Former governor of Kwara State, Cornelius Adebayo, has died at the age of 84.

The elder statesman died in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja, his death confirmed by his son, Oluwasegun Adebayo.

Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Adebayo briefly served as governor in 1983 under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) before the military coup that brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power truncated his tenure. He later served as a senator and was minister of communications under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Reactions have poured in since his death. Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described him as “a patriot, statesman, and a thoroughbred progressive whose contributions to the political development of Nigeria and Kwara State are well documented.”

The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu‑Gambari, also paid tribute to the late politician, calling him “an administrator par excellence.”

Adebayo began his career in academics, lecturing at Obafemi Awolowo University and later serving as head of the English department at Kwara State Polytechnic. He was appointed commissioner for education, information and economic development in Kwara State between 1975 and 1978. In 1979, he was elected senator and four years later became governor of the state.

In 2003, he was appointed minister of communications where he played a key role in Nigeria’s telecom revolution and the privatisation of NITEL.

He was also a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and stood firmly against military rule. He famously rejected an appointment under General Sani Abacha’s regime and went into exile in Canada after being linked to the 1995 Ilorin bomb blast.

Adebayo was known for his simplicity and integrity. He was once commended for returning unspent government funds while in office.

The late politician faced deep personal losses. His wife, Funmilayo Adebayo, died in September 2014 after a long illness. He also lost his daughter, Diekolola Osa-Avielele, on July 16, 2020.

Diekolola died at the age of 44 in Fairfax, Virginia, from complications shortly after childbirth.

She was a lawyer and entrepreneur who studied at the University of Ilorin and Howard University. She previously worked as in-house counsel for Globacom and Conoil and was founder of Cedarwood Group.

Adebayo is survived by his remaining children, including Diekolola’s son, who was just days old at the time of her death.

Funeral arrangements for the late statesman are yet to be announced.