Biography of Adebayo Ayoade Salami

Adebayo Ayoade Salami (26 July 1951 – 7 January 2021) was a Nigerian accountant and politician who served as a Senator representing the Osun State Central constituency at the onset of the Nigerian Fourth Republic under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) platform.

After assuming his Senate seat in June 1999, he was appointed to committees on Public Accounts, Labor (vice-chairman), Power & Steel, and Water Resources. In a May 2001 debate on importing beans from Burkina Faso, he was among the minority who argued that anything necessary to feed Nigerians and make food affordable should be done.

Salami passed away in the United States on 7 January 2021.

Early Life and Education
Adebayo Ayoade Salami was born on 26 July 1951, at his family home in Osogbo.

Parents
Adebayo's father, Busari Oladiti Salami, was a well-respected sanitary inspector who later became known as a political strategist for Osogbo. His mother, Rafatu Ayinke, was a highly industrious woman, engaged in both trading and contracting during the era of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).

Early Education
As a child, he was known as "Amusa," a Yoruba adaptation of the Islamic name Hamzat. He attended Saint Michael's Primary School in Ilobu, now part of Irepodun Local Government Area, Osun State. For his secondary education, Adebayo attended Ife-Olu Grammar School and later Akinorun Grammar School in Ikirun, where he earned his West African School Certificate in 1969. He then attended Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife for his Higher School Certificate Course between 1970 and 1971.

Higher Education
Adebayo Salami studied accounting at Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin, from 1972 to 1974, obtaining the OND (Ordinary National Diploma). He later attended the renowned Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, for his HND between 1976 and 1978. In the early 2000s, Adebayo earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Imo State University.

National Youth Service Corps
Adebayo was mobilized for the National Youth Service Corps in 1978, serving as an accountant in the old Kaduna State. During his service year, he worked at the Federal Government-owned National Freight Company in Kaduna, where his dedication and effectiveness led to a permanent position as a principal accountant.

Entrepreneurship
Driven by ambition, Adebayo later left the National Freight Company to establish Aolat Nigeria Limited, a civil engineering and construction firm in Kaduna. His success in business earned him the nickname "The Young Millionaire" among friends and associates.

Political Career
Olorunda Local Government Chairman
Adebayo Salami ventured into politics in 1990, running for and winning the position of Local Government Chairman (Olorunda Local Government) in the 8 December 1990 nationwide council election. He won under the National Republican Convention (NRC) platform, becoming one of only three Local Government Chairmen in the newly formed Osun State in 1991.

Governorship Ambition
Adebayo Salami secured the NRC Governorship ticket for Osun State and contested the 14 December 1991 governorship election but narrowly lost to Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Despite the loss, he became a prominent figure in Osun politics and later joined the progressives led by the late Bola Ige in 1998.

Senate
Adebayo won the Osun Central Senatorial seat in January 1999 and served in the 4th National Assembly (1999–2003). He was Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour and later chaired the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism. He was also a member of various committees, including Public Accounts, Oil and Gas, Defense, Population, and the Federal Capital Territory.

All Progressives Congress
Before his death in January 2021, Senator Adebayo Salami was a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Osun State.

Personal Life
He was married to two wives and had several children and grandchildren.