Esteemed Yoruba poet, playwright, and author Olanrewaju Adepoju has passed away at the age of 83.
His death occurred around 7:00 pm on Sunday at his residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria. The announcement of his demise was made by his son, Adejare Adepoju, on Sunday evening.
Following the passing of the legendary poet, Bimbo Esho, Managing Director of Evergreen Musical Company Ltd., paid tribute to Adepoju. Esho described him as a poet, playwright, author, and social crusader who harnessed the power of his poetry to influence successive government policies.
“He wrote Sagba Dewe, Ironu Akewi, and Orirun Yoruba, among others.
“In the dark days of the Military regime, Adepoju was a force to be reckoned with as many of his songs centred on correcting societal ills and unfavourable government policies.
“His genre of Ewi warned, criticised and also entertained his followers.
“This great Ewi Exponent, who is a native of Oyo State, lost his sight a few years ago before finally succumbing to the cold hands of death today.
“The output of his deep imagination and vision of poetry with the development of his creative consciousness is already being curated in books and musical forms for posterity,” Esho informed in the tribute.