By Ola Ajayi – Ibadan

Oyo State Commissioner for Environment, Rt Hon Kehinde is dead. He died at the age of 55.

The deceased commissioner was a former Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly between 1999 and 2003 during the tenure of Alhaji Lamidi Adesina.

Vanguard gathered that he suffered a yet to be disclosed illness which took him to the hospital about two weeks ago.

Born January 14 1965 at Oyo town in Oyo State, he attended Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife where he studied Animal Science and Environmental Management and Control.

Confirming his death, both the Commissioner for Information, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun and Special assistant on Print Media, Mr Moses Alao simply said, “It is true we have lost him”.

Late Ayoola played a key role in the emergence of Governor Seyi Makinde as the Governor of the state.

A government official told Vanguard that he visited hospital for an undisclosed ailment about two weeks ago after which he was advised by the doctor to create time to rest.

READ ALSO: Oyo: Makinde mourns as commissioner for environment Ayoola dies at 55

The Oyo-born politician who represented Oyo East/Oyo West State Constituency on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) was to attend a radio programme on Monday but sent a message that he had been advised to have some rest.

As Director-General of the Seyi Makinde Campaign Organization under the SDP in 2015 and deputy DG of the same campaign in 2019, he positively projected the image of his principal.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Information & Mass Mobilization, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun said, “it is true. We just lost him.”

Before his death, he posted on his Facebook page, he was engrossed in the controversy that trailed the 1,800 bags of rice from the Customs Department.

He wrote, “Now we are busy battling COVID-19 pandemic. Surely we must not add cancer of the liver to the burden! The 1800 bags of rice have a street value of about N45 million.

Even our most inveterate political enemies know that government will spend way above that should we, God forbid, have a widespread case of liver cancer.”

“What is paramount in the mind of Governor Seyi Makinde is the best interest of Oyo State at all times.

We will never play politics with food and by extension the lives of the people of Oyo State. May God Almighty take us out of this pandemic in double-quick time.”

Vanguard News Nigeria