Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Afenifere leader and elder statesman, dies at 100
- Pa Reuben Fasoranti, leader of Afenifere and former Ondo finance commissioner, died on Tuesday at 100.
- He was born in Uso in 1926 and spent decades as a teacher, school founder and Awolowo loyalist.
- Minister Ayodele Olawande and ex-Governor Olusegun Mimiko led tributes, calling his death a monumental loss.
Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, the elder statesman who led the Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere, has died at the age of 100. He passed away peacefully on Tuesday, according to reports.
His death closes a life that stretched from colonial Nigeria through independence, military rule and the return of democracy. For many Nigerians, he was best known as a teacher and school builder before he became a political voice.
From the classroom to politics
Fasoranti was born on May 11, 1926, in Uso, in today's Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State. He attended Ondo Boys' High School, Higher College in Yaba, Lagos, and University College, Ibadan, where he studied English and Geography. He later studied education in the United Kingdom and Australia.
He taught at Ondo Boys' High School and held leadership roles at schools including Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, and Anglican Grammar School, Iju-Itaogbolu. After retiring, he founded Omolere Nursery and Primary School, Akure High School, and St Frances' Academy in Igoba, Akure, named for his wife Frances Oladiwura Fasoranti, who died in 1991.
In politics, he followed the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, starting with the Action Group in the First Republic and later the Unity Party of Nigeria. He served as Commissioner for Finance in the old Ondo State from 1979 to 1983 under the Ajasin administration. He later led Afenifere and opposed military dictatorship.
He marked his 100th birthday on May 11, 2026, with tributes from political leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, who acknowledged his service and his ties to the Awolowo tradition.
Tributes pour in
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described the death as a monumental loss to Ondo State, the Yoruba nation and Nigeria. In a condolence statement, he said Fasoranti represented a generation of leaders defined by courage, integrity, wisdom and selfless service.
Former Ondo State Governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko also mourned him. "We have lost a father figure whose long life connected our political present to some of the most consequential chapters of our collective history," Mimiko said.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had earlier praised Fasoranti as a symbol of integrity, statesmanship and patriotism, and the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu called him a reference point for quality leadership.
For ordinary Nigerians, his legacy is felt most in the schools he founded and the students he taught across Ondo State. Olawande urged young Nigerians to draw lessons from his dedication to service and good governance.
