Rotimi Akeredolu, the Governor of Ondo State, has sadly passed away. A family source disclosed this news on Wednesday, stating that Akeredolu died in Lagos.
It was learnt that State House doctors managed his health until his death, as he could not be flown abroad for treatment.
“Akeredolu is dead; he died in Lagos,” the source confirmed.
Last week, there were efforts to send dialysis machines to his undisclosed location in Lagos.
Akeredolu was 67 years old.
The governor, who had been unwell, returned to Nigeria in September after a three-month medical leave in Germany. He recently proceeded on another leave after President Bola Tinubu directed him to hand over power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Aiyedatiwa has since been acting as Governor.
Upon his return to Nigeria in September, Akeredolu resided in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and attempted to govern his state from there, leading to public outrage.
On July 9, Akeredolu’s wife, Betty, announced the suspension of activities planned to celebrate her 70th birthday.
The First Lady of Ondo announced the suspension of the activities in Twitter posts after questions were raised over plans to have a celebration despite her husband’s ill health.
“Hello Family and Friends. This is to inform you that all activities lined up to mark my 70th birthday are hereby suspended till further notice due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control. Sorry for any inconvenience caused by this development.”
“Nevertheless, be assured that I will be celebrated in style upon my return. Thank you for your understanding. I remain Arabinrin a.k.a Ada Owere I,” she tweeted.
“The governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has leukemia, he is really down,” one of the sources in the Alagbaka Government House revealed at that time.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood caused by an increase in the number of white blood cells in the body. For those affected, the white blood cells crowd out the red blood cells and platelets needed by the body to stay healthy.
White blood cells are potent infection fighters which grow and divide in an orderly way, as the body needs them. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which don’t function properly.
It is a cancer of blood-forming tissues that hinders the body’s ability to fight infections.
The types that exist include acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Treatment for leukemia can be complex depending on the type of leukemia and other factors.
However, some strategies and resources can help make treatment successful.
According to WebMD Cancer Center, its symptoms may include weakness or fatigue, bruising or bleeding easily, fever or chills, infections that are severe or keep coming back, and pain in your bones or joints.
Others may include headaches, vomiting, seizures, weight loss, night sweats, shortness of breath, and swollen lymph nodes or organs like the spleen.