Lasun Alagbe
Tributes have continued to greet the death of Senator Adebayo Osinowo, who passed on on Monday due to coronavirus complications.
While prominent Ngerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have saluted him, a Lagos-based politician, Ayo Adewale, on Tuesday recalled the prime roles Osinowo played during the battle against the late Sanni Abacha dictatorship.
According to him, it was Osinowo who saved the children of the winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola, from being killed by the junta.
“It was Senator Osinowo who evacuated all the children of Chief MKO Abiola. He learnt that the military wanted to kill them. He disguised as a taxi driver and took them through the NADECO routes to Ghana and some other countries. He went back to their home to take Kudirat, Abiola’s wife, too. But before he got back, she had been killed.”
Speaking on a TVC programme, Adewale further described Osinowo as a committed politician.
“He was loyal to his leaders, he was loyal to his followers,” Adewale added.
Born on November 28, 1955, Osinowo was a member of the Lagos State House of Representatives. Until his death he was Senator representing Lagos East at the 9th Nigerian National Assembly.
According to a profile, his father was the Late Alhaji Rabiu Osinowo from Odo-Egbo in Ijebu Ode and his mother, Mariamo Taiwo Osinowo. He had his primary education at St. Augustin Primary School in Ijebu-Ode and his Secondary Education in Isonyin Grammar School, Isonyin.
Osinowo studied Building Technology at the lnstituto per Geometri, Rome, Italy. He obtained his master’s degree at Urbaniana University, Rome, Italy, where he specialised in Building Technology.
Adebayo Osinowo worked with the Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos State. In 1977, he started his career as a Land Officer at the Federal Ministry of Works till 1979. He then became the Managing Director at NITAL International from 1986 to 2003. He then became the Managing Director at NIMCO International Co. Ltd from 1990 to 2003. He also worked as Managing Director, at Extreme Piling and Construction Company Ltd and NIMCO Dredging Company from 1990 to 2003.
Osinowo began his political life in the second republic serving as a youth Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The state Chairman was late Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. Osinowo was a four times honorable member in the Lagos State house of assembly. Osinowo contested a seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly for Kosofe constituency and won.[9] In the February 23, 2019 Lagos East Senatorial District election, he was elected Senator, representing the Lagos East Senatorial District at the Nigerian National Assembly.[10] He was subsequently appointed as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Industries.
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