INEC National Commissioner Dies At 67

BEVERLY HILLS, July 26, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) representing the South West, Prof. Muritala Akinola Salau, 67, is dead.

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 Janazah (funeral) prayers.

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 led to the cemetery in a long convoy where he was buried amidst prayers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that late Salau was born on Nov. 21, 1947, in Ibadan, Oyo state.

He attended Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, Ibadan on Western Region Scholarship between 1960 and 1964, and proceeded to University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Osun State to study Physics on Federal Government Scholarship where he graduated in 1971.

His passion for education took him to Stanford University Palo –Alto Ca94305, USA, where he obtained his Master of Science and Ph. D degrees in Applied Physics in 1974 and 1976, respectively.

He was Sole Administrator, LAUTECH from June 15, 1997, to July 5, 1999, 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 was sworn-in by former President Goodluck Jonathan on Jan. 7, 2015, as INEC National Commissioner, representing the South West, the position he held till his demise.

A devoted Muslim, the deceased was survived with wife and children.