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Tag: dies

  • Lam Adesina dies at 73

    Lam Adesina dies at 73

    A chapter closed in Oyo State politics yesterday, with the death of former Governor Lamidi Onaolapo Adesina. He was 73.

    The remains of the late Adesina, popularly known as “Great Lam”, were buried at exactly 4:15p.m at his Felele Layout, Bodija, Ibadan.

    He was Oyo State governor between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

    He was a member of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic.

    A teacher, the late Adesina was a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) – the anti-military dictatorship group that fought at home and abroad against the Gen. Sani Abacha regime to restore democratic rule.

    The government of Oyo State announced his death in a statement by Dr. Festus Adedayo, Special Adviser (Media) to the governor.

    It said: “Governor Abiola Ajimobi has, with profound regret but total submission to the will of the Almighty Allah, announced the passing of former Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Onaolapo Adesina.

    “Alhaji Adesina, a National Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the rallying point of ACN in Oyo State, died early this (Sunday) morning at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos during a protracted illness. He would have been 74 next January.

    “The former governor, whose health recently deteriorated, thus necessitating his admission, first to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and later, St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, will be buried today (Sunday) at his Felele, Ibadan residence at 4 pm. according to Islamic rites.

    “The state government has declared a seven-day mourning for the departed elder statesman and former teacher of Governor Ajimobi, during which all official state functions will be suspended and the national flag flown at half mast.”

    Ajimobi described the late Adesina as “a dedicated patriot, foremost defender of democracy and human rights, and political war-horse who had always stood on the side of truth”.

    Ibadan was throbbing yesterday with top politicians, businessmen and community who rushed down to the state capital to bid the late Adesina a final farewell.

    His body was interred at exactly 4:15 pm in the presence of ACN national leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, his wife, Senator Oluremi, Ajimobi, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and his Ogun State counterpart Ibikunle Amosun.

    Other dignitaries who witnessed the burial included: Adesina’s former deputy Iyiola Oladokun, former Oyo State Governor Omololu Olunloyo, Aare Muslumi of Yorubaland Alhaji Azeez Arisekola-Alao, Senator Olabiyi Durojaye, ex-Governors Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Adeniyi Adebayo, Former Deputy Governor Hazeem Gbolarunmi, former Minister Wole Oyelese and Osun State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Muyiwa Ige, Son of the late Chief Bola Ige with whom the late Adesina associated, FirstBank Chairman Chief Ajibola Afonja, Member House of Reps, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa and Alhaji Yekini Adeojo.

    The Chief Imam of Ibadan, Alhaji Busari Suara Haruna, led the Janazah prayer at exactly 4:05 pm.

    The dignitaries and clerics extolled the virtues of the “Great Lam” and condoled with his wife Alhaja Sarat, and the family on the loss of their patriarch.

    Felele was jampacked by a huge crowd of sympathisers, politicians, top government functionaries and the ordinary people. The Lam Adesina Street was closed down.

    Tinubu described the late Adesina as a committed democrat and courageous fighter.

    He said: “Adesina fought with courage. He was committed to democratic values and great character. He fought a battle and won. He was loyal to his friends. He was loyal at all times. He was a committed democrat and he battled like a general. He got Oyo State back to the fold of the progressives and he exited well. It can’t be more glorious.”

    Aremo Osoba said: “What you can’t take away from him was his fortrightness and outspokenness, even in the face of intimidation. He will be greatly missed for his contributions to the progressive elements in the society.”

    Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, said: “I am devastated. He was a great leader. I will miss him. May his soul rest in peace. We just have to follow his legacy.”

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who arrived at the late governor’s home at about 5:08 pm with Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, described the late Adesina as “a great leader” and “democrat” who spent his life fighting for the people.

    He said: “His death has created a very big vacuum. Lam has been a very patrotic and commited Nigerian, a nationalist, a man who lived an exemplary life, right from the time he was a columnist and when he became the Governor of Oyo State. It is indeed a national loss. I did not have the priviledge to meet with him when he was alive.”

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi also visited the family.

     

  • Hope Harriman dies at 79

    Hope Harriman dies at 79

    One of Nigeria’s foremost businessmen, Chief Hope Harriman, is dead.

    He died in the United States on Wednesday. He was 79.

    His daughter,Temi, said the late business mogul was not really ill before his death.

    He was said to have travelled to Washington from Europe and was taking notes on the just-concluded US election.

    According to her, plans were on for his 80th birthday in January.

    His wife, Roli, a judge, was by his bedside.

    The late philanthropist was born in Warri, Delta State. He was a prominent Itsekiri leader, who played a major role in settling the Ijaw and Itsekiri crisis.

    He was a businessman. He studied at the Government College Ibadan, North Western Polytechnic, London and Christ’s College, Cambridge between 1955 and 1958.

    He was a Chartered Surveyor and a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers of which he was a former president.

    The deceased was also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management. He was a member of Mobil board and Chairman, West African Milk Company (WAMCO).

    He joined the board of Evans Medical Plc on December 17, 2003.

    When our reporter visited his Lekki, Lagos home yesterday, the place was deserted. Only a driver, Godwin, was there.

  • My Pikin maker dies

    Three years after he was arrested and charged with murder, production and distribution of adulterated drugs, Kola Gbadegbesin Okunlola, the manufacturer of ‘My Pikin’ teething mixture, has died.

    He was charged along with his company, Barewa Pharmaceutical Company Limited and two of its workers, Adeyemo Abiodun and Egbele Austin Eromosele.

    They were arraigned before Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on March 8, 2009 on a six-count charge of manufacturing and distributing adulterated drugs.

    They pleaded not guilty and were later granted bail.

    Okunlola was equally charged with murder at a Kaduna High Court.

    The case was later struck out for lack of diligent prosecution.

    Okunola’s name is expected to be struck off the charge when hearing resumes tomorrow.

    It was learnt that Okunlola died at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, where he was admitted when he suffered a stroke. He died on October 27 at 58.

    The deceased’s lawyer, Osaro Eghobamien (SAN), and his son, Femi, confirmed the development.

    Eghobamien said his late client had suffered from failing health since his arrest in 2008, which aided his bail application.

    There will be a wake on November 14. He will be buried November 16 at the Ikoyi Cemetery, Lagos.

     

  • MicCom chair Ponnle’s wife dies at 67

    MicCom chair Ponnle’s wife dies at 67

    The death has been announced of Mrs. Olufunke Ponnle, wife of Prince Tunde Ponnle, Chairman of MicCom Cables and Wires Limited and MicCom Golf Hotels and Resorts, Ada, Osun State.

    The late Mrs. Ponnle, an Osogbo princess and golf enthusiast, died in Ilandough Hospital, Cardiff, United Kingdom yesterday after a brief illness. She was 67.

    The late vice chairman of the MicCom Group is survived by her husband, Prince Ponnle and children.

    No date has been fixed for the funeral, according to the family.

  • Tai Solarin’s widow Sheila dies at 88

    Tai Solarin’s widow Sheila dies at 88

    Humanist and co-founder of Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun State, Mrs Sheila Solarin, died yesterday. She was 88.

    The wife of the late educationist and activist, Dr. Tai Solarin, passed on at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ilisan, Ogun State of osteoporosis (weak bone).

    She co-founded the famous school with her husband in 1956.

    Last July, the late Mrs Solarin underwent a surgery at the hospital, following a domestic accident that left her with a broken hip.

    “She fell down in her room in July and suffered a broken hip. She was then taken to the teaching hospital where she was diagnosed with osteoporosis . She died at exactly 4:30pm and her remains have been taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).”

    The late Dr. Solarin’s twin brother’s daughter, Mrs Alake Sobo, confirmed the late Mrs Solarin’s death. She said her two children were at her bedside before she breathed as last.

    Mrs. Sobo said: “Despite the fact that Mrs. Solarin was not a Nigerian by birth, she remained committed to the country and always wished that a day would come when every child of school age will have free access to quality education.

    “We will greatly miss her. I wish she stayed longer but God knows best.”

    Chairman of Tai and Sheila Hospital, Dr. Wale Omole, said but for the late Solarins, he would not have achieved his dream of becoming a medical doctor.

    “Honestly I feel pained. We celebrated her 88th birthday some months ago and she was healthy. Mrs. Solarin was a woman with a great heart, who left the comfort of her country.

    “Even at 88, Mrs Solarin was still teaching at her school. She taught English Language and marked students’ essays and letter writings, until she was admitted at the hospital.

    “There is no better way to serve humanity. Nigeria and Africa took the best out of this mother and teacher of teachers. She will be greatly missed,” he said.

    Born in England on May 31, 1924, to the Tuer family, the late Mrs. Solarin got married to her husband in 1951 in England and came to Nigeria in 1954.

    They established the Mayflower School in 1956.

    In 2011, Mrs. Solarin was invited to the popular “who wants to be a millionaire” television show and she won N2 million. The money, she said, was meant to establish a modern laboratory for the pupils.

    During her 88th birthday which was marked for her by the old and current students of the school, Madam Sheila shocked some of the guests in her modest sitting room last May 31 when she told The Nation that making it to 88 in Nigeria was a thing of “surprise” to her.

    Asked to explain, she said given her “busy life” in the country for over three decades, and all devoted to educating people, she never thought of living long.

    “It is a surprise to me that I’m still alive. Honestly, I didn’t expect to live long. I have had a busy life here. There is plenty of work to do in the areas of education,” she told The Nation.

    The late Mrs Solarin was described by her students – both old and young – as an “enigma”.

    One of her bitter regrets which will now accompany her to the grave. is inability and unwillingness of Nigerian governments to ensure that a good number of the citizens of school age have access to qualitative and affordable education.

    She said mass education of the people could not be attained because of the growing culture of corruption, laziness and indiscipline in the country.

    “Over 10 million Nigerians of school age are not in school. Many children never had a chance to be educated. Governments and individuals have a lot of work to do in that direction. If you don’t educate them, you are looking for trouble,” she said.

    The late Mrs Solarin’s daughter, Corin, said she would be unable to capture her late mother’s times and life in words.

    “I cannot summarise her life and times in words. She was a good, kind-hearted and humane personality.

    “She played the role of mother to thousands of people across the world. Her love and service to humanity were exemplary and legendary.”

    Senator Gbenga Kaka (Ogun East) said: “ Madam Solarin in her life times sacrificed all she had for the sake of her husband. She kept the flag flying at Mayflower School, Ikenne. She remained an epitome of good womanhood.

    “ She was caring, not only to her children, but all that passed through her husband. She will be missed just like we are missing her husband. She was a hard working, diligent and straight-forward person.”

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun mourned the passing of Mrs Solarin.

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Funmi Wakama, Amosun described Mrs Solarin’s death as most painful and a great loss to Ogun State and Nigeria.

    “Mama Solarin was a foremost educationist, a great teacher and disciplinarian who rendered an immeasurable service to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria through the Mayflower School. The school, founded in 1956, became one of the best schools in the country and has produced many of the leading lights in our nation.

    “Mama Solarin personified the common humanity we share, “not just by marrying our own revered Dr Tai Solarin, but choosing to live in Nigeria and making it her true home.”

    “Mrs Solarin was an example of that much-needed global spirit that sees beyond colour, race and religion in inter-relationships among peoples, nations and continents of the world,” he said.

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola also mourned Mrs. Solarin.

    A statement by Aregbesola’s Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, quoted Aregbesola as saying:

    “She was a quintessential teacher. A moulder of men who devoted her life to the service of humanity, through the singular efforts of the Solarins, the Mayflower School, Ikenne, became a reference point in how to run educational institutions.

    “One can confidently say that the school, through the hardwork, dedication and honesty of the founders, set the pace for other educational institutions that would later come after it.”

  • Abducted groom dies

    A man, Zubairu Abioye Balogun, who was allegedly abducted on his wedding day in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, is dead.

    Balogun died last Saturday at a private medical centre and was buried immediately according to Islamic rites.

    He was allegedly abducted by yet-to-be identified men on September 28 and kept incommunicado for about five days.

    The two-day wedding preparation between Balogun and his heartthrob began on Thursday, September 27. But the groom disappeared on Friday morning and his whereabouts remained unknown for five days.

    His family was said to have received a call the following day. The caller said Balogun’s body would be dumped in Kangu, near the Michael Imodu National Institute for Labour Studies in Ilorin.

    When the family got to the place, a stranger reportedly ordered them to leave the deserted area or face danger.

    The wedding ceremony had begun with the traditional aisun iyawo, the wedding eve’s vigil, which lasted until the early hours of Friday.

    The groom was found naked by a commercial motorcycle operator (Okada man) in a bush at Kangu-Olunlade village, outskirts of Ilorin, on October 2, by his abductors.

    He was said to be shivering with cold.

    Balogun was reportedly taken to a hospital for treatment.

    When his condition deteriorated at the hospital, a source said he was conveyed to an undisclosed healing home.

    He did not regain consciousness until his death.

    The late Balogun’s younger brother, Kehinde, confirmed his brother’s death.

    He said the police were yet to uncover the mystery of his abduction or arrest the abductors.

  • Final year student dies in pool

    Final year student dies in pool

    All was calm when Kayode Omoyele, a final year Economics student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), left his residence, 31Ede-Osogbo road, Ile-Ife, with friend to swim in a pool at a nearby motel. He never knew what fate had for him. Few hours later, he died in the pool.

    When the news of Kayode’s death got to his colleagues on campus, the pall of grief descended on the campus. Students gathered in group to discuss what could have led to their colleague’s death.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Kayode went to have fun in Motel Royale along Ede- Osogbo road. The deceased was said to have taken alcoholic drinks beyond his content when he dived into the pool. Unable to control himself in the water, Kayode was said to have lost consciousness and died in the pool.

    Upon learning of his death, his friend took to his heels but was later arrested by the university security operatives.

    Kayode had few days to complete his final year project work.

    Sola Adeyemo, a 300-Level student, who lives near the late Kayode’s residence, said: “It should not have been Kayode because he was a nice person whom anyone could easily admire.” However, the motel is presently under lock and key as investigation is in progress to unravel the cause of the death.

    In another development, students scampered for dear lives when, last Wednesday, a pawpaw tree fell without prior sign. However, a student was trapped beneath the branches of the tree. The incident occurred at about 6pm along a path between Moremi and Fajuyi halls of residence.

    The trapped student, Vasitha Njoko, was passing by when the tree fell. It took the heroic act of students who saw the incident to rescue the girl. The victim, who was unconscious when she was pulled out, was rushed to the university health centre. Though she regained consciousness on arrival at the hospital, but she was in pain as she was being attended to by doctors.

    Vasitha, 100-Level Nursing, was heading back to her hostel with a course mate after a laboratory practical exercise when the tree unexpectedly fell on her.

    A 500-Level Crop Science student, Temilolu Ajetumobi, who witnessed the scenario, said the uprooting may have been caused by the heavy downpour, which could have weakened the roots of the tree.