Bode Thomas, Nigeria’s first Minister of Transportation, died on November 23, 1953, under controversial circumstances.
What happened to him?
Thomas, then Chairman of Oyo Divisional Council, attended a meeting where Alaafin Adeyemi II, the king of Oyo and a member of the council, didn’t stand up to greet him. Thomas rebuked the king, saying,
“Why were you sitting when I walked in?
Why can’t you show me respect?”
Alaafin Adeyemi II responded by saying, “S’emi on gbo mo baun? Emi ni ongbo bi aja mo baun? Ma gbo lo” which translates to “Am I the one you are barking at like that? Am I the one you are barking at like a dog? Keep barking,”
According to popular accounts, Thomas went home and started barking like a dog, continuing throughout the night until he died the next day.
However, his personal physician, Dr. Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi, disputed this claim in his autobiography, “My Lord, What a Morning”.
Dr. Majekodunmi stated that Thomas died from a fever he developed after returning from Oyo, which worsened during his journey back to Lagos.
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