Ajimobi Declares 3-day Mourning for Death of Oyo Speaker

By Dipo Olowookere

The Oyo State government has announced the passing away of Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Michael Adesina Olusegun Adeyemo. He died early Friday morning after a sudden illness. He was aged 47.

Governor of the state, Mr Abiola Ajimobi, while reacting to the death of the lawmaker, declared a three-day mourning period, starting from Monday, April 30 – Wednesday, May 2, 2018. He also directed that flags be flown at half mast during the period.

The Governor, who was on official assignment outside the state, had to rush down to Ibadan when the news was broken to him, and headed straight to the Anatomy Department of the University of Ibadan where the late Speaker’s remains were kept.

Mr Ajimobi had a lengthy discussion with the pathologists to ascertain the likely cause of the death and whether it could have been prevented, after which he spoke with the family members and the large number of sympathizers on ground.

Governor Ajimobi described the death as a tragic loss for him and the people of the state.

“I received the news of the untimely passage of my brother, friend and dependable political ally, with grief and utter shock, this morning (Friday).

“He was a fine gentleman and bridge builder, who was committed to the development and progress of the state. His death has left a gaping void that will be difficult to fill,” he said.

The Governor expressed sadness that death had again taken away one of the brightest, dutiful and committed political leaders in the state, who had used his sagacity in piloting the affairs of the Assembly without rancour.

As the leader of the legislative arm of government, with members from different political parties, the governor said that Adeyemo ensured that the relationship with the Executive was very robust.

The governor said, “He was an energetic young man that was always prepared to sacrifice his time, expertise and resources to ensure that the relationship between the Executive and Legislature did not break down at any time, no matter how thorny the issue might be. He was my bridge builder.

“Political leaders from Ibarapa zone deferred to him because of his candour, gentleness, respect and his amiable disposition to all, young and old. He was a rallying point for the Assembly leaders, who held him in high esteem because of his unassuming nature.

“My thoughts and prayers are with his family, honorable members of the House of Assembly, his political associates, friends and loved ones. This is a loss too sudden and tragic for me to bear. My prayer is that his very gentle soul should continue to rest in peace. I will sorely miss him.”

Born into the Adeyemo family of Alaarun Compound in Lanlate, Ibarapa East Local Government Area of the State, he was the first child of the family.

He attended the IMG (Ibadan Municipal Government), Oke Ado, Ibadan for his primary education and was at Celestial Church High School, also in Oke Ado, for his secondary education.

A brilliant man, Mr Adeyemo bagged two University degrees, first at the University of Port Harcourt in Educational Management, graduating in Second Class Upper and at the prestigious University of Ibadan, where he studied Law and graduated in 2004. He practised at the Olujinmi & Akeredolu Law Firm.

With a passion to serve his people burning in him, he made his foray into politics in 2007 and had been a member of the state assembly from 2011 till his death.

He was quite active in the affairs of state and had presided over the plenary session of the House of Assembly on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 before its adjournment till May 3.

Popularly called AMA by friends and associates, the late Speaker who represented the Ibarapa East State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, was sworn in as Speaker of the State House of Assembly on June 12, 2015

Prior to his position as Speaker, he was Deputy Chief Whip of the House, member of Fund Allocation, Works and Transport, Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Appropriation and Public Finance committees of the 7th House of Assembly.

The late Speaker was the Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Conference of Speakers and also the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, among Speakers of the States’ Houses of Assembly.

He was a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the International Bar Association. He also served in the executive committee of the Ibadan branch of the NBA as an Auditor and Assistant Secretary.