A prominent Ekiti son, High Chief Onijogun Abiodun has written an open letter to Governor Biodun Oyebanji, urging the Ekiti State Government to immortalise the late *Senator (Dr.) Bode Olowoporoku for his role in the struggle that led to the creation of Ekiti State.
In the letter made available to journalists on Thursday, High Chief Onijogun described the late senator as one of the “great architects” of Ekiti State and said his sacrifices must not be forgotten.
Chief Onijogun, who said he worked as an Accountant to the late senator, recalled how Olowoporoku personally funded meetings, travels and advocacy that pushed for Ekiti’s statehood.
According to him, the senator wrote “memo after memo” to the then Head of State, late General Sani Abach and worked closely with the late Dr. Olusola Saraki to ensure the memoranda reached the appropriate authorities.
“I witnessed some of these events personally… From the records available to me, Senator Olowoporoku spent over ₦20 million at that time in connection with activities and efforts surrounding the struggle,” Onijogun stated.
He also recalled how the late senator brought high-ranking traditional rulers and chiefs from Ekiti to Lagos and later to Abuja, with flight tickets, hotel accommodation and other expenses paid for during the campaign.
The letter urged Governor Oyebanji to set up a committee of historians, academics, traditional rulers and participants to properly document the history of Ekiti’s creation.
Specifically, Onijogun proposed, Naming a major road, institution or civic centre after the late Senator Olowoporoku, Establishing an annual Bode Olowoporoku Memorial Lecture, Creating a permanent exhibition/archive* on the creation of Ekiti State, Publishing an official history of the state’s creation based on letters, memoranda and testimonies Institutionalizing an Ekiti State Creation Anniversary Lecture to educate young people.
“History should not be based solely on oral narratives when documentary evidence is still available. Let the records speak,” he said, adding that he is willing to make documents in his possession available to government historians.
Onijogun argued that immortalising founding figures was as important as building roads and schools.
“Ekiti State did not simply appear on the map. People fought for it. People travelled for it. People spent their personal resources,” he said.
He concluded by quoting Proverbs 10:7: “The memory of the righteous is blessed,” and appealed that the names of all genuine contributors to the struggle be preserved for future generations.
Ekiti State was created on 1st October 1996 by the military government of General Sani Abacha, after decades of agitation by Ekiti leaders.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Ekiti State Government were ongoing as at the time of filing this report.
