TELL Magazine

• … As Prominent Nigerians pay last respect to the departed medical mogul

The late media magnate who founded Nigeria’s first private radio station, Raymond Anthony Aleogho Dokpesii, has been described as “humility-personified” as displayed by one of the thieves crucified with Jesus Christ who pleaded that Jesus should remember him in paradise while the other castigated him.
In his homily at a funeral mass for the late chairman of DAAR Communications Limited at his hometown, Agenebode, Edo State, the Bishop of Auchi Diocese of the Catholic Church, Most Rev. Gabriel Dunia, noted that Dokpesi was also given to charity in his lifetime. According to the Catholic priest, “As the saying goes, charity covers a multitude of sins. He represented charity; he repented and came back to reconcile with his creator. We must return to God; we must use this occasion, whoever we are, to return to God. We must continue his charity work because the dead can no longer do charity because he said that even in his death, he will continue to do charity through his media.”
The funeral mass was held at the open field of St. Peters Secondary School, Agenebode, in Etsako East local government area of Edo State, and the interment was at his country home.
Leading other prominent Nigerians to pay their last respect to the media mogul and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke. Also at the funeral were the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Bola Tinubu, Nuhu Ribadu, immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndidi Elumelu, Francis Alimikhena, former senator who represented Edo North, former Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mike Oghiadomhe, Senator Ben Obi, Mike Ozekhome, senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, the Vice Chairman, South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Dan Orbih, representatives of the traditional institution, religious leaders, among others.
In his remarks, Shaibu described the late Dokpesi as a fearless politician who was not afraid to speak truth to power.
The deputy governor said, “Today in Nigeria and the African continent, you cannot talk of the media without mentioning Dokpesi. In the political space, he was a very bold, fearless, and courageous person”.