obituary: erule oludare odumuya (1966 – 2007)

Musa Ngubane (BTM Reporter)

May 24, 2007: This week sees the death of one of strong gay activists, Oludare "Erelu" Odumuye, who passed away on 20 May.

Odumuya was the director of the first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisation in Nigeria called Alliance Rights Nigeria.

While the cause of his death is unclear, a close friend and co-founder of Alliance Rights Nigeria, Patrick Obioha, confirmed that Odumuye died after a long illness.

Born in 1966 in Ijebu, Nigeria, Odumuye was very outspoken, confrontational and had a good sense of humor, and had the integrity that encouraged many people.

He held the director position since beginning of the century.

In 2003, Alliance Rights Nigeria won a Breaker of Silence Award and in 2004 it was among the LGBTI organisations which made the first-ever appearance at the country’s fourth national Aids conference in Abuja, the capital city, and pointed out that they have been hit-hard by the Aids pandemic.

Obioha, also a founder of Support Project in Nigeria (SPIN), said he was worried because the activism in Nigeria might never find anyone who will be as dedicated as Odumuye was.

Tributes poured from all corners of Africa to this dedicated activist, particularly for his incessant struggle for HIV/Aids victims.

Odumuye will be laid to rest today 24 May 2007 at Sengo Cemetery in Idadan, Nigeria.