27th December, 2023
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu died on Tuesday night after months of severe battle with Leukemia. He eventually died in Germany. He was about completing his second tenure when he died.
Below are 15 quick facts about the late governor
1. Akeredolu was born on 1 July 1956 in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
2. He was a lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)
3. Akeredolu served as governor of Ondo State from 24 February 2017 until his death on 27 December 2023 after a prolonged battle with leukemia
4. He adopted the prefix “Arakunrin”, while his nickname was “Aketi”.
5. Akeredolu became president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in 2008.
6. He 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.
7. Akeredolu, during his time as the governor of Ondo State, doubled as the chairman of Southwest Governors’ Forum, a forum consisting of governors of the Southwest Nigerian states.
8. Akeredolu was appointed Attorney General of Ondo State from 1997 to 1999.
9. He became a SAN in 1998 and was the Chairman of the Legal Aid Council (2005–2006).
10. 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”.
11. The allegations against him were reviewed and dropped by the National Executive council of the Nigerian Bar Association.
12. In 2012, the Nigerian Bar Association named its new secretariat in Abuja after Akeredolu, with its president citing the reason being the need for “generational identification and recognition of those who had contributed immensely to the development of the association.
13. Akeredolu was on 4 February 2022, awarded as the Grand Patron of the NDLEA by the Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd).
14. In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was conferred on Akeredolu by President Muhammadu Buhari.
15. On 12 December 2023, in advance of another period of medical leave, Akeredolu signed the notice appointing deputy governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as acting governor of the state.
Source: Wikipedia