View source for Cornelius Adebayo

{{Short description|Nigerian politician (1941–2025)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox politician
| name                = Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo
| office              = Governor, [[Kwara State]], [[Nigeria]]
| image = File:Cornelius Adebayo.jpeg
| term_start          = 1983
| term_end            = 1983
| predecessor         = [[Adamu Atta]]
| successor           = [[Salaudeen Latinwo]]
| office2             = Federal Minister of Communications, Nigeria
| term_start2         = July 2003
| term_end2           = August 2006
| predecessor2        = [[Haliru Mohammed Bello]]
| successor2          = [[Obafemi Anibaba]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1941|02|24|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Oke-Onigbin]], [[Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2025|06|25|1941|02|24|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Abuja]], Nigeria
| party               = 
| spouse              = 
| profession          = [[Teacher]], [[Politician]]
}}

'''Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo''' (24 February 1941 – 25 June 2025)<ref>[https://www.naijanews.com/2025/06/25/former-governor-is-dead/ Former Governor Is Dead]</ref> was a Senator of [[Nigeria]], who became a state [[governor]], and later was head of the [[Nigeria]]n Federal Ministry of Communications.<ref name=feisty>{{cite web
 |url=http://nigeriaworld.com/columnist/ajayi/070703.html
 |title=The Feisty Cornelius and the Critics About His Ministerial Appointment
 |publisher=NigeriaWorld
 |date=July 7, 2003
 |author=Dr. Femi Ajayi
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref><ref name=lead6018/>

==Background==

Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo was born on 24 February 1941, in [[Igbaja]], now in [[Kwara State]]. He was educated at all Saints Anglican School, [[Oke-Onigbin]], Provincial Secondary School, [[Ilorin]] and then at [[Barewa College]], [[Zaria]] from 1962 to 1963. He studied at the [[Ahmadu Bello University]], Zaria (1964–1967), and at the [[University of Ghana]], [[Legon]] (1967–1969). He became a lecturer at the [[University of Ife]] in 1969, and in 1973 was appointed head of the English Department at Kwara State College of Technology. Between 1975 and 1978, he was Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information and Economic Development in [[Kwara State]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=645&Itemid=34
 |title=Birthdays
 |author=Kazeem Akintunde and Kunle Binuyo   
 |date=15 February 2009
 |publisher=Newswatch
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref>

==Early political career==
[[image:NigeriaKwara.png|thumb|right|200px|[[Kwara State]] in [[Nigeria]]]]
When the reforms instituted by the military ruler Lt. Gen. [[Olusegun Obasanjo]] led to democratic elections for the second republic in 1979, Adebayo was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria running for the [[Unity Party of Nigeria]]. In 1983 he was elected governor of Kwara state, but lost the position on 31 December 1983, when the military overthrow led by Major General [[Muhammadu Buhari]] took control.<ref name=feisty/>

In 1993, Adebayo was offered a ministerial office by the military regime of General [[Sani Abacha]] but turned it down.<ref name=feisty/> 
After a 31 May 1995, bomb explosion in Ilorin, capital of [[Kwara State]], the police arrested and interrogated Adebayo and other members of the [[National Democratic Coalition, Nigeria|National Democratic Coalition]], a group that called for the return of democracy during the military regime of General [[Sani Abacha]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Urgent_Action/Niegeria1.html
 |date=June 8, 1995
 |publisher=Human Rights Watch
 |title=Africa Denounces Arrests of Human Rights and Pro-Democracy Activists and Continuing Disintegration of Rule of Law
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref> 
In 1996, after finding he was scheduled to be arrested again, he fled the country in disguise for a brief exile in Canada.<ref name=feisty/>

==Obasanjo period==

In June 2003, president [[Obasanjo]] nominated Adebayo for a ministerial post.<ref name=feisty/>
As minister of Communications, Corlenius Adebayo said his colleagues should not be carried away by fantastic returns that had been reported by the mobile phone company [[MTN Group|MTN Nigeria]]. He described the need to grant incentives to telecommunications service providers, and spoke with approval of plans by Multi-Links Communications Nigeria to expand its switch capacity to 500,000 lines.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/cybersun/2004/dec/06/cybersun-dec6-2004-004.htm
 |title=MINISTER CORNELIUS ADEBAYO CAUTIONS HIS COLLEAGUES: 'Not everyone is making money like MTN'
 |author=Basil Okafor
 |date=December 6, 2004
 |work=The Sun
 |access-date=2009-11-26
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231124255/http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/cybersun/2004/dec/06/cybersun-dec6-2004-004.htm
 |archive-date=December 31, 2006
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>
In September 2005, he was a keynote speaker at the 4th International Nigerian Telecommunications Summit in [[Abuja]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.thecwcgroup.com/UserFiles/Con_File/Nigeria%20Telecoms%20Conference%20Brochure.pdf
 |title=The Fourth International Nigerian Telecommunications Summit
 |publisher=The CWC Group
 |date=19–20 September 2005
 |access-date=2009-11-26
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716230702/http://www.thecwcgroup.com/UserFiles/Con_File/Nigeria%20Telecoms%20Conference%20Brochure.pdf
 |archive-date=16 July 2011
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

Adebayo pushed for privatization of [[NITEL]], the state telecommunications company.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.worldfocusgroup.com/reports/nigeria/main.htm
 |title=Nigeria turns talk into communication
 |publisher=World Focus Ltd.
 |access-date=2009-11-26
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718113625/http://www.worldfocusgroup.com/reports/nigeria/main.htm
 |archive-date=2011-07-18
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> 
In September 2005, he said the sale of a controlling stake in NITEL would be completed by the end of the year. Bidders included [[Vodacom]] and [[MTN Group]] of South Africa, [[Huawei Technologies]], [[Orascom Telecom]] of Egypt and [[Celtel International]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=8913
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203112232/http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=8913
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=February 3, 2013
 |title=NITEL six preparing bids; sale due by year end
 |date=7 September 2005
 |publisher=PriMetrica, Inc.
 |access-date=2009-11-26
 }}</ref>
In April 2006, Mtel, the Mobile subsidiary of NITEL, announced plans to add 2.5 million lines of capacity. The Board of Mtel, chaired by Cornelius Adebayo, had approved the program in September 2005. The vendors were [[Ericsson]], [[Huawei]], [[ZTE]], [[Motorola]], [[Nokia]] and [[Siemens]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.cellular-news.com/story/16784.php
 |title=Nigerian Operator Doubling Network Capacity
 |publisher=Cellular News
 |date=3 April 2006
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref>
A local company founded in 2005, [[Transnational Corporation of Nigeria]], acquired NITEL on 3 July 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transcorpnigeria.com/corporateinformation/index.php?pageid=6&portfolio=1 |title=Corporate Information |publisher=TransCorp |access-date=2009-11-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519223040/http://www.transcorpnigeria.com/corporateinformation/index.php?pageid=6&portfolio=1 |archive-date=May 19, 2007}}</ref>

In September 2006, Cornelius Adebayo became Minister of Works, replacing Engineer [[Obafemi Anibaba]].<ref name=lead6018>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/index.php/columns/views/issues/6018-oweto-loko-bridge-project-15-years-after-the-journey-so-far
 |title        = Oweto-Loko Bridge Project: 15 Years After The Journey So Far
 |author       = Usman Adams
 |date         = 15 September 2009
 |publisher    = Leadership Nigeria
 |access-date   = 2009-11-26
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110713193045/http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/index.php/columns/views/issues/6018-oweto-loko-bridge-project-15-years-after-the-journey-so-far
 |archive-date = 13 July 2011
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref>

==Subsequent career==

In 2007, a [[Munich]] Court found [[Siemens]] AG guilty of misconduct and unethical contract dealings by allegedly offering bribes to Cornelius Adebayo and others to secure contracts for telecommunications equipment.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.pointblanknews.com/os656.html
 |title=SIEMENS AG €12 MILLION SCANDAL: MORE QUESTIONS!
 |publisher=Point Blank News
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref>
According to court papers, former ministers Bello Mohammed, Tajudeen Olarenwaju, Cornelius Adebayo and Alhaji Elewi were paid over $17 million as bribes to secure contracts.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://ofilis1234.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/names-of-nigerian-ministers-bribed-by-siemens-revealed/
 |title=Siemens Bribery Scandal: Jubril Aminu, 4 Ex-Ministers Exposed!!!
 |date=November 16, 2007
 |publisher=The Times of Nigeria
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref>
In November 2007 President [[Umaru Yar'Adua]] ordered security agencies to investigate and prosecute the named officials.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=428
 |title=Siemens Bribery Scandal- Nigerian President Orders Probe
 |date=November 20, 2007
 |publisher=ITNewsAfrica.com
 |access-date=2009-11-26}}</ref> 
The [[Independent Corrupt Practices Commission]] (ICPC) invited Adebayo for questioning related to involvement in the [[Siemens]] bribe scandal during his spell as communication minister.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200711200137.html 
 |title=Nigeria: Siemens - ICPC Probes Aminu, Adebayo, Others}}
</ref> 
Despite his short tenure, Adebayo made significant contributions to the educational development of Kwara State. He constructed a number of classrooms in secondary schools and contributed greatly to the abolition of the shift system of education in the state's primary schools by providing more infrastructural facilities.<ref>[https://abubakarbukolasaraki.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Part-Two.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814121938/https://abubakarbukolasaraki.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Part-Two.pdf|date=2023-08-14}} </ref>

==Death==
On 25 June 2025, Adebayo died aged 84.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fadoju |first=Rachel Okporu |date=2025-06-25 |title=Former Governor Is Dead |url=https://www.naijanews.com/2025/06/25/former-governor-is-dead/ |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=Naija News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo 2003-2007}}
{{KwaraStateGovernors}}
{{State governors in the Nigerian Second Republic}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adebayo, Cornelius}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:Communication ministers of Nigeria]]
[[Category:Governors of Kwara State]]
[[Category:Transport ministers of Nigeria]]
[[Category:National Democratic Coalition (Nigeria) politicians]]
[[Category:Ahmadu Bello University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Kwara State]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Obafemi Awolowo University]]
[[Category:University of Ghana alumni]]
[[Category:Barewa College alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Nigerian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Nigerian politicians]]