Founder of AIT, Raymond Dokpesi, buried

The body of the Founder of DAAR Communications, owners of AiT and Raypower, Raymond Dokpesi, has been laid to rest at his residence in Agenebode, Edo State.

Mr Dokpesi died on 29 May at the age of 71 years, after a fall while using a treadmill machine as part of the exercise he needed to undergo to recover from an undisclosed illness.

He was buried around 4:35 p.m. on Thursday in the presence of his family members, close associates, sympathisers and residents of Agenebode.

Many of the residents of Agenebode left their homes and businesses to pay their last respects to the late media mogul.

On Tuesday, Mr Dokpesi’s family organised a farewell ceremony for the late founder of DAAR Communications in Abuja.

The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, including former president Goodluck Jonathan, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general election and former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, and a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel.

Mr Jonathan said at the event Mr Dokpesi motivated him that ”there was life after the election when he lost the 2015 presidential election”.

Atiku also said he had been friends with the deceased for over 40 years because of his care and commitment to developing Nigeria.

Mr Dokpesi, a marine engineer, established Raypower, the first private radio station in Nigeria, in 1994, and the AIT in 1996. He would have been 72 years old in October.