Ekundayo Opaleye

Major General Ekundayo B. Opaleye
Governor of Ondo State
In office 26 August 1986 – 17 December 1987
Preceded by	Michael Okhai Akhigbe
Succeeded by	Raji Alagbe Rasaki
Personal details
Born	(1946-04-07)7 April 1946 Abeokuta, Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
Died	18 November 2023(2023-11-18) (aged 77) Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
Military service
Branch/service	Nigerian Army
Rank	Major General

Ekundayo B. Opaleye (7 April 1946 – 18 November 2023) was a Nigerian general and politician who was Governor of Ondo State, from August 1986 to December 1987, during the military regime of general Ibrahim Babangida.[1]

Military career

Colonel Opaleye was a member of a Special Military Tribunal set up in 1986 to try officers accused of plotting a coup against Babangida in December 1985.[2] In August 1986 he was appointed governor of Ondo State, holding office until December 1987.[1] General Opaleye was appointed commander of the OAU Neutral Military Organization Group (NMOG) set up in 1991 to enforce a cease fire between the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and the Hutu-dominated Rwandan government. NMOG had the limited mandate of creating a buffer zone between the rebels and the government troops.[3] In 1993 NMOG was integrated into the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR).[4] Major-general Opaleye played a big role in the conclusion of the ARUSHA talks that let to the Peace Agreement signed on 4 August 1993.

Later career

After retiring from the army, Opaleye was made an Owu Erunmu chief (Balogun Erunmu – Erunmu Owu's highest ranking war chieftain) by the Oluroko of Erunmu Owu, Honourable Chief Aremu Olugbolahan Ijaola. This made him a traditional war chief in Erunmu, and by extension, a secondary cabinet member in the Owu Kingdom.[5] He was involved in controversy when the Owu monarch, Oba Adegboyega Dosumu, appointed sixteen new Obas, whom the Ogun State government refused to recognize. In October 2009 Opaleye said the Owu Kingdom would not reverse the appointments since they were not contrary to any laws.[6]

Personal life and death

Ekundayo B. Opaleye was born on 7 April 1946.[7][8] He died from a heart attack on 18 November 2023, at the age of 77.[9]

References

1. "Nigerian States". WorldStatesmen. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
2. Max Siollun. "Vasta's Case: A Miscarriage of Justice". New Nigerian Politics. Retrieved 7 May 2010.^[permanent dead link‍]
3. Gilbert M. Khadiagala. "The Case of Rwanda" (PDF). Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
4. William J. Lahneman (2004). Military intervention: cases in context for the twenty-first century. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 71. ISBN 0-7425-2951-7.
5. "Cabinet Members". Owu Kingdom. Retrieved 7 May 2010.^[permanent dead link‍]
6. Charles Coffie Gyamfi (7 October 2009). "Ogun threatens to arrest 'illegal' monarchs". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
7. Profiles of Members of the Executive Council. Ministry of Information, Youth, and Social Welfare. 1987. p. 7. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
8. "O". Rulers. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
9. "Ex-military gov of Ondo Ekundayo Opaleye dies in Abeokuta". QED. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.