The very untimely demise of the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Michael Adesina Olusegun Adeyemo has so much thrown the whole state into confusion and mourning with the state’s Governor Abiola Ajimobi leading all the mourners.
Ajimobi has thus declagted 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.
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.
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, Rt. Hon. 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.
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.”
Meanwhile, the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, has expressed shock and disbelief over the death of the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Michael Adeyemo.
He recalled that at recent meetings when he met the late speaker, the young man who was hale and hearty would go out of his way to come and pay him homage, “Unfortunately, death is not a letter that is bodly written on human face and nobody knows who is next” Oba Adetunji said.
In the same vein, the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has described the death of the Speaker as a calamity that befell not only the people of the state but Nigerians and humanity as a whole.
In a statement issued and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Friday, the APC expressed its shock over the incident which it described as a devastating, saddening and unfathomable development which marks a dark spot in the anal of history of the state.
“One would wish our amiable Speaker did not die this time as his death creates a sad chapter in the pages of history book of our dear state. Hon. Adeyemo had been a brilliant, hard working and passionate player since he joined politics from his legal professional practice.
“His three-year reign as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly was full of monumental achievements and posterity would always be kind to him because he served humanity to the best of his ability. Obviously, Oyo APC and the entire good people of the state have lost a rare gem.
“Our condolences go to members of his family, our leader; Governor Abiola Ajimobi, members of the State House of Assembly, the good people of Lanlate and Ibarapaland in general as well as his professional and political associates. We pray God to give all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.” APC said.
Packaged by Oyedapo Oyewole and Mayowa Owogbade
