Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has renamed College of Education, Ila-Orangun, after Major Adeyemi Oyedotun, a retired army officer from the ancient city. The decision was informed by the pathetic story of how Oyedotun’s three years old daughter, Miss Adepeju, was knocked down by one of the vehicles in the convoy of former military governor of Old Oyo State, General Paul Tarfa (rtd) 38 years ago.

While renaming all the state-owned tertiary institutions in the state last Wednesday at the state capital, Osogbo, Aregbesola had declared that the college would be referred to as Adeyemi Oyedotun College of Education. The sad event occurred in 1978 while Major Oyedotun was returning from church with his family along the Iyagangu Area of Ibadan when a driver in the convoy of Tarfa knocked down little Miss Adepeju Oyedotun.

The three-year old girl was said to have died before getting to the hospital. When the Military Governor got wind of the sad incident he quickly paid a condolence visit to the bereaved Oyedotun. Pa Oyedotun told correspondents that although the death of his little girl was painful he took the incident with equanimity, describing it as an act of God.

The 77-year old retired soldier disclosed that the death brought him face-to-face with the then governor, who also requested that he (Oyedotun) should visit him at Government House, Agodi. It was at this second meeting, according to Pa Oyedotun, that Tarfa asked him what he would like government to give him as compensation for the unfortunate death of his daughter.

Pa Oyedotun recalled, “I had dreamt as a soldier of meeting with the governor one day. It was this sad event that brought the chance. And when the governor asked me to name anything I wanted as compensation for the loss of my little girl, I saw an opportunity to fulfill an ambition I had nursed overtime to do something for my town.

“So, I told the Governor that I did not want any monetary thing as compensation. I asked him to do something that will endure the test of time for my town. That was how Gen. Paul Tafa (rtd) created the College of Education in Ila-Orangun”.

He added that he did what he did at the time because of the love he has for his hometown. While expressing surprise that the college now bears his name, he said if he had asked for money, house or other monetary gratifications, he would have expended everything by now. He expressed gratitude to Aregbesola for naming the college after him, saying that the governor’s good gesture has brought him joyous remembrance of his daughter lost in that incident 38 years ago.