By Niyi Tabiti: Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on commerce and industry, Deji Tinubu is dead. Confirming the incident, sources said Tinubu was playing football when the unfortunate incident happened. He was at the Lagos State retreat for Lagos government Executive council members in Epe when he died.
Deji Tinubu slumped and died durning a foodtball match involving other executive council members. Just recently, he was moved as Special Adviser on Sport to the Commerce and Industry. Tinubu’s profile shows he was a nephew of former governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and brother to the MD of Oando, Mr. Wale Tinubu. Their dad, the late Alhaji Kafaru Tinubu was a police officer and prominent member of the Tinubu Family of Lagos Island.
In his life time, Deji Tinubu was a well known sport administrator. He was the head of Lagos Sports Commission before he was relieved by Governor Ambode so he could concentrate on his appointment as the special adviser.
LASG MOURNS DEATH OF DEJI TINUBU, SPECIAL ADVISER ON COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND COOPERATIVES
The Lagos State Government has confirmed the death of Mr. Deji Tinubu, the Special Adviser on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives.
The Government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan expressed “shock and disbelief’ over the sudden death of Mr. Tinubu and has reached out to his immediate family to commiserate on this huge loss to the family and the citizens of Lagos State.
“We are still in shock. All of us at the State Executive Council are in disbelief. He was a good and committed patriot who brought his passion to his job. He was a gentleman who maintained excellent team spirit. We shall miss him,” he said.
Bamigbetan said the late soccer fan slumped while playing five aside match with fellow participants at the ongoing retreat of members of the state executive council and permanent secretaries at the Jubilee Chalets, Epe. Doctors and nurses rushed to give him first aid and he was immediately taken to the General Hospital, Epe where he was confirmed dead.
An autopsy is expected to be carried out while burial arrangements will be announced by the family.
The late Deji Tinubu was the son of late Kafaru Tinubu, one of Nigeria’s foremost police officers. He is survived by an aged mother, Bintu Tinubu and wife, Yemisi.
Tinubu was sworn in as Special Adviser on Sports and Chairman of the State’s Sports Commission on October 19, 2015.
He was recently moved to take up his new portfolio.