His Royal Highness, Oba Mufutau Adebayo Akanbi Ibrahim (Ilufemiloye I), the Elesa of Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, has approved the appointment of Alhaji Ganiyu Kunle Akogun as the new Chief Akogun of Oke-Ode land, with immediate effect.

A statement issued from the Palace of the Elesa on Wednesday also stated that the new Chief Akogun will concurrently serve as the Secretary of the Elesa-in-Council.

Born in Oke-Ode a little over six decades ago, Alhaji Akogun attended Oke-Ode Grammar School and later proceeded to the then Kwara State College of Technology (now Kwara State Polytechnic), Ilorin, for his secondary and advanced-level education. He subsequently obtained his first and second degrees from the University of Lagos.

The new Chief Akogun of Oke-Ode, who becomes the 8th occupant of the Akogun stool, is a well-known community development advocate who has long been involved in progressive efforts toward the growth of his hometown.

He has consistently deployed his time, resources, connections, and expertise toward advancing Oke-Ode, contributing to its rising prominence among progressive communities in Kwara State and Nigeria.

As a renowned journalist, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Akogun has projected the name of Oke-Ode far beyond Kwara State and even beyond Nigeria’s shores.

He is the Director of Corporate Affairs at the University of Ilorin, the current National Public Relations Officer of the Oke-Ode Community Development Association (OCDA), the Vice Chairman of the Igbomina Ekiti Muslims Forum (IEMF), and the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Igbomina Professionals Association (IPA).

In his capacity as a senior official of the University of Ilorin, he has facilitated admission for countless Oke-Ode youths into the institution, among numerous other contributions.

Alhaji Akogun is also an influential member of the Supreme Pacesetters Club of Kwara State, a pan-Kwara socio-cultural and development-oriented association of professionals. Through the Club, scholarships were awarded for several years to many indigent but brilliant students of Oke-Ode Grammar School, many of whom have since excelled in their chosen careers.

He also facilitated the establishment and equipping of a state-of-the-art Computer Centre at Oke-Ode Grammar School, with support from a former President of the Club, Barrister Bayo Atoyebi, who served as a Commissioner at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Abuja.

Chief Akogun is a member of several notable professional bodies, including the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the International Press Institute (IPI), and the Institute of Professional Corporate Administrators (IPCA). He is also a Fellow of the Fourth Estate Professional Society (FEPS).

In recognition of his outstanding commitment to family values and community development, Alhaji Akogun was unanimously nominated by the Akogun Chieftaincy Family to fill the vacant stool following the passing of his elder brother, the 7th Chief Akogun of Oke-Ode, the late Chief AbdulRauf Tunde Akogun, in January 2024.

He is married and blessed with children.