Elder statesman, Chief Ernest Shonekan, dies at 85

Chief Ernest Shonekan, the interim Head of State of Nigeria between 26 August 1993 to 17 November 1993, has passed away.

Shonekan, a statesman and lawyer, died in Lekki, Lagos, on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at the age of 85.

He was ousted from office when the late General Sani Abacha who was Secretary of Defence, led a palace coup in 1993.

Before his political career, Shonekan was the chairman and chief executive of the United African Company of Nigeria, a conglomerate which was the largest African-controlled company in Sub-Saharan Africa at the time.

Ernest Shonekan was born on May 9, 1936, in Lagos. He is an Egba from Abeokuta, Ogun state. A true son of the soil, Shonekan was the Abese of Egbaland, among other chieftancy titles.