The second annual symposium in honour of the late Chief Theophilus Adeleke Akinyele, Bobajiro of Ibadanland and former Secretary to the Goverment and Head of Service of Oyo State took place on 15th September, 2022 at the Ibadan Chinese Restaurant.
It was hosted by the Theophilus and Elizabeth Akinyele Foundation.
The topic of the symposium was “Ajia (Village in Ibadanland) in Rural Development Plan”
The guest speaker, an associate professor of public administration, Dr. Babatunde Oyediji in his speech said the late Chief Theophilus Adeleke devoted his life and time to the development of the Ajia community. According to him,” Chief Akinyele was a man of service, a man of purity and integrity, a civil servant for that matter, and at the age of 44, he opted to retire rather than to compromise his integrity with the then military government that he served as secretary and the Head of the Civil Service . He was also a man that could not be easily swayed by anyone”.
While speaking with Agidigbo FM’s correspondent, the former President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, Chief Bayo Oyero explained the role that late Chief Theophilus Adeleke played in the development of the Ajia community. He said:“From his youth, the late Theophilus was always involved in the development of Ajia community, and he had someone who shared the same view as he did in the person of Engr.,Seyi Makinde even before he became governor. Fortunately Engr. Makinde is now a governor and Chief Akinyele’s long term ideas are beginning to be actualized.”
Mrs. Aderonke Adedayo, daughter of the late Chief Akinyele who also spoke with Agidigbo FM, said her father had always said that Ajia is a nodal village that could serve as the core of development of its surrounding villages because it had great route interconnectivity with several villages and towns. She said that while working as Special Adviser and Director of Budget to President Shehu Shagari, her father ensured that the Ife to Ibadan road had a spur to Ajia and on to Ijebu and then on to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, in the road master plan for the South-West but it was not actualized by successive governments until Governor Makinde recently built the Ajia road.
Every attendee described the late Chief Akinyele as a man with integrity adding that his demise was a great loss to Ibadanland and Nigeria.
Ten brilliant but indigent students of Nigerian Universities were awarded scholarships in the sum of one hundred thousand naira each, in memory of the late Chief Akinyele who himself received university education with the aid of government scholarship.
The event was attended by the widow of the late Chief, Chief Mrs. Elizabeth Mojoyinola Akinyele and all their children as well as prominent people from within and outside Oyo state, such as the President of the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries of Oyo and Osun States, Chief Oladiti Oladapo; the President of the Ibadan Descendants Union (IDU) Alhaji Kola Bolomope; Emeritus Professor Grace Longe, Chief Mrs. Bode Amao, Chief Mrs. Bola Doherty amongst others.
