Lagos mourns Deji Tinubu as Dalung expresses shock
The Lagos State Government has confirmed the death of Mr. Deji Tinubu, the Special Adviser on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives.
The Government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, expressed “shock and disbelief’ over the sudden death of Tinubu and has reached out to his immediate family to commiserate on this huge loss to the family and the citizens of Lagos State.
“We are still in shock. All of us at the State Executive Council are in disbelief. He was a good and committed patriot who brought his passion to his job. He was a gentleman who maintained excellent team spirit. We shall miss him,” he said.
Bamigbetan said the late soccer fan slumped while playing five aside match with fellow participants at the ongoing retreat of members of the state executive council and permanent secretaries at the Jubilee Chalets, Epe. Doctors and nurses rushed to give him first aid and he was immediately taken to the General Hospital, Epe, where he was confirmed dead.
An autopsy is expected to be carried out while burial arrangements will be announced by the family.
The late Deji Tinubu was the son of late Kafaru Tinubu, one of Nigeria’s foremost police officers. He is survived by an aged mother, Bintu Tinubu and wife, Yemisi.
Tinubu was sworn in as Special Adviser on Sports and Chairman of the State’s Sports Commission on October 19, 2015.
In a related development, the Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, has expressed shock over the death of the first Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Deji Tinubu.
Until his death, Deji Tinubu was the Special Adviser on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives to the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
Reacting to the death, the Minister described the death of the late board member of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, as too shocking and sudden to be true.
The Minister described the late Tinubu as a progressive Nigerian who realized and pursued the dream of a greater and better Nigeria through sports development.
According to Dalung, “We have interacted so well over the last couple of months since the Lagos state government through him then as the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission and Special Adviser to his Excellency on Sports, muted the idea of renovating the National Stadium in Lagos.
“His level of intelligence and calmness in the face of challenges was excellent. Working closely with him over the last one year on the proposed Lagos National Stadium project, reinforced my belief that with the help of bright young Nigerians who are in abundant supply home and abroad, the country would be great again.
“He was a complete gentleman who was humble to a fault. He was one of those few journalists who blazed the trail in their chosen careers and metamorphosed into sports administration when he became the Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association and was elected as an Executive Board member of the Nigeria Football Federation.”
