Ondo Gov, Rotimi Akeredolu, Dies After Long Health Battle… 

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, is dead. The governor, aged 67, died on Wednesday morning after a prolonged health battle.

Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), ex-president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and ex-Attorney General of Ondo State, was a second-term governor before his death.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, announced the governor’s death in a statement.

“Mr. Governor peacefully departed from this world in the early hours of today, Wednesday, December 27, 2023,” she wrote.

“This tragedy has left behind a profound void in our hearts. Governor Akeredolu answered the eternal call while receiving medical treatment in Germany. He succumbed to complications arising from protracted prostate cancer.”

Ademola-Olateju said a letter has been sent to President Bola Tinubu to inform him of Akeredolu’s passing, adding that the family and the state government will release further details regarding the funeral arrangements.

A Fearless Crusader

Aketi, as he was fondly called by friends and admirers, wore many hats and was acknowledged by many of his contemporaries as a dogged leader with unbending personal convictions. Until his death, he was the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, a body with governors of the 17 states in Southern Nigeria as members. Akeredolu also led his other five colleagues in the South-West as chairman, championing many reforms, especially in the area of security, prominent among which was the establishment of the South-West Security Network codenamed Amotekun.

He was married to Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu and blessed with four children and many grandchildren.