Oluseye Ojo Ibadan
Oyo Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Kehinde Ayoola, is dead.
The commissioner died yesterday, at the age of 55, after he battled for his life for two weeks as a result of undisclosed illness.
He was said to have died at a private hospital in Iyaganku area of Ibadan, the state capital.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Taiwo Adisa, as well as Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Wasiu Olatunbosun, confirmed Ayoola’s death.
Ayoola served as House of Assembly speaker during the administration of a former governor Lam Adesina, in 1999. Then, he represented Oyo East/Oyo West State Constituency between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD).
As gathered, he fell ill about two weeks ago and drove himself to the hospital for medical attention.
Ayoola was the director general of Seyi Makinde Campaign Organisation in 2015 when Governor Makinde contested the governorship on the platform of Social Democratic Party (SDP). But Makinde did not win the election then.
Meanwhile, Makinde, in a statement by Adisa, said he received the news of Ayoola’s death with shock, saying: “I received with deep sadness, the news of the death of my dear friend and colleague, Ayoola. Up until his death yesterday morning, he served as the commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources in Oyo State.
“I met Ayoola in 2002, when we worked together as members of the Fortune Group for the election of former governor Rasheed Ladoja. He also served as the director general for my 2015 campaign and the deputy director general for my 2019 campaign.
“He was a loyal friend with a dedication to duty that cannot be questioned. He will be sorely missed for his great oratory skills and his love for the people of Oyo Town and Oyo State.”