By Uche Amunike
The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political group, Afenifere, has debunked rumors making the rounds that their leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo is dead.
Speaking, through a statement made available to journalists, in Akure, capital of Ondo State, the Secretary General of the group, Chief Sola Ebisieni, dispelled the rumor of their leader’s death, stating that they were together the night before and he was hale and hearty.
His words: ‘The attention of the Afenifere, apex Yoruba Socio-Political Organisation has been drawn to a statement making the rounds particularly in the media that our Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo is dead.’
‘Afenifere wishes to say that Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of the Afenifere, whose 96th birthday was celebrated recently, is alive, hale and hearty.’
‘As a matter of fact Baba presided over a meeting till very late Saturday night where he received a report of a Committee of the Organisation led by Balogun Akin Osuntokun and other eminent Yoruba personalities.’
The general speculation, however, is that the confusion concerning the circulation of the false rumors of Pa Adebanjo’s supposed death, was most likely caused by a mistaken identity for the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Banjo, who is also a distinguished son of Yoruba extraction. Notably, he shared the same first name with the Afenifere leader, they were almost age mates with just a few years apart, just as their surnames sounded almost the same, as the deceased name was Ayo Banjo, while the Afenifere leader’s name is Pa Ayo Adebanjo.
Hear Ebiseni: ‘It is however not unlikely that the rumored death might not have been a mistaken identity for another distinguished Yoruba son and former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Banjo, whose death at the age of 90 years was reported on Friday.’
He further stated: ‘Afenifere wishes to thank numerous Nigerians at home and in the diaspora who have made several calls concerning this unintended mixup, for their demonstrated love and goodwill.’
Note that the late Pa Ladipo Ayodeji Banjo, popularly known as Ayo Banjo, born on May 2, 1934, died after many years of hard work as a lecturer.
He served us the vice chancellor of the university of Ibadan between 1984 and 1991. During this time, he was the chairman of the committee of Vice Chancellors for Nigerian universities. He spent one year at the University of West Indies at Cave Hill, Northern Ireland, as a visiting professor.
He also served as a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge, England between 1993 and 1994. Between 2000 and 2004, he was appointed the Pro-chancellor at the university of Port Harcourt. Two years after, he became pro chancellor at the University of Ilorin for two years. Eventually, he won the American State Department scholarship award for an MA in linguistics at the University of California, shortly after which he obtained a doctorate degree from the University of Ibadan in 1969.
On his part, Pa Ayo Adebanjo is a lawyer and activist who has played significant roles in the political system of the country, especially during the clamor for a change of the 1999 constitution.
In 1962, he fled the country to Ghana during the western region crisis, where he was charged for treasonable felony alongside 30 other people.
He was also one of the people who fought against the struggle for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He was one of the critics of President Bola Tinubu and never supported his presidential ambition during the 2023 elections. He was rather, in support of the Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
So, while Prof Ayo Banjo died, Friday, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, is still alive, hale and hearty.
