By Ayodele Oni
Kehinde Segun Alabi pays emotional tribute
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has expressed sadness over the passing of former Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Olasimi Akindele-Odunmbaku.
In a condolence message released by the Chief Press Secretary Ebenezer Adeniyan,Governor Aiyedatiwa described the late Mrs. Odumbaku as a committed public servant, a passionate advocate for women and children, and a shining example of selfless service to Ondo State.
The Governor noted that during her tenure as Commissioner, the late Odunmbaku worked tirelessly to advance the welfare of women, promote gender inclusion, and protect the rights of vulnerable children across the Sunshine State.
“Her dedication to community development and grassroots mobilization left an indelible mark on the Ministry and the state in general.”
Governor Aiyedatiwa commiserated with the immediate family, friends, associates, and the entire political family of the deceased.
He particularly commiserated with her husband, Cardinal James Omolaja Odunmbaku (Baba Eto), who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He prayed that Almighty God will grant the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss and grant her soul eternal rest.
Death of the former Commissioner In Ondo State was announced by the family on Thursday.
Cause of her death was not known, but tribute on the Liberal Platform a group she belonged said she passed on in her sleep at the wee hours of Thursday 25 June 2026.
Oloye (Mrs.) Olasinmi Akindele-Odunmbaku was a prominent Nigerian politician and women’s rights advocate, who served as the Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs.
During her short active life, she participated in Nigerian politics, notably running for the Ondo North Senatorial District in 2019 and serving as the Deputy Governorship candidate for the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
She was known for her active advocacy regarding the 35% affirmative action for women in Nigerian governance.
She was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, into the family of the late Prof Olabode Akindele.
*A Tribute by Kehinde Segun Alabi*
“Sometimes I asked why we are being created.
“I didn’t expect to ask that question this week. But the sudden demise of Oloye Sinmi Odumbaku forces it out of me.
“Oloye Sinmi was a rare gem. She arrived with warmth, served with strength, and left rooms brighter than she found them.
“Then she was gone. No warning. No final chapter. No chance to sit and say “I’ve done enough, let me enjoy the fruits.
“Yesterday, till 12am, she was still hale and healthy. Laughing. Planning. Hoping for another day, another meeting, another sunrise. _Bum!_ The unbooked Uber driver called Death beckoned unannounced. No notification. No “ride arriving in 2 minutes.
“It pulled up, opened the door, and took her away without letting her say goodbye to the ones she loved most.
“And that’s where the question starts.
If we can’t choose when we leave, can we really say we chose to come?
“We don’t book our birth dates. No one fills a form to arrive on a Tuesday in June. We are thrust into life — into families, into struggles, into purpose we didn’t apply for.
“Yet we spend years planning departure as if we control it. Retirement plans. 5-year goals. ‘When I turn 60, I’ll rest.’
“Oloye Sinmi was healthy at noon. By evening, the room was silent. Her passing whispers back: _What if 60 never comes?_ What if the fruit ripens after the farmer is gone? What if the “see you later” becomes the last word?
Then what’s the essence of working hard?
“If we cannot determine how long we stay, why burn midnight oil? Why build legacies, raise children, serve communities, plant trees whose shade we may never sit under?
“Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question.We ask “What’s the point if I might not reap it?”
“But Oloye Sinmi answers with her life: The point was never just the reaping. The point was the planting.”
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