Nigeria, Feb. 17 -- Friday's announcement of the death of Pa Ayo Adebanjo came as a rude shock to most Nigerians. For a nonagenarian, death can come at any time but Pa Adebanjo was rarely reported as being ill and was very active until his death.

He was very active and spoke so clearly, intelligently and never showed signs of any of those debilitating ailments associated with older people.

Pa Adebanjo cannot be said to have died young at 96, but if there is one Nigerian badly needed today, more than ever before, to guide us to building that united nation that has remained elusive for so long, he surely is that person.

A man with unshaken conviction and beliefs that was not swayed by sentiments and those petty traits that our current la...