The next narration, extracted from an interview with Najeem Jimoh, a former editor of The PUNCH Newspaper, is testimony to the sense of equity and loyalty of Ayotunde Awobiyi, who died on December 28, 2025, and will likely be laid to relaxation within the soil of Ilesa, Osun State, on Friday, February 6, 2026.
On the fateful Monday, February 2, 1976, Najeem Jimoh, the Secretary Normal of the College of Lagos Pupil Union, and Tunde Awobiyi, the Public Relations Officer, signed a launch by which they inserted the identify of the President, Toyin Esan, because the third signatory, although he apparently didn’t purchase into the content material of the discharge.
The discharge, which was not a press launch by the way in which, was to itemise what have been thought-about to be disagreeable conditions that affected the well-being of scholars on the College of Lagos below the management of legendary historian and vice chancellor, Prof. J.F. Ade Ajayi.
“THIS WAS HOW AWOBIYI’S NOBLE NATURE AND SENSE OF FAIRNESS SURFACED.HE REALISED THAT HE GOT A MILD REPRIMAND BECAUSE SOMEONE IN THE UNIVERSITY DID NOT WANT TO OFFEND HIS FATHER, A POLITICAL ASSOCIATE OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO, THE FIRST PREMIER OF WESTERN NIGERIA.”
The allegations within the launch included two incidents of meals poisoning within the Foremost Campus cafeteria of UNILAG that have been reported most sensationally by the media, complaints of poor high quality meals served on campus, and the hostile perspective of the kitchen employees, a lot of whom have been suspected to be relations of senior college employees.
A safety report had hinted that though the federal government of the navy Head of State, Normal Murtala Muhammed, was in style, college students’ youthful exuberance is likely to be directed in opposition to it.
This will likely have knowledgeable the motion of the ULSU president, who distanced himself from the discharge and its intent to mobilise college students for protest.
The college authorities selected to permit sleeping canines to lie and didn’t react to the ULSU launch.
However 11 days later, on Friday, February 13, 1976, Normal Muhammed was assassinated.
A few week later, UNILAG college students denounced the assassination and launched into a protest by which a legislation scholar, Anthony Oyawiri, died after a kombi bus pushed by one other scholar somersaulted in entrance of UNILAG’s Amina Corridor.
A panel of enquiry arrange by the college to probe that deadly incident by some means included the discharge revealed by Jimoh and Awobiyi inside its phrases of reference.
Ultimately, Jimoh, the coed who drove the kombi bus by which a scholar died, the coed who carried poisoned meals to the vice chancellor’s workplace, and a few others have been rusticated.
Jimoh’s expulsion letter, written by appearing registrar I.O. Ajijola, learn: “Because of investigation into the current acts of indiscipline among the many scholar physique, it has been discovered that you simply performed the main function in inciting college students to acts of violence and indiscipline, which finally led to the dying of a scholar.
“It has, due to this fact, been determined that you simply be expelled from the College of Lagos on your gross indiscipline and irresponsible behaviour with rapid impact.
“You’re hereby directed to vacate the college premises.
“All rights granted to you as a scholar at this college shall stop forthwith.”
Awobiyi obtained a three-month suspension, whereas Lawson Omokhodion acquired a warning.
This was how Awobiyi’s noble nature and sense of equity surfaced.
He realised he acquired a gentle reprimand as a result of somebody within the college didn’t need to offend his father, a political affiliate of Obafemi Awolowo, the primary Premier of Western Nigeria.
He determined in opposition to writing the September re-sit examination organized for him and joined Jimoh’s government-in-exile on the College of Ibadan.
They travelled to a lot of the 11 universities present in Nigeria on the time to elucidate what went mistaken on the College of Lagos.
The journeys have been funded by folks like Dr Tunji Otegbeye and Tajudeen Jimoh, elder brother of Najeem Jimoh.
Additionally they met influential Nigerians, together with Abbulrahman Okene and Colonel Ibrahim Babangida, then a younger member of the Supreme Navy Council of Normal Olusegun Obasanjo, who pleaded on their behalf.
Ultimately, the rustication was commuted to a one-year suspension and each repeated their second yr.
Later in life, Jimoh led your complete Options Desk staff of The PUNCH Newspaper, the place he was editor, to interview Prof. Ajayi on a publicity mission.
The previous scholar and his principal reconciled and laughed over the incident.
Apparently, all is nicely that ends nicely.
Awobiyi was born on Could 31, 1951, in Ilesa to a politician father, Pa Robert Ayodeji Awobiyi, a descendant of the Otoogun Ruling Home of Iperindo in Ijesaland.
His mom was Madam Consolation Olayemi Awobiyi.
After secondary faculty at Methodist Excessive College, Ilesa, he attended Ibadan Grammar College for increased faculty research.
He later proceeded to the College of Lagos, Akoka, the place he studied Mass Communication and graduated in 1978.
Someplace alongside the road, his love for instructing was rekindled and he returned to UNILAG to acquire a Publish-Graduate Diploma in Training.
After graduating in 1978, he started his obligatory Nationwide Youth Service Corps yr in Lagos State, serving as a senior sub-editor with The PUNCH Newspaper.
After service in 1979, he was retained as an assistant options editor.
Later, he moved to Each day Instances, then Nigeria’s largest newspaper chain, to affix his pal Jimoh.
Curiously, Jimoh later returned to The PUNCH to turn out to be editor through the turbulent period of Normal Sani Abacha.
Awobiyi stayed with Each day Instances till he turned editor of Sunday Instances, which had the widest newspaper circulation in Nigeria on the time.
He finally rose to turn out to be normal supervisor of the Each day Instances firm.
His roving spirit later led him to the Lagos State Civil Service, the place he retired as a director.
He labored in ministries together with atmosphere, science and expertise, waterfront infrastructure, and in addition with the Lagos State Waste Administration Authority.
He contributed actively to neighborhood service.
He was Public Relations Officer of the celebrated College of Lagos Alumni Affiliation and really energetic within the UNILAG Mass Communication Affiliation.
At one level, he served as Secretary Normal of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, the elite affiliation of Nigerian newspaper editors.
He later turned a fellow of the guild in recognition of his immense service to the mass media business.
He additionally devoted important volunteer work to the Methodist Church, serving as public relations officer, lay preacher, editorial director, and convention communications board member.
He participated within the church choir, constructing committee, Egbe Adura Owuro, served as steward, church secretary, and chairman of Wesley Church Guild Society at Hoares Memorial Methodist Church, Yaba, Lagos.
As well as, Awobiyi was a trustworthy and dedicated pal.
He exemplified what the Yoruba describe as “omoluwabi” and “afenifere.”
He was dignified in conduct, self-respecting, but agency in resolve.