Prof. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, Nigeria Ambassador to the United States is dead. Reports indicated that the Ambassador died on Thursday after suffering a seizure while being driven by his chauffeur in Washington D.C., the U.S. capital.
It was gathered that Prof. Adefuye who was expected to handover to the Consular General this month, pending the appointment of a new ambassador on his way to the hospital.

Embassy officials reportedly confirmed that a send off reception which was planned for the Ambassador next Wednesday may now be turned to a memorial service.

Prof. Adefuye last major assignment was to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and his delegation during the president’s three-day official visit to the U.S. last month. Adefuye has been Nigeria’s ambassador to the U.S since March 2010.

He began his diplomatic career as when he served as High Commissioner to Jamaica, with concurrent accreditation to Haiti and Belize from 1987 to 1991.

He also served as Deputy High Commissioner at the Nigerian Embassy in London, U.K., from where he was hired by the Commonwealth (formerly the British Commonwealth of Nations) as Deputy Director of Strategic Planning.

Adefuye also worked with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as an Advisor for two years, from 2008 to 2010.

The Professor of History was born in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State in 1947. Adefuye received his first degree in History at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 1969, and in 1973 earned a Ph.D. in History there, with a dissertation on “The Political History of the Palwo, 1400-1911.”

He was a Fulbright scholar at Columbia University, the University of North Florida and the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Adefuye started his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Lagos, where he rose to the position of professor, published books and articles, and served as Head of the History Department from 1985 to 1987.

Critics said one of his major achievement as Nigeria Ambassador was helping the country to persuade the U.S. to remove Nigeria from its “country of interest” terrorism watch list.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/08/28/nigerian-ambassador-to-us-prof-adefuye-is-dead/