Afenifere Leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti Dies at 100

Elder statesman, educationist and National Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere, Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, is dead. He was 100.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa announced the passing of the revered patriarch on Tuesday in a personal statement issued in Akure, describing it as a great loss to the state, Yorubaland and Nigeria.

“With a heavy heart but with total submission to the will of God, I announce the passing of our revered elder statesman, Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, who departed this world at the glorious age of 100,” the governor said.

Aiyedatiwa paid glowing tribute to the centenarian, calling him “a patriarch, a beacon of wisdom, integrity and selfless service whose century-long life was marked by uncommon commitment to the development of our dear State, Yorubaland and Nigeria at large.”

He added that Fasoranti’s counsel, fatherly guidance and principled stand on issues of justice and good governance would be sorely missed, noting that the late leader lived a fulfilled life and left “indelible footprints of honour and legacy for generations to come.”

On behalf of the government and people of Ondo State, the governor extended condolences to the Fasoranti family, the people of Akure Kingdom and the entire state, praying that the gentle soul of the departed rest in perfect peace.

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Born on May 11, 1926, in Uso in present-day Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Fasoranti’s life spanned the colonial era, independence, successive military regimes and Nigeria’s return to democratic rule. He celebrated his 100th birthday only five months ago, drawing tributes from President Bola Tinubu and other national figures who hailed him as an elder statesman, administrator, pro-democracy activist and one of the last surviving disciples of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

A lifelong educationist, Fasoranti studied at Ondo Boys’ High School, Yaba Higher College in Lagos and the University College, Ibadan (now the University of Ibadan), where he obtained a degree in English and Geography. He later earned a postgraduate diploma in Education from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom and a master’s degree in Education Administration and School Management from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

He taught and served as principal in several institutions, including his alma mater, Oyemekun Grammar School, Iju-Itaogbolu Grammar School and Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti. After formal retirement he founded Omolere Nursery and Primary School, Akure High School and St. Frances’ Academy in Igoba, Akure, in memory of his late wife.

In politics, Fasoranti was a committed Awoist who belonged to the Action Group in the First Republic and the Unity Party of Nigeria in the Second Republic. Between 1979 and 1983 he served as Commissioner for Finance in the administration of the late Governor Michael Adekunle Ajasin in the old Ondo State. He was also recognised as one of the founding figures in the agitation that led to the creation of Ondo State in 1976.

As a leading voice in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), he resisted military dictatorship and survived an assassination attempt during the Abacha era. After the death of Chief Abraham Adesanya, he emerged as National Leader of Afenifere, a position he held until his death, even as he later appointed an acting leader while remaining the substantive head of the organisation.

Fasoranti married Frances Oladiwura Awosika in 1955. She died in 1991 and he never remarried. The family suffered another profound loss in July 2019 when their daughter, Funke Olakunrin, was killed by gunmen.

Until his last days, Pa Fasoranti remained a towering symbol of the Omoluabi ethos—integrity, wisdom, service and principled leadership. His death closes a significant chapter in Yoruba progressive politics and the struggle for democratic values in Nigeria.

Tributes continue to pour in from across the political spectrum as the nation mourns the exit of one of its most respected elder statesmen.