Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, passed away on Wednesday, at a German hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for leukemia. He was 67 years old.
Akeredolu, who served as the governor of Ondo State since 2017 and won a second term in 2020, was also the chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum and a vocal advocate for regional integration and security.
Born on July 21, 1956, in Owo, Ondo State, to a reverend father and an evangelist mother, Akeredolu had a distinguished education and career in law. He graduated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1977 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978. He rose to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1998 and served as the president of the Nigerian Bar Association from 2008 to 2010. He co-founded the law firm of Olujinmi and Akeredolu, where he was a managing partner.
Akeredolu ventured into politics in 2012, when he ran for the governorship of Ondo State under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He lost to the incumbent governor, Olusegun Mimiko. He later joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and emerged as the party’s candidate in 2016. He defeated the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Eyitayo Jegede and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) Olusola Oke in the general election and was sworn in as the governor of Ondo State on February 24, 2017. He secured a second term in 2020, beating the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede.
As the governor of Ondo State, Akeredolu initiated and executed several projects and programs that enhanced the infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, and security of the state. He also championed the cause of the Southwest region, especially on the issues of restructuring, resource control, and self-determination. He was a vocal supporter of the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, a regional security outfit that aimed to combat crime and insecurity in the Southwest.
Akeredolu was a devout Christian and a philanthropist. He was married to Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, a breast cancer survivor and the founder of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN). He had four children and several grandchildren.
credit- westernpost
