It is no longer news that Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor of Oyo State, has gone to rest with his fathers.
Alao-Akala, who had not been looking agile for a while, died in the early hours of Wednesday after returning from an Abuja trip the day before.
He was 71 years old.
Here are 10 things we know about him.
1. He was born on June 3, 1950, in Ogbomoso.
2. He was a polyglot, someone who speaks multiple languages fluently. He spoke English, Yoruba, Hausa, Twi, Fanti and Dagbani with ease.
3. He got his elementary education at Osupa Baptist Day School, Ogbomoso. He also attended Kamina Barracks Middle School, 5th Battalions of Infantry & Government Technical College in Ghana’s Northern Region of Tamale. He also attended Ogbomoso High School.
4. Alao-Akala was a teacher at Baptist Day Modern School, Ogbomosho.
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5. He attended Passed Staff College (PSC, 1900). He got a Diploma in Business Administration (1998), Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) Honoris Causa, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso (2006), Doctor of Science (Political Science) Honoris Causa, Lead City University, Ibadan (2008).
6. He joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1974 and rose through the ranks to become an assistant commissioner of police (ACP). He left the force in 1995 and ventured into politics.
7. He won the chairman of Ogbomoso North local government area under the APP in 1998, took office in 1999 and left in 2002.
8. He was deputy governor of Oyo (under Rashidi Ladoja) from May 2003 to January 2006.
9. He became acting governor for 11 months after Ladoja was impeached. The impeachment was overturned by the Supreme Court and Ladoja was reinstated. Alao-Akala contested and won the gubernatorial election in 2007 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and became the governor, serving a full term till May 2011. He became governor in 2007 and left office in 2011.
10. He was, at different times, a member of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), the PDP, Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).