Mr. Olusegun Idowu Olushesi, the chief of staff to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, is dead.
Olushesi died after a long battle with cancer of the prostate in a hospital in North Carolina, USA late on Sunday. Though his age was not immediately known, he had three children from Kofo, his wife who had been with him at the hospital.
Ikuforiji, who explained how his late aide had battle with the ailment on the floor of the House on Monday evening, said the cancer was first diagnosed 13 years ago and that his chief of staff had managed the situation.
He added that when his situation got worse in June this year, he had to be rushed abroad. He said that at a time during the period, his friends and family thought he would die. The surgeon even asked the wife to approve the removal of the life support machine used for him, but the wife had refused, saying she would do everything to preserve her husband. According to Ikuforiji, the man later survived.
“I saw him three days after that and was scared but the wife told me to thank God since he had survived,” he said. “His voice was so faint that I had to put my ears so close to hear him speak.”
He said when he again saw the late Olushesi, he had fully recovered and days ago, when he spoke with the deceased, he was talking about his return early November. He said the late Olushesi even told him that he had added weight. He said that day, they discussed a lot of things, such as happenings in Epe, the part of Lagos where they both came from.
He said he was very shocked when he received a call at about 10.30pm on Sunday and the caller informed him that the man died three minutes earlier.
He described the late Olushesi as an “intelligently stubborn and versatile person,” adding that he was often blunt on issues when he had the opportunity to speak.
Members of the House, who responded on the incident, spoke glowingly of the deceased with some recalling encounters they had with him while he was alive.
The House also resolved to write a letter of condolence to the deceased’s family.
