1950-2022: Life and Times of Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala

Within the last 24hours the long cold hands of death has taken the lives of two prominent sons of the South Western geo-political zone of Nigeria.

In the early hours of Tuesday a one time Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan died and just this morning, another political heavyweight in the person of Chief Christopher Alao-Akala too has gone to the great beyond.

Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala is a Nigerian politician and the former Governor of Oyo State, Nigeria. He is a member of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). He started his early career as a police officer. Alao Akala was Born on June 3, 1950, at Ogbomoso in the Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Alao Akala is married and has several children.

Political Career:

Otunba (Dr) Adebayo Alao-Akala started his political career as a member of New Dimension, a political association of progressive young elements.

He participated in the zero-party local government election of 1996 and later co-founded the UNP before its fusion with UNC to form UNCP. He participated in the Ogbomoso Federal Constituency (One) primary election of the UNCP in 1997. He contested and won the chairmanship seat of the Ogbomoso North Local Government along with seven councilors under the platform of APP in 1998. He was elected vice-chairman of ALGON, Oyo State Chapter between 1999 and 2002. Alao-Akala founded the Ogbomoso Unity Forum, a political association which later joined the PDP. He was the Executive Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government from 1999 to 2002.

Alao-Akala became the Deputy Governor of Oyo State from May 2003 to January 2006. He became the Executive governor of Oyo state, till May 2011.

On 8 December 2014, Otunba (Dr) Adebayo Alao-Akala defected to the Labour Party in Oyo State due to internal irregularities in his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). On 10 December 2014, he formally declared his intention to re-contest the gubernatorial election of Oyo State on the platform of the Labour Party in the February 2015 general elections in Nigeria. During his declaration of intent, all other party gubernatorial aspirants stepped down for him, thereby making him emerge as the Labour Party’s gubernatorial flag bearer in Oyo State.

On 16th December 2017, he formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in a huge ceremony in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.

Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala is a polyglot. He speaks English, Yoruba, Hausa, (Twi, Fanti and Dagbani) Languages fluently.

Early Life:

Adebayo Alao-Akala attended his elementary school at Osupa Baptist Day School, Ogbomoso. Then proceeded to the Kamina Barracks Middle School, 5th Battalion of Infantry Tamale, Ghana.

After his studies at the Kamina Barracks Middle School, he furthered to Government Technical College, Tamale, Ghana and Ogbomoso High School, Ogbomoso.

Otunba (Dr) Alao-Akala continues his studies at Nigeria’s premier high institution, the University of Ibadan.

In due course, he obtained the following certificates, the First school Leaving Certificate obtained in 1962, West African School Certificate (1972), ASCON Certificate (1985), Passed Staff College (Psc) 1990, Diploma in Business Administration (1998), Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) Honoris Causa, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso (2006), Doctor of Science (Political Science) Honoris Causa, Lead City University (2008).

His Excellency, Otunba (Dr) Adebayo Alao-Akala has attended several career development courses. He was enlisted as Cadet Inspector of Police in June 1974 at the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja. Following his brilliant performance, he was recommended for overseas training at the Metropolitan Police Training School, Peel Centre, Hendon, London.

He has also attended the Administrative Staff College, Topo, Badagry; the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos; Police Staff College, Jos; Command and Staff College, Jaji. Otunba Alao-Akala has participated as a Nigerian delegate at two INTERPOL Conferences in Nice, France and Malaga, Spain.