EDO State Government has immortalized onetime Executive Secretary of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and Commissioner for Education in the defunct Bendel State, Chief Tayo Akpata, by naming the state-owned university of education after him.

At a funeral service in honour of the late Chief Akpata, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who made the announcement, said the College of Education, Ekiadolor which was recently upgraded to a university status, will now be known as Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor. Oshiomhole said, “We feel the pain of the loss of our elder statesman, a man whose life symbolised the fighting spirit, the resourcefulness, the intellectual capacity of the Edo people.

One who has shown that the average Edo person is not contented at looking after himself alone, but often is willing to carry the burden of others. “Oftentimes, Nigerians talk of immortalizing people who are rich in naira. But the greatest wealth in my view is what contribution one has made to the development of his community.

And there is no question that Chief Tayo Akpata was a shining example of what we all can do individually to make a difference in our community. “We have reflected and we arrived at a conclusion that the University of Education, Ekiadolor will now be renamed as Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor. That way, our young ones will recognize that people are immortalized not because they feature in the list of Nigeria’s richest men or women but on account of their rich contributions and the role they play in the lives of very ordinary people.”

•Adapted from The Nation. Photo shows the late Tayo Akpata.