Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the educationist who rose to lead the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere, has died at the age of 100. Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa announced his death on Tuesday 20 October 2026, describing him as a patriarch of the state.
A teacher in politics
Born on 11 May 1926 in Uso, in present-day Ondo State, Fasoranti studied English and Geography at University College, Ibadan, and later took education qualifications in the United Kingdom and Australia. He taught at Ondo Boys’ High School and founded several schools in Akure.
Politically, he belonged to the tradition of Obafemi Awolowo, from the Action Group of the First Republic to the Unity Party of Nigeria in the Second. From 1979 to 1983 he was Commissioner for Finance in the old Ondo State under Governor Adekunle Ajasin.
Afenifere and the fight against military rule
In the 1990s Fasoranti was among the leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which campaigned for an end to military rule after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. President Bola Tinubu has recalled that he survived an assassination attempt during General Sani Abacha’s regime. He later succeeded Abraham Adesanya as Afenifere’s recognised leader, at a time when disputes over the group’s direction divided its members.
A family touched by tragedy
His wife died in 1991. In July 2019 his daughter, Funke Olakunrin, was shot dead by gunmen, a killing that drew national attention to insecurity on the country’s highways.
Sympathisers gathered at his residence in Akure on 21 October to pay their respects.
