Former Kwara Gov Cornelius Adebayo passes on
Chief Cornelius Adebayo, the former governor of Kwara State, has passed on.
According to a statement from the family, the former governor, who served from 1979 to 1983, died on Wednesday at the age of 84.
The demise, who served during second republic, was later appointed as Minister of Communications by Olusegun Obasanjo.
Brief history
Born on 24 February 1941 in Igbaja, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Adebayo had a distinguished academic and political career.
He attended All Saints Anglican School in Oke-Onigbin and Provincial Secondary School in Ilorin before proceeding to Barewa College, Zaria (1962–1963).
He later studied at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1964–1967), and the University of Ghana, Legon (1967–1969).
In 1969, he began lecturing at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and, by 1973, became Head of the English Department at the Kwara State College of Technology.
Adebayo served as Commissioner for Education and, later, Commissioner for Information and Economic Development in Kwara State from 1975 to 1978.
He was elected Senator under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979 and became Governor of Kwara State in 1983.
His tenure was cut short by the military coup of 31 December 1983 led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
In 1999, Adebayo was appointed Minister of Communications under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, where he contributed to key reforms in the telecoms sector.
