House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Representative Bamidele Salam, has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Dr. Doyin Okupe, a former presidential spokesperson and a close political mentor.
The lawmaker conveyed his sadness in a message shared on his personal Facebook handle @BamideleSalam late on Friday.
According to him, “I was waiting for a rebuttal of that sad, shocking news but reality is that my boss and big brother, Dr. Doyin Okupe is truly gone, never to be seen walking, playing, praying and speaking again 😢!
“It is a sad moment for me because of the bonds we shared since the time I worked under him in the Goodluck Jonathan presidency up until a few weeks ago when I sent him some pieces of advice on some matters.
“Dr. Okupe was, using this tense hurts, a very very caring, loving and extremely patriotic Nigerian who sadly was often too drawn into unhelpful battles and controversies that dwarfed his nationalistic posture.
“He was very courageous, an attribute which made him distinguished especially in his choice of political friends and associates.
Okupe was an unusually spiritually inclined person. He believed and trusted God in all matters. His spiritual fervency is rooted in the many battles of life he had fought from childhood and overcame according to his testimonies. He told me a few of those unusual health and other personal challenges he overcame from birth which doctors described as unusual!
The late politician used to say ” Bamidele, you are too naive” but I sincerely think he was actually the naive one but that wouldn’t befit my mouth to say because he was way older, more experienced and my boss. He trusted people too much. He gave all to many people who turned out against him. He could have a hundred million Naira on Monday and be broke by Tuesday morning; just because he would believe anyone who brought up stories to collect money from him!,” he said.
He continued, “When he was being tried for some alleged acts of corruption during the Buhari era, I was in court to testify in his favour. I saw the countenance of the trial judge when i said under oath that the accused had no personal house in Abuja and had no properties in any foreign country that i know of. The money he allegedly collected from the National Security Adviser was for the running of his office as Senior Special Assistant to the President; an amount we often needed to augment with borrowing and solicitation from other office holders.
“I wept when he was convicted because I knew and still know that he was never a corrupt Nigerian!
“Dr Okupe wasn’t a perfect man by any standard but I can affirm that he wasn’t in the league of rogue politicians! He held many controversial political points of view but none of them were motivated by hatred, malice or greed.
“I am pained that he died before a good old age. He should have lived longer to tell more of his own stories.
My thoughts and prayers with his family at this period.
More to say in the future by the grace of God,” he concluded.
