Pa Reuben Fasoranti, leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere, has died at the age of 100.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa announced the death in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Fasoranti had celebrated his 100th birthday on May 11 this year.
“His counsel, fatherly guidance and principled stand on issues of justice and good governance will be sorely missed,” the governor said. “He lived a fulfilled life and left indelible footprints of honour and legacy for generations to come.”
Tinubu: “Our nation will sorely miss his voice of wisdom”
President Bola Tinubu described Fasoranti as a symbol of principle and one of the last great figures of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s progressive tradition, who stood for true federalism and social justice.
“Baba made immense contributions to this country and, at the risk of his life, fought for the democracy we enjoy today,” Tinubu said. “Our nation will sorely miss his voice of wisdom, moral authority, and fatherly counsel.”
The President also recalled a 2022 visit to Fasoranti’s home in Akure: “Pa Fasoranti told me I would be President in his lifetime, and God answered his prayer.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also mourned the elder statesman.
Teacher, school founder and Awoist
Fasoranti was an educationist before he was a politician. He studied at University College, Ibadan (now the University of Ibadan), and later earned postgraduate qualifications in education abroad, including at the University of Hull in the UK.
He taught at Ondo Boys’ High School, his alma mater, and at other schools along the Ondo–Akure axis. He later founded several schools in Akure, including Akure High School.
A loyal disciple of Awolowo, he belonged to the Action Group in the First Republic and the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in the Second Republic. From 1979 to 1983, he served as Commissioner for Finance in the old Ondo State under Governor Adekunle Ajasin.
Pro-democracy fighter
After the military takeover that ended the Second Republic, Fasoranti became one of the voices demanding a return to civil rule. He survived an assassination attempt blamed on agents of the Abacha regime.
He rose to become a leading figure in Afenifere and, after the death of Pa Abraham Adesanya and the split that followed, was recognised as the group’s leader.
Personal tragedy
Fasoranti’s life was marked by personal loss. His wife died in 1991. In July 2019, his daughter, Mrs Funke Olakunrin, was killed by gunmen on the Ore–Benin highway, a killing that sparked national outrage over insecurity on Nigeria’s roads.
Legacy
To many in Yorubaland and beyond, Fasoranti was the conscience of a generation: a principled elder who championed federalism, education and democracy for most of a century. His death marks the end of an era in Yoruba and Nigerian politics.
Flashinfong extends its condolences to the Fasoranti family, the Akure Kingdom, the people of Ondo State and the Afenifere family. Sources: Premium Times, Voice of Nigeria.