The former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Prince Adesuyi Haastrup has commiserated with the family of Senator Isiaka Adeleke over the death of the former Governor and lawmaker.
Adeleke died in a hospital in Osogbo, Osun on Sunday at the age of 62 years.
Prince Adesuyi Haastrp, who served as the Deputy Governor of Osun State when Adeleke served as Governor from January 1992 to November 1993; also commiserated with the people of Ede and Osun State over the demise of the late Senator.
Haastrup said, “I received with shock the news of the demise of Senator lsiaka Adeleke.
“I recall with nostalgia the commitment and enviable achievements of the first civilian administration of Osun State under Governor Isiaka Adeleke, whom I had the privilege of working with as first elected Deputy Governor.
“We had the unique opportunity of piloting the affairs of our young state for almost two years before the military interregnum which cut the life of that administration short.
“Senator Isiaka Adeleke was a selfless and committed leader who exhibited unparalleled passion and love for the good people of Osun State.
“My prayers and thoughts are with his family and loved ones and with the people of Ede, his hometown at this difficult period in time.
“I pray that God Almighty will rest his soul in peace,” Haastrup said.
The late Isiaka Adeleke was a three-time Senator who represented Osun West Senatorial District. He had, at various times, served as the Chairman of the Governing Council, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Calabar.
In 1992, he was elected the first civilian Governor of Osun State on the platform of the now defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), while Haastrup was elected Deputy Governor. Some of the notable achievements of the Adeleke-Haastrup administration include the establishment of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree; the establishment of a college of technology at Esa-Oke and the completion of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), among many others.
In 2008, Adeleke instituted a scholarship award for about 100 indigent students in tertiary institutions across the country.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from 2007 to 2011, Adeleke supported the rights of Nigerians living abroad to vote in Nigerian elections.
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