The former Governor of Kwara State and one-time Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, has passed away at the age of 82. He died on Tuesday morning following a brief illness.
A family source, speaking anonymously, confirmed the news to Channels Television, stating that an official announcement would be made soon.
Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Adebayo had an illustrious academic and political career.
He attended All Saints Anglican School in Oke-Onigbin and Provincial Secondary School in Ilorin before advancing to Barewa College, Zaria.
He later studied at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Ghana, Legon.
Adebayo began his teaching career in 1969 at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and became the Head of the English Department at the Kwara State College of Technology in 1973.
He served as Kwara State’s Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information and Economic Development between 1975 and 1978.
Elected Senator under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979, he became Kwara State Governor in 1983, though his tenure was truncated by the military coup of December 31, 1983.
In 1999, he was appointed Minister of Communications under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, where he played a pivotal role in telecommunications reforms.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by the family in due course.