By
Late Chief Oluwole OlumideWhy would a successful architect and businessman take his own life?
This was one of the questions triggered yesterday by the dead in Abeokuta of Chief Oluwole Olumide, described as a close political and business associate of the immediate past governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
Olumide, an architect and until Friday night, the Apagunpote of Egbaland, Balogun of Imo (Abeokuta) and Baba Ijo of Methodist Church, Imo, was found dead in an artificial lake at the popular Golf Resort in Abeokuta owned by him.
Had he lived, he would have been 70 in May.
Olumide, according to sources, had left home on Friday for the resort with his driver behind the wheels. At the resort, however, he reportedly asked his driver to pull up by the lake side so that he (Olumide) could pray. As he was alighting from the car he instructed the driver to return home and fetch some security guards.
The driver, now back at the resort with the guards requested by his boss, looked everywhere for him to no avail. He called his mobile phone too with no success. He then raised the alarm and a search party comprising local divers, fire fighters and security men, was quickly mobilised.
The search party sighted his cap floating on the lake and then his shoes.
The search for his body continued all through the night.
But by 9.05 am yesterday the body floated.
He was pulled out of the water wearing his usual white kaftan with a handset. On his wrists were beads -accessories used by traditional chiefs in many parts of the South West- and some cash in his pocket.
An ambulance belonging to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), registration number CD 104 took the corpse away at about 9:30 am. The remains were deposited at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro mortuary.
The Divisional Police Officer of the Ibara Divisional Headquarters, Abeokuta, Muyideen Obe, led his men to secure the grief – soaked resort.
Obe, a Chief Superintendent of Police was later joined by the new Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, but he declined to talk to reporters.
The resort is one of his several landmark architectural designs in the ancient town, the others being the Olumo Rock improvement project and the proposed Abeokuta Central Business District.
The mood at his Surulere, Ita-Eko, Abeokuta residence which was locked against visitors, was as gloomy as that at the Golf Resort, a project that had caused him despair in the last few months.
The land on which the resort is built is a subject of controversy between him and the Ibikunle Amosun Administration.
About two weeks ago, he was detained for 24 hours by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and interrogated on the matter and his alleged business deals with Otunba Daniel.
An EFCC source told The Nation last night that Olumide cooperated well with his interrogators and his evidence was found useful.
His passport was reportedly seized by the agency but because of his valuable evidence and cooperation, the EFCC agreed to release the passport by tomorrow to enable him travel abroad.
The Ogun State government, in a white paper on the report of a panel to probe land allocation in the state by the Daniel Administration had said the allocation and Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, in respect of the contentious land on which the resort stands originally belonged to Abeokuta Golf Club and not Abeokuta Golf International Ltd.
“The government was misled into issuing the said C of O meant for Abeokuta Golf Club to Abeokuta Golf International Club Ltd. whose chief promoter is Apagun Oluwole Olumide and that the survey plan attached to the said certificate was wrongfully and clandestinely altered after the Certificate of Occupancy had been signed by the governor to achieve the intended mischief. This action by itself taints the said Certificate of Occupancy rendering it a suspect document,” the White Paper said.
The commission summoned Olumide to testify before it but he did not honour the invitation. Consequently, the committee recommended that the C of O registered as number 7 at page 7 in vol.476 dated 29th October 1992, issued to Abeokuta Golf International Limited be revoked and, upon application, a fresh one with the correct and exact land size dimensions and abuttal properly demarcated be issued to the Abeokuta Golf Club and handed over to the registered trustees of the Club. However, the Hillcrest Estate and the Mamu Village excisions granted out of the original land allocated to the Club were retained in public interest.
Early callers at the resort yesterday included former governor of the State , Chief Olusegun Osoba, the Senator representing Ogun Central Senator Gbenga Obadara and Chairman of the Qualitec Group, Chief Yinka Kufile. Chief Osoba described Olumide’s death as “unfortunate, shocking and painful.”
“It’s too much for me to bear now. It’s not something I’m ready to talk about. It’s too much and most unfortunate. I leave everything to God,” he said.
SOURCE: The Nation, 18 March 2012. http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/
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