By Abiola Olawale
Eminent Scholar-Diplomat, former Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, and erstwhile United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, has mourned the passing of foremost elderstatesman and Second Republic governor of Kwara State, Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo.
Late Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, popularly known as C.O. who was also a Second Republic Senator, and later Minister of Transportation, Communications and Works, respectively, passed on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
In a heartfelt tribute, Prof Gambari, who attended the same Secondary School with late ex-Governor C.O. Adebayo, praised the latter’s enduring legacy as a statesman, academic, and champion of democracy, highlighting his profound contributions to Nigeria’s political and social landscape.
Gambari, also a former Chief of Staff to the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, and the first and only African to serve as United Nations Under-Secretary General(Political), emphasized Adebayo’s courage in standing against military dictatorship.
He said: “He was a good man, a true friend and brother, and a rare leader.
“Kwara State and indeed Nigeria have lost a rare gem. May his rich legacy and positive impact on the family, community, our state, and Nigeria endure.
“He was my schoolmate, one year my senior. We called him CO (short for Cornelius Olatunji) and his last name was Adebayo.
“May he rest in peace and may God grant the family the fortitude to bear the unique and enormous loss.”
Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, Kwara State, Chief Adebayo, popularly known as C.O. has had a career spanning several decades.
Adebayo’s political journey began as Kwara State’s Commissioner for Education, Information and Home Affairs, respectively, from 1975 to 1978, where he was credited for spearheading reforms that uplifted the state’s educational and human capital development.
In 1979, Adebayo moved on to become a senator under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). He was a staunch Awoist and later an ardent leader of the pro-democracy movement(NADECO) during the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections won by Late Chief M.K. O. Abiola.
He later served, from 2003 to 2007, as Minister of Communications, Transportation and Works under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
