The Olowo of Owo in Ondo State, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, has described late Chief Adekunle Ajasin, the first civilian governor of the state, as a worthy ambassador of Owo Kingdom.
Samuel Adewale, Media Aide to the Olowo, quoted Oba Ogunoye as saying this in commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the demise of Pa Ajasin, who died on October 3, 1997.
According to Oba Ogunoye, Pa Ajasin lived a life worthy of emulation and the kingdom will not forget all he did to raise the name of Owo to an enviable height.
“The good legacies he left behind will continue to be the kingdom’s watchword,” Ogunoye said.
The monarch recalled that Pa Ajasin was an epitome of prudence going by the manner he managed the limited resources of the old Ondo State under his care as a governor between 1979 and 1983.
He commended the children and the entire family of the late governor for following the father’s indelible principles of trustworthiness, truthfulness and the spirit of service to humanity, 22 years after his death.
He said that Owo Kingdom would continue to remember the late sage.
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Michael Adekunle Ajasin was born in Owo, Ondo State on November 28, 1908. He attended St. Andrews College, Oyo between 1924 and 1927.
He worked as a teacher for some time before he was admitted to Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone in 1943, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Modern History and Economics in June, 1946.
Following that, he went to the Institute of Education of the University of London where he obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Education in June, 1947.
He became an elected ward councillor, then Chairman of Owo District Council, before he was elected to the Federal House of Representatives in Lagos from 1954 to 1966. In 1976, he was Chairman of Owo Local Government.
On September 12, 1947, Ajasin was appointed Principal of Imade College, Owo, where he initiated an aggressive staff development programme, including sending teachers to University College, Ibadan for further training.
In 1951, he wrote a paper that was to become the educational policy of the Action Group party, advocating free education at all levels.
In December 1962, he left Imade College to become founder, proprietor and first principal of Owo High School from January 1963 to August, 1975, when he retired. (NAN)
