The former commissioner died in a Lagos hospital on Thursday after a brief illness.

Jide Adebayo, an ex-commissioner for information, youth, sports and culture in Kwara State and a former acting managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has died at the age of 66.

Adebayo died in a Lagos hospital on Thursday following a brief illness, his close friend Retired Maj.-Gen. Lasisi Abidoye announced this in a statement on Friday.

Abidoye, who is also the president of Omu-Aran Development Association (ODA), described Adebayo as “a fine journalist and a community leader par excellence, who will be greatly missed.”

Until his death, Adebayo was the Eesa of Omu-Aran, second-in-command to the traditional ruler of the community, which is equivalent to the position of prime minister of Omu-Aran.

Adebayo began his journalism career with the Nigerian Herald newspapers in Ilorin, Kwara State in 1974.

As an international journalist of repute, Adebayo covered many international assignments including the FIFA Under-21 World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 1989, Inter-Continental FIFA Championship in Saudi Arabia in 1995, FIFA World Cup in Paris in France, in 1998 and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, UK in 2002.

A fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (FNGE), Adebayo was general secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kwara (1981-1983) and chairman of NUJ, Niger (1985 -1987).

He is survived by his wife Alice Ifedun (nee Adeleye) and children and grandchildren.

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