Ex-Oyo SSG Michael Koleoso dies at 86

Michael Adeniyi Koleoso, former secretary to the Oyo state government, is dead.

Koleoso died on Monday aged 86.

In a statement on Tuesday, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, said Koleoso’s death marks the end of an era, adding that Nigeria has lost a great patriot.

Makinde commiserated with the bereaved family while praying for them to be able to bear the loss.

“I received the news of the death of Baba Michael Koleoso, the Babalaje of Saki with shock and sadness,” Makinde was quoted as saying by Moses Alao, his media aide.

“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 deceased served as SSG between 1999 and 2003 during the administration of Lamidi Adesina.

He also served as the former national chairman of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).

He was elected into the Oyo state house of assembly in 1979 before Bola Ige, a former governor of the state, appointed him commissioner same year.

Koleoso was a member of AD, Action Group (AG), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and All Progressives Congress (APC) at different times.

He was born on April 30, 1938 in Saki, Oyo state.