LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, is dead The Ondo governor died at the age of 67.
According to reports, Akeredolu passed away on Wednesday at around 2 a.m. in the morning while undergoing treatment in a German hospital.
Here are fifteen things to know about the late Ondo governor;
Akeredolu was born on 21st July 1956 in Owo, Ondo State to the Late Rev. J. O Ola Akeredolu of Owo and Lady Evang. Grace Akeredolu of Igbotu Ese Odo Government Area of Ondo State.
He attended three secondary schools: Aquinas College, Akure, Loyola College, Ibadan and Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, where he obtained his Higher School Certificate (HSC).
He later gained admission into the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to study Law, graduating in 1977. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978.
He served as attorney-general of Ondo between 1997 and 1999. He was also chairman of the Legal Aid Council between 2005 and 2006.
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His middle name Odunayo means “Year of happiness” in Yoruba.
He assumed office as Ondo governor on February 24, 2017.
Akeredolu reportedly died of leukemia and prostate cancer, two ailments that had made him incapacitated for several months.
His adopted prefix is “Arakunrin”, while his nickname is “Aketi”.
He was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who became president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in 2008.
Akeredolu was also a Managing Partner at the law firm of Olujinmi & Akeredolu, which he co-founded with Chief Akin Olujinmi, a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice of Nigeria.
In November 2009, he faced allegations of corruption when the Bar Association’s third Vice-President, Welfare Secretary, and Assistant Financial Secretary circulated a petition entitled “Complaints against your fraudulent manifestations, violation of the NBA”.
Subsequently, the allegations against him were reviewed and dropped by the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association.
In 2012, he ran on the platform of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) but lost to Olusegun Mimiko.
Akeredolu was awarded the ticket to represent the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2016 elections for governor. On Sunday, 27 November 2016, he won the keenly contested 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election with 244,842 votes.
He won his re-election as the state governor in October 2020 and was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021.
