Dignitaries, Political Heavyweights Storm Oke-Igbo as NIEPA Registrar Buries Father

Reported by Bodunde Tenabe

OKE-IGBO, ONDO STATE – It was a celebration of a life well-lived as the ancient town of Oke-Igbo in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of Ondo State came alive on Friday, January 16, 2026, for the final burial rites of Chief Joseph Olaolu Ayodeji.

The deceased was the father of Dr. Olaolu Festus, the Registrar and Secretary to Council of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).

The event attracted a galaxy of personalities, political stalwarts, and seasoned administrators who joined the Olaolu family to pay their last respects to the octogenarian patriarch who passed away at the ripe age of 87.

Leading the delegation from the Institute was the Acting Director-General and Chief Executive of NIEPA, Dr. David Shofoyeke. In a show of solidarity and corporate esprit de corps, staff of the Institute trooped out en masse to support the Registrar and Secretary to Council, ensuring the NIEPA community was visibly represented at both the church service and the reception.

In his tribute, the Acting Director-General, Dr. Shofoyeke, described the late Chief Olaolu as a “father to millions beyond his biological children” and an acute family man to the core. He noted that although Baba’s demise has created a vacuum difficult to fill, the family should take solace in the fact that he lived a “fulfilled and impactful life” that has left evergreen memories in the minds of those who crossed his path.

Prominent among the dignitaries was the Member of the House of Representatives for Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo and Odigbo Federal Constituency, Hon. Adefiranye Ayodele Festus. The lawmaker, who also serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Christian Pilgrim Affairs, eulogized the deceased as a man of proven integrity, honesty, humility, and contentment. Similar remarks were also offered by Surveyor Niran Akinniyi, former Chairman, Ile-Oluji-Oke-Igbo LGA and Reverend Johnson Falade , senior pastor of The Way of Holiness Ministries, Ondo City.

Also present to pay her respects was Professor Olatoun Akinsolu, a former Acting Director-General of NIEPA, who joined the host of well-wishers to honor the memory of the deceased and identify with the family.

The funeral service witnessed a large turnout of well-wishers, with the church filled to capacity.

Following the interment, guests were hosted to a grand reception where tributes continued to pour in for the late community leader.