Former Minister, renowned Administrator and Customs boss, Chief Oyekunle Oluwasanmi, has passed on to glory!
A former Minister of State for Power and Steel in Nigeria, Chief Oyekunle Oluwasanmi has died, aged 85.
An statement by the family said the exemplary administrator and technocrat passed on to glory on Thursday, July 14, 2022.
Chief Oluwasanmi had a hefty bag of meritorious service to the nation. A Board Member of several companies, including Kinley Securities Limited and Wise Health Services Limited, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in 1992.
In recognition of his sterling administrative skills, the former Minister was, in 1995, appointed by the Federal Military Government as a member of the Committee for States and Local Governments creation. He was part of a committee that advocated for the creation of Ekiti, Ebonyi, Nassarawa, Gombe, Zamfara and Bayelsa States in 1996.
In recognition of his solid administrative prowess, Oluwasanmi was appointed Minister of State for Power and Steel in 1997. Under his watch, several reforms which positively impacted the nation’s Power and Steel sector were introduced.
A community leader worthy of emulation, the late Chief Oyekunle Oluwasanmi was the Customs & Excise Area Administrator for Tin Can Island Ports and subsequently at Calabar Ports.
While in the Customs Service, Chief Oluwasanmi attended various training programmes abroad and represented Nigeria at round-table conferences on Customs operations in Finland, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Peru, Kenya and Australia.
He bagged several awards in the course of his career. He retired voluntarily in January 1987 after years of meritorious service to the country and subsequently co-founded the law firm of Ibironke, Oluwasanmi & Co. along with his friend, late Mr Adejuyigbe Ibironke.
Chief Oluwasanmi hailed from Ipetu Ijesa in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State, where he was actively engaged in community-building initiatives till the very end.
His brother, the late Professor Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, was a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, Osun State, from 1966 to 1975.
Chief Oyekunle Oluwasanmi attended St’ Paul’s Primary School, Ipetu-Ijesa, and later Ilesa Grammar School for his secondary education. Chief Oluwasanmi worked briefly with the Ministry of Health as a clerk in the old Western Region and then proceeded to study law at Obafemi Awolowo University Ile – Ife in 1963 and subsequently at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. After his call to the bar, he joined the Nigeria Customs Service, where he had an excellent and productive career.
A distinguished religious leader and philanthropist, Chief Oluwasanmi was installed as Otun Balogun of the Anglican Youth Movement of St’ Paul’s Church, Ipetu-Ijesa, in 1991 and Baba Ijo of the same church in 2003. When the Ijesa North-East Diocese of the Church was created in 2009, he was installed as the Deputy Lay President of the Diocese. In Lagos, he was an integral member of The fellowship of the Cross of the Chapel of the Healing Cross Church, Idi-Araba. He was a trustee of the Chapel for 14 years.
The late Chief Oluwasanmi is survived by his wife, Mrs. Grace Fehintola Oluwasanmi – (Nee Ayeni), children and grandchildren.
He will be sorely missed by his immediate and extended families, the great people of Ipetu Ijesa in Osun State, and Nigerians at large.
The family says it will announce Oluwasanmi’s final rites of passage in due course.
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