2 months ago
23 ARTICLE AD
The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast in the state to mourn a former Secretary to the State Government, Michael Koleoso, who died on Monday at the age of 86.
Koleoso was the SSG during the late Governor Lamidi Adesina’s administration between 1999 and 2023. He was also the National Chairman of the defunct Alliance for Democracy.
Governor Seyi Makinde described his death as “The end of a glorious era.”
This was contained in a statement obtained by our correspondent in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday.
“I received the news of the death of Baba Michael Koleoso, the Babalaje of Saki, with shock and sadness.
“Oyo State and Nigeria have lost a great patriot and selfless leader, one of the last men standing in the batch of leaders who gave their all to make Nigeria a better place.
“People who know me know that I had a special bond with Babalaje; I held him as a father and had the utmost regard for him, as he was a courageous and upright leader who spoke truth to power.
“We’ve relied on his guidance and wealth of experience in guiding our great state to greatness, and Babalaje did love this state till his dying days.
“I express my condolences to the Koleoso family of Saki, his political family spread across the state and Nigeria as well as the people of Saki and Oyo State.
“It is the end of a glorious era and we can only pray to God to grant repose to the soul of our Baba,” the statement read.
Oyo State Acting Governor, Bayo Lawal, directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast for seven days to honour the deceased.
Lawal, who led top government functionaries to pay a condolence visit to the family in his Akobo residence, described the deceased as an astute politician, a reservoir of knowledge for all politicians and a patriot.
“The late political icon contributed immensely to the development and growth of Nigeria, the state, his immediate town and constituency, Saki, in Oke Ogun zone of the state.
“The state government will give him (Koleoso) a befitting burial. He would be remembered as a progressive who always stood for the truth and devoted himself to championing fairness and equity for all, irrespective of their political parties,” Lawal said.
Responding, the first daughter of the deceased, Yemisi Baiki, thanked the acting governor for his show of love and care for their father during his lifetime.
Former deputy governor and leader of All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Iyiola Oladokun, described Koleoso’s death as a blow to the political class in Nigeria.
In a statement, Oladokun said, “The death of former SSG, Koleoso, is painful, especially during this period that the nation needs the advice and wealth of experience of his likes to salvage economic and political stability of the country.
“He was a tripod stand of Adesina’s political camp that midwife democracy and rescued the country from the military junta that derailed the Third Republic.
“Koleoso was an astute leader, planner, motivator and political icon whose vacuum will be very difficult to fill.”
The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, described the death of Koleoso as the exit of a “patriotic father and great counsellor.”
Adedeji, in a condolence message by his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, in Ibadan, said Koleoso would be remembered as a progressive leader who stood for truth and devoted himself to championing fairness and equity.
“I received the news of the passing of Papa, as I fondly called him, with sadness, even though he was 86 years old.
“No matter how old our parents are, we always want them to be with us forever. But I take solace in the fact that Papa lived a good and disciplined life.
“Papa was more than a father figure to me. He was a great counsellor who mentored young people like me. I learnt a lot of invaluable lessons about life and living from my several interactions with him.
“He was totally committed to worthy causes that promote growth and development. Papa served Saki, Oyo State and even Nigeria with all the atom of strength God gave him. He was a thoroughbred progressive leader, in fact, one of the last of the originals,” the statement read.
Former AD Chief Whip in the House of Representatives and two-term member of the House on the platform of the party, Babatunde Oduyoye, described Koleoso as a forthright politician and a true patriot.
Oduyoye, in a condolence message he sent to the family of the departed elder statesman, noted that Chief Koleoso was bold, open-minded, and always ready to support the right cause.
He expressed condolences to the Emi Abata Dynasty of Saki in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, Pa Koleoso’s immediate family, and the progressive political family in Nigeria.
Oduyoye, who represented Ibadan South-West/Ibadan North-West Federal Constituency on the platform of the AD between 1999 and 2007, said Pa Koleoso was a thoroughbred progressive and a selfless leader, whose immense contributions led to the success of the AD at that time was unquantifiable.
He added that the Saki-born politician and former Secretary to the Oyo State Government wrote his name in gold as the father of progressive politics and an exemplary leader
“I saw Babalaje in action on the field of politics between 1999 and 2007 and I know that, indeed, he was the truest definition of a democrat and a progressive.
“I commiserate with the Koleoso family and the progressive fold in the country while praying to God to grant eternal repose to the soul of Babalaje,” the statement read.
