Uche Amunike
Ever since news of the demise of former Governor Alao-Akala of Oyo state was made public, not only the Alao-Akala family, but also Nigeria as a whole has been thrown into deep mourning.
Alao-Akala, who died in the early hours of Wednesday, at the age of 71 was a former police officer who served in different capacities before his retirement from the Nigerian Police Force as the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Logistics and Supply. He was a former Chairman of Ogbomosho North Local Government. He was also Deputy Governor of Oyo State from May 2003 to 2006. He later became the Governor after the then incumbent Governor, Rashidi Ladoja was impeached. Alao Akala was sworn into office in January 2006 and served for 11 months, after which the impeachment was overturned by the supreme Court and Ladoja became reinstated.
In December 2014, Governor Alao-Akala defected to the Labour party in Oyo State from the PDP and formally declared his bid to re-contest in the Governorship election of Oyo State under the umbrella of the Labour Party in the February 2015 general elections in Nigeria.
On December 2017, he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) amidst pomp and pageantry in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.
President Mohammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, has expressed his pain over the loss of Governor Alao-Akala, even as he described him as a man who served the nation with dedication by making relevant contributions to the development of institutions and communities.
In a statement which was released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari sent his condolences to the Alao-Akala family, the government and the people of Oyo state, over his demise.
Part of the statement read: ‘As a former Police officer and civilian governor with an extensive political career, the president affirms that Otunba Akala served the country and the people of Oyo State with dedication, making very important contributions to the development of institutions and communities’.
‘The President trusts that family, friends and associates, who mourn the late Governor, will honour his vision of entrenching good governance in the country and passion to lift the downtrodden in the society’.
‘The President prays God almighty to grant the departed eternal rest and comfort to those who mourn’, it concluded.
On his part, the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has stated that former Governor Alao-Akala will always be remembered for his contributions towards the development of the State.
In a statement released by Makinde, he said that the deceased ensured that all the zones of the state developed infrastructurally outside the state capital, Ibadan.
He presently ordered that all flags in the state should fly at half-mast in honour of the late Governor Alao-Akala.
His words: ‘I have directed that flags fly at half-mast in honour of Governor Alao-Akala, our brother, friend and illustrious son of Oyo state’.
‘His Excellency will be remembered for his contributions to the development of Oyo state as governor, especially for taking infrastructural development to other zones of the state outside Ibadan’, he concluded.
