Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, a respected elder statesman, former senator, and one-time governor of Kwara State, has died. He passed away in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja at the age of 84.
Family sources confirmed his passing to TheCable, describing it as a peaceful transition.
Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, a town in present-day Kwara State, Adebayo rose to national prominence as one of Nigeria’s most principled political figures.
He was elected senator in 1979 on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), a party led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
In 1983, he briefly served as the civilian governor of Kwara State before the military coup that truncated the Second Republic.
Between 2003 and 2006, Adebayo served as Nigeria’s Minister of Communications under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, overseeing key reforms in the country’s telecom sector during a period of rapid expansion and liberalization.
Earlier in his career, from 1975 to 1978, he served as Commissioner for Education in Kwara State, where he introduced significant reforms that expanded access to public education and improved infrastructure across the state.
Adebayo was also a prominent member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the leading pro-democracy movement that resisted military rule and fought for the actualization of MKO Abiola’s mandate following the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
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In 1993, he famously rejected an offer to serve in the military regime of General Sani Abacha, choosing instead to align with the pro-democracy movement despite the risks.
In 1995, Adebayo was arrested and interrogated by security forces following a bomb blast in Ilorin.
He later fled Nigeria in 1996 and spent a brief period in exile in Canada as the regime intensified its crackdown on dissidents.
Widely regarded as a man of integrity and conviction, Adebayo’s legacy spans decades of public service, democratic advocacy, and educational reform.
His refusal to compromise in the face of dictatorship and his dedication to the cause of democracy earned him national respect.
Tributes have begun pouring in from political leaders, civil society groups, and citizens who remember him as a principled figure who stood on the side of justice even at great personal cost.
Burial arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in the coming days.