MISINFO ALERT: Ayo Banjo — not Ayo Adebanjo — is dead

You must have seen social media posts claiming that Ayo Adebanjo, a chieftain of Afenifere, a socio-political organisation, is dead.

The claim has been so far debunked by persons close to Adebanjo.

The claim was posted across different social media platforms.

On Sunday, a X user @RodemiF posted the image of the Afenifere leader alongside the caption: “Chief Ayo Adebanjo goes home@ 96 May his soul rest in peace. Amen.”

The post has so far gathered about 251 reposts, 91 quotes, and 1,236 likes.

Some other social media users also posted the misinformation.

The Afenifere leader must have been mistaken with Ladipo Ayodeji Banjo, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), who was popularly known as Ayo Banjo.

WHO IS AYO BANJO?

Born on May 2, 1934, Banjo, an academic, died on Friday after many industrious years as a lecturer.

The academic was the vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI) from 1984 to 1991.

During this period, he was the chairman of the committee of vice-chancellors for Nigerian universities.

Banjo was a visiting professor for one year at the University of West Indies at Cave Hill, Northern Ireland.

He was also a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge, England, between 1993 and 1994.

The professor was appointed the pro-chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt between 2000 and 2004.

After his tenure, he was appointed pro-chancellor of the University of Ilorin for two years — 2005 to 2007.

He also served as the incumbent pro-chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University

In 1966, Banjo began his career as a lecturer at UI’s English department.

The same year, he won the American State Department scholarship award for an MA in linguistics at the University of California in the US. He later obtained a doctorate degree from UI in 1969.

WHO IS AYO ADEBANJO?

Adebanjo is one of the leaders of Afenifere.

He was born on April 10, 1928, in Isanya Ogbo, a village near Ijebu Ode, Ogun state.

In April, the nonagenarian turned 96 years old and he was celebrated by many political stakeholders, including President Bola Tinubu.

Adebanjo, a lawyer and activist, has played prominent roles in the political system of the country, especially the clamour for a change of the 1999 constitution.

During the Western region crisis in 1962, he fled the country to Ghana after he was charged for treasonable felony alongside 30 others.

He was also at the forefront of the struggle against the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Adebanjo is one of the “fierce” critics of President Bola Tinubu and did not support his presidential ambition during the 2023 elections.

His faction of Afenifere backed Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

AYO BANJO AND AYO ADEBANJO

Banjo and Adebanjo are two different persons.

Adebanjo, Afenifere chieftain, is alive.