Prof. Muritala Akinola Salau, INEC National Commissioner, who was representing South West, has died at 67.
Salau, a former Vice Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso, died at Turkish Hospital in Abuja after a brief illness on Saturday.
He was buried according to Islamic rites at the Muslim Cemetery, Moniya, Ibadan, on Sunday evening.
His corpse arrived at the Ibadan airport at 4.15 p.m. where the funeral prayers took place.
The prayer was witnessed by his immediate family members, INEC officials, members of the academic community, Islamic clerics, Muslim groups and other sympathisers.
The corpse was later moved to the cemetery in a long convoy where he was buried amidst prayers.
An in-law to the deceased, Alhaji Ishaq Sanni, who is also the Chairman, Muslim Community of Oyo State, described his death as painful, as he was always concerned about people’s welfare.
Acccording to Sanni, the Muslim community would miss him greatly because of his exemplary leadership qualities and kindness to the people.
Speaking in the same vein, a colleague of the deceased at INEC, Prof. Lai Olurode, said his death was sad and a personal loss to him as the two of them are from both the academic community and South West.
Olurode said he was with the deceased in Abuja before he took ill where he spoke as if he knew he was going to die soon.
Salau was Sole Administrator, LAUTECH from June 15, 1997, to July 5, 1999, appointed Acting Vice Chancellor of the school (LAUTECH) on July 6, 1999, and he was confirmed as substantive Vice Chancellor on May 23, 2000, where he was till May 22, 2005.
Salau is survived by wife and children.