Ex Ondo commissioner dies after visiting wife in hospital

AKURE — A former Information Commissioner and
a chieftain of the Labour Party, LP, in Ondo State,
Ranti Akerele, yesterday, died in his sleep. Akerele, 53, a renown broadcaster was appointed in
2011 by Governor Olusegun Mimiko as his pioneer
Information commissioner. Hundreds of chieftains of the party in the state who
invaded his Aule Government Residential Area,
GRA, residence described his death as unfortunate
and sad. Vanguard gathered that Akerele, on Monday
evening, had visited his wife, Lucy, who was on
admission in a private hospital for an undisclosed
ailment. He was said to have taken food and other
necessary things to her. It was gathered that he retired to his bedroom that
evening after informing his domestic staff and the
security man to switch off the generator and lock
the gate. His two sons, it was gathered, returned to the
boarding house of their school last week. The deceased was the only one in his bungalow
while the wife was on admission in the hospital. Vanguard gathered that he might have died in his
sleep. The wife was said to have expected him yesterday
morning in the hospital but when she could no longer
bear it she put a call across to his mobile phone
severally but it was not answered. Disturbed, the wife called the security man on phone
at about 9 a.m. who complained that his Oga was
yet to come out of the house. The security man was asked to peep through the
window after which he told the wife that the
deceased was still on the bed but did not respond to
his calls. A source hinted  that the wife rushed from the
hospital even with drips in her hand to see things for
herself. The deceased neighbours with the wife reportedly
forced the bedroom door open only to meet him
dead on the bed. His corpse has been moved to First Mercy
Specialist Hospital in Akure. It’s sad, sudden and shocking —Ondo govt Reacting on behalf of the state government, the
state Commissioner for Information, Kayode
Akinmade, described his death as sad, sudden and
shocking. He described Akerele as an hard working man who
left when the state needed his contribution towards
the development of the state. Akinmade urged the people of the state to take
solace in the fact that while alive he served the
state in different capacities and was able to
contribute his quota to the development of the state. The commissioner, however, condoled with the wife,
children and family of the late former commissioner
and prayed to God to grant them the fortitude to
bear the irreparable loss.