Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

S. A. Ajayi (2 December 1910 – 11 May 1994) was a Nigerian statesman who played an active role in the negotiations of Nigeria's independence. He was a pioneer politician of Okun land in the old Kabba province (in the present day

Kogi State Kogi State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the s ...

), who represented the people of Kabba Division in the Northern region house of Assembly. He played a key role in the establishment of

Kabba Kabba is a city in Kogi State in mid west Nigeria. It lies near the Osse River, at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Okene, Ogidi, Ado-Ekiti, and Egbe. The town is about 295 kilometers away from Abuja. It is 511 kilometers from Lagos. ...

College of Agriculture, Division of Agricultural Colleges, The University of

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...

(now

Ahmadu Bello University Ahmadu Bello University Zaria is a federal government research university in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. ABU was founded on 4 October 1962, as the pioneer university in Northern Nigeria. It was founded and named after the Sardauna of Sokoto, Al ...

), the establishment of Kabba Teachers College now Federal Government Girls College Kabba in Kabba Province and the creation of Ijumu Division as an administrative headquarters (now,

Ijumu Ìjùmú is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Iyara. Other towns in the local government include Ayetoro Gbede, Iyah-Gbede, Ayegunle Gbede, Araromi Gbede, Ayere, Ayeh Gbede, Okoro Gbede, Odokoro Gb ...

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Early life and education

Ajayi was born on 2 December 1910 in Kabba Province, in the

Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria (Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914 and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate an ...

, present-day Ogidi,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. In 1925, Ajayi enrolled into Ovim Central School, Okigwe Division of the old Eastern Region, for his primary school education. From 1930 to 1936, he attended Etinan Institute,

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

and

Ibadan Grammar School Ibadan Grammar School is a secondary school in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. It is currently located at Molete area, close to St. David grammar school. History Established in March 31st 1913. It is among the notable oldest secondary school in Ibada ...

, for his secondary school education. He preceded to CMS Teachers School, Coal Camp,

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

to gain more knowledge in education and study to become a teacher. After his education, he moved to Enugu, where he taught at Christ Church School, Enugu and later at St. David's Kudeti, High School, Ibadan, before returning home in 1939 to join the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

as a career civil servant. He started as a Road Inspector for P.W.D in the Kabba

Native Authority Since 1933, various traditional chiefs in Nyasaland have been designated as Native Authorities, initially by the colonial administration, and they numbered 105 in 1949. . They represented a form of the Indirect rule which had become popular in Briti ...

and rose to become an Inspector of works in 1953, after he was transferred outside his province. He retired from civil service in 1954.

Political career

In 1954, Ajayi returned to Kabba Province and joined the

Northern People's Congress Northern People's Congress (NPC) is a political party in Nigeria. Formed in June 1949, the party held considerable influence in the Northern Region from the 1950s until the military coup of 1966. It was formerly a cultural organization known as J ...

, where he later rose to become the vice president of the party in Kabba Province. In 1955, he was elected councillor in the Kabba Native Administration and a year later, he won a seat in the Northern House of Assembly, and became a member of the regional executive council as minister of state for forestry affairs. He was appointed acting minister for education in 1963, in the absence of

Isa Kaita Isa Kaita C.O.N., C.B.E., LL.D (ABU), LL.D (BUK), DPA (Oxon) (January 1912November 1994) was a Nigerian politician. He went on to hold the chieftaincy titles of the Madawaki of Katsina and later, the Waziri of Katsina. Prior to joining politics ...

. During his time in the Northern House of Assembly, he was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Premier of Northern Nigeria,

Ahmadu Bello Ahmadu Ibrahim Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto (12 June 1910–15 January 1966), knighted as Sir Ahmadu Bello, was a conservative Nigerian statesman who masterminded Northern Nigeria through the independence of Nigeria in 1960 and served as its first a ...

from 1957 to 1960. He was among the delegate that negotiated Nigerian Independence at the Lancaster House Conferences in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and led the Northern Nigeria Delegation to London for the Negotiation and Launching of VC-10

Nigeria Airways Nigeria Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Nigeria Airways, was a Nigerian airline. The company was founded in 1958 after the dissolution of West African Airways Corporation (WAAC). It held the name West African Airways Corporation Nigeria ( ...

. He was a member of Nigeria Economic Mission to

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and was a minister till their government was overthrown by the military coup on January 15, 1966. During

Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...

's administration, he was appointed to the first board of directors of National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria (NICON).

Honours

In 1965, the president of Nigeria,

Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), usually referred to as "Zik", was a Nigerian statesman and political leader who served as the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. Considered a driving force behind the n ...

, conferred him with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, (OFR). He was installed as the Oluwole of Ijumuland, as well as the Balogun and the Bajito of Ogidi-Ijumu. He was honoured with the National President Ogidi Development Union, President Ijumu Development Movement and National Vice Patron, Ijumu Student Union, a recognition for Ogidi-Ijumu men with significant accomplishments.

Personal life

Ajayi married many wives and gave birth to many children. He was a

born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

and was honoured with Baba Egbe Akorin and Baba Ijo in St John's Anglican Church Ogidi, Ijumu.

Death and legacy

He died on 11 May 1994 in

, Kogi State and was buried in St John's Anglican Church, Ogidi, Ijumu, Kogi State, a church he built. The S. A Ajayi foundation was established in continuation of his legacy and ideology of awarding scholarships to deserving students. From 1970, he has been awarding scholarships to students, from primary to university level and hundreds of students were awarded.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajayi, Samuel Aliyu 1910 births 1994 deaths Nigerian Christians Northern People's Congress politicians 20th-century Nigerian politicians People of colonial Nigeria Anglican socialists Nigerian independence activists Yoruba politicians Nigerian Christian socialists Nigerian social democrats Nigerian socialists Government ministers of Nigeria Nigerian Anglicans Members of the Order of the Federal Republic 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople