The former Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya died on Tuesday at the age of 74.
Here are 10 things you should know about her life;
Background
Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya hails from a prominent family from the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. She was born in Manchester, the United Kingdom on January 18, 1948.
Her father, Chief Suberu Adeniran-Ogunsanya was a Nigerian lawyer and politician, who was a close associate of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, during the First and Second Republics. He also served as the Lagos State Commissioner for Justice and Education in the second republic.
Education
Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya studied at the Anglican School Girls Seminary, Broad Street. She later went to Our Lady of Apostle, Yaba, Lagos where she completed her secondary school education.
She later went to Sorbonne University, Paris, France where she studied French Civilisation. She also bagged a diploma in International and Industrial Law at the University of Lagos.
Career
She started her career as a Development Assistant at Shell Petroleum Development Company, and later went to become a Media Relations Assistant at the same firm (which later became ConOil) before venturing into private practice.
Politics
Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya joined partisan politics in the Second Republic, when she was the auditor for the Social Progress Party, and a coordinator for political pressure groups; the Lagos State Women Opinion Leaders Forum, and the Torch Bearers group.
She was constituency chairperson for the United Nigeria Congress Party, Eti-Osa. She also held the same position later when she joined the All Peoples Party.
Adeniran-Ogunsanya was later picked as the running mate to Chief Dapo Sarumi of the Peoples Democratic Party ticket, in 1999, but stepped down for Buraimoh Adeniji Adele. She moved to the Action Congress which later morphed into the Action Congress of Nigeria, after the death of Chief Funsho Williams in 2006.
Leadership
In 2002 Adeniran-Ogunsanya became a member of the Board of the National Broadcasting Corporation, and between 2007 to 2011, she was the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, during Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s administration.
Marriage and Family
Adeniran-Ogunsanya was married to a dental surgeon, Adeniyan Adeniji, and they had four children. However, she is survived by only three of the children.
Death
The PUNCH reported that Adeniran-Ogunsanya died after a brief illness. She died seven days after her birthday.
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