Afolabi Olabimtan
Encyclopedia
Afolabi Olabimtan was a Nigeria
n politician
, writer
, and academic. He was born in Ogun State
and was later the senator for Ogun West from 1999 to 2003. He died in a motor accident in August 2003.
Olabimtan achieved a PhD
at the University of Lagos
in African Languages. He became an expert in the Yoruba language
, and wrote a number of novel
s in the tongue, such as Kekere Ekun in 1967 and Ayanmo in 1973.
In 1999, Olabimatan was elected as a senator for the Alliance for Democracy
party for Ogun West. He served just one term, standing down in 2003 in order to allow a younger successor to take his place. Later in the same year he was killed in a motor accident.
His death preceded the release of his autobiography
, The Graces, the Grass and the Gains. This contained the claim that, in a 1994 meeting, a number of Yoruba
leaders had supported the continued imprisonment of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
, in return for bribes in the form of money and political positions. Those accused of attending the meeting, such as Ebenezer Babatope, have denied knowledge of it.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and academic. He was born in Ogun State
Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in South-western Nigeria. It borders Lagos State to the South, Oyo and Osun states to the North, Ondo State to the east and the republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state...
and was later the senator for Ogun West from 1999 to 2003. He died in a motor accident in August 2003.
Olabimtan achieved a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Lagos
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos - popularly known as Unilag - is a federal government university with a main campus located at Akoka, Yaba and a college of medicine located at Idi-Araba, all in Lagos, Lagos State, southern Nigeria...
in African Languages. He became an expert in the Yoruba language
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
, and wrote a number of novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s in the tongue, such as Kekere Ekun in 1967 and Ayanmo in 1973.
In 1999, Olabimatan was elected as a senator for the Alliance for Democracy
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria)
The Alliance for Democracy was a progressive opposition political party in Nigeria. It was formed on September 9th 1998. At the 2003 legislative elections, 12 April 2003, the party won 8.8 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 360 seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives and six out of...
party for Ogun West. He served just one term, standing down in 2003 in order to allow a younger successor to take his place. Later in the same year he was killed in a motor accident.
His death preceded the release of his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, The Graces, the Grass and the Gains. This contained the claim that, in a 1994 meeting, a number of Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
leaders had supported the continued imprisonment of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola , often referred to as M. K. O. Abiola, was a popular Nigerian Yoruba businessman, publisher, politician and aristocrat of the Egba clan...
, in return for bribes in the form of money and political positions. Those accused of attending the meeting, such as Ebenezer Babatope, have denied knowledge of it.