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SAN, NBA Boss, Governor: Life And Times Of Rotimi Akeredolu

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Popularly known as Aketi, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu,  died on Wednesday in Lagos, after a prolonged battle with leukemia.

In his lifetime, Akeredolu was a legal practitioner par excellence and an astute politician, loved by all and sundry in both Ondo and across the country.

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Aged 67, he was born on 21 July 1956, in Ese Odo, Ondo State and died on 27 December 2023.

He had his education at Aquinas College, Akure, Loyola College, Ibadan, Oyo State, and Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, for his secondary school education and Higher School Education.

Aketi then proceeded to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to study law and he graduated in 1977.

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The lawyer

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Ondo Gov Akeredolu Is Dead

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He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1998, and ten years later, emerged as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association in 2008.

Akeredolu was also a Managing Partner at the law firm of Olujinmi & Akeredolu, which he co-founded with Chief Akin Olujinmi, a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice of Nigeria.

On 21 July 2020, he was declared as the Ondo governorship candidate after the primary elections under the platform of the APC.

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As the governor of Ondo State, he was voted as the chairman of Southwest Governors.

One of the most exceptional things about Akeredolu was adopting ‘Arakunrin’ as a title instead of ‘Mr’.

His profile in politics started rising as he was appointed Attorney General of Ondo State from 1997 to 1999.

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He was then made Chairman of the Legal Aid Council (2005–2006).

READ ALSO: Quiet In Akeredolu’s House As Neighbours Doubt His Demise

The governor

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In November 2011, Akeredolu was among a crowd of aspirants to be the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for governor of Ondo State in the 2012 elections.

On 28 July 2012, On Akeredolu was selected as the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for governor of Ondo State during the ACN congress in Akure.

His selection pitched him in a head-to-head battle with the incumbent, Olusegun Mimiko and Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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On Saturday 3 September 2016, Akeredolu was awarded the ticket to represent the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2016 elections for governor.

On Sunday, 27 November 2016, he was declared the winner of the keenly contested 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election.

On 29 July 2020, Rotimi Akeredolu picked Lucky Aiyedatiwa as his running mate for the 2020 Ondo State governorship election after the controversy between the governor and his deputy, Agboola Ajayi.

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READ ALSO: What To Know About Leukemia

He was declared the winner of the October 2020 governorship election in Ondo State on 11 October 2020 after winning 15 out of 18 local governments.

On Saturday 10 October 2020, Akeredolu was re-elected governor of Ondo State and announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission on 11 October 2020. He won with a total number of 292,830 valid votes against his major opponents from the Peoples Democratic Party and the Zenith Labour Party, Eyitayo Jegede and Agboola Ajayi respectively.

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He was sworn in for a second term in office on 24 February 2021. He and his new deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, assumed office on the same date and are the incumbent deputy governor of Ondo State.

In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was conferred on Akeredolu by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Akeredolu has been undergoing treatment for leukaemia since January 2023, and has had a long period of medical absence.

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On 12 December 2023, in advance of another period of medical leave, Akeredolu signed the notice appointing deputy governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as acting governor of the state.

VANGUARD

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Smokers Risk Cardiac Arrest, Expert Warns

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A Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, in the department of surgery, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Prof Eyo Ekpe has warned cigarettes smokers and patients with diabetes to take adequate of their chest in order not to fall a victim of cardiac arrest .

He said that these health conditions trigger certain types of abnormal heartbeats called arrhythmias responsible for sudden cardiac arrest.

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Professor Ekpe gave the warning on Wednesday while delivering the 117th Inaugural Lecturer of the University of Uyo, titled “My Chest! My Chest!! My Chest!!!: Relieving Chest Pain, Preventing Death and Restoring Health”

He disclosed that many Nigerians have died for ignoring cardiac arrest triggers, preventing them, or seeking late medical attention to chest related ailments.

READ ALSO:Tobacco Kills 1.3 Million Non-smokers Yearly — WHO

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Chest pain should not be ignored. Symptom of chest pain that is reported early would afford the clinician the opportunity to obtain adequate medical history from the person, medically examine the person thoroughly, optimally conduct the necessary laboratory tests to unravel the cause, and apply an evidence based treatment modality to relieve the chest pain, prevent death and restore heath.

“People should guard their heart diligently to prevent heart attack. Cigarette should not be smoked, high blood pressure should be prevented or controlled, diabetes mellitus should be prevented or controlled, and high blood cholesterol and lipoprotein should be prevented or controlled. A culture of regular physical exercise must be intentionally domesticated.

“People should guard their heart diligently to prevent cardiac arrest. Causes and triggers of arrhythmias should be prevented by preventing stress, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, coronary artery disease and electrolyte disorders, and avoiding cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse,” he stated.

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READ ALSO:Marijuana Smokers Prone To Head, Neck Cancers — Study

Ekpe said medical consultation for chest problems should be with qualified medical doctors to avoid misdiagnosis, wrong treatment and complications, adding that regular medical checks and timely reports of symptoms of ailments must be prioritised.

Safe-driving habit and road safety must be taken as a serious business. Seat restrained-belt should be used by all occupants of moving vehicles.

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“Bicycles, motorcycles and tricycles should not ply traffic-congested roads. All victims of chest pain and chest injuries must be attended to by qualified medical doctors in a timely manner,” he advised.

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FirstBank’s Digital Banking Channels Suffers Downtime

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FirstBank has suffered a temporary disruption to its major digital banking channels, which will prevent some customers from completing transactions.

In a notice issued on Thursday, the bank said the downtime is affecting services on FirstMobile, FirstOnline, and its *894# USSD platforms.

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“Please be informed that we are currently experiencing some downtime affecting transactions to other banks on FirstMobile, FirstOnline, and USSD platforms. Customers may therefore experience delayed or declined transactions,” the circular read.

READ ALSO:Sterling Bank Unveils First 30 Beneficiaries Of N2bn Scholarship

The bank apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that its technical team, working with partner service providers, is making every effort to restore full services as quickly as possible.

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The disruption occurred less than two months after FirstBank introduced facial biometric authentication on its FirstMobile app, designed to enhance the customer experience and security.

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JUST IN: Tinubu Begins 10-day Vacation, Departs Abuja For Europe

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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday commenced a 10-day vacation as part of his 2025 annual leave, the Presidency announced.

According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President will spend the 10-working-day vacation between France and the United Kingdom, after which he will return to Nigeria.

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READ ALSO:Tinubu Orders Mandatory Health Insurance Across Ministries, Agencies

Onanuga said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, September 4, to commence a working vacation in Europe, as part of his 2025 annual leave.

“The vacation will last 10 working days.

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“President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return to the country.”

Details later…

 

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