pulling through; looking radiant and cracking jokes until the very last moments. You offered no signs that the messenger of death was lurking around your corner.
“Those of us who knew you would always remember a very hardworking and enterprising Bola who distinguished herself as a creative journalist.
“We would always proudly recall the diligent professional who worked conscientiously until rising to the enviable position of deputy editor at City People, where you served with verve and aplomb for 14 eventful years.”
The governor added that the late editor’s affectionate charms and affable personality would be sorely missed, as well as her quiet and genteel spirit. In spite of her daily interactions with celebrities and people in the corridors of power, Ajimobi noted that Davies carried herself with respectable gait and did not lose her head to the glitz and temptations of fame.’
According to the governor, the deceased had fought a good fight, finished her course and had kept faith with God’s injunction that all humans were sojourners on earth.
The governor said, “While we mourn her passing here on earth, the heavens are surely rejoicing on the arrival of an angel who having completed her earthly assignments has now joined the saints triumphant. “My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved kith and kin, the City People family, particularly its Publisher, Mr. Seye Kehinde, and her teeming admirers.
Good night, Bola. Sleep on, till the resurrection day when all saints shall rise in victory over death.”