Gen Olanrewaju pays tribute as late Gen Godwin Abbe is set for burial today
By KEMI KASUMU
As the late former Military Governor of Rivers State and Akwa Ibom State, Major General Godwin Osagie Abbe (Rtd), is set for burial today Friday January 24, 2025, his very close military ally and former Minister of Communications, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd), in a fresh tribute, describes him as an officer who devoted his time to serving his country with honour, integrity, and a high sense of duty.
General Abbe passed away on Saturday December 21, 2024. According to a funeral programme released by the family, he will be laid to rest after a commendation service at the United Benin Baptist Church, Benin City, Edo State capital, on Friday January 25.
General Olanrewaju said the late former Minister of Defence was a brilliant military officer that was also very professional in his military standing and wished him a perfect rest in the bosom of his Lord as he begins his journey of no return this Friday.
In a statement from his media office, Olanrewaju, also a former Deputy Defence Adviser in Moscow, Russia, in the tribute to his departed very cherished friend, said, “General Godwin Osagie Abbe: May your soul rest in peace as you begin your last journey on this earth to the embrace of the righteous. During your lifetime, most of which you devoted to serving your country, you served with honour, integrity and a high sense of duty.
“I have had a relationship with you as a friend, colleague, and family associate, and I could say without any regret that we lived for each other. During the critical moments of my life, General Abbe stood up by my side and pleaded for leniency in the hallowed presidential chamber of Aso Rock in Abuja.
“I am very proud that General Abbe was a brilliant military officer and was very professional in his military standing. He played a commendable role as a statesman, a top military strategist, and a down to earth speaker of truth to power.
“May God accept his soul into paradise, Amiin,” the former Commander Corps of Artillery Nigerian Army, General Olanrewaju, prayed.
