Former Nigerian minister of education , Prof Babalola Borishade, dies at the age of 71 .
He died in London on Wednesday after a brief illness.
He was initially rushed to Reddington Hospital in Lagos , last week from where he was taken to London . The cause of death was lung and heart –related .
Borishade was born in Usi- Ekiti on March 7 , 1946 into the Ebi Ilotin family .
He served as a minister for four times , between 1999 - 2011 . The electrical engineer was also a teacher and a political strategist.
Between February 2001 and May 2003 , he served as the Minister of Education.
In recognition of his contributions to Education in Nigeria, Africa and the World at large , Borishade was elected the Vice - Chairman of the E 9 Group of the United Nations , President of the UNESCO International Conference on Education, as well as Chairman Education for All ( EFA ) Forum of African Ministers of Education.
In 2004 , Borishade was appointed as Minister of State , Power and Steel.
He initiated the ‘ Gas to Power Project ( G2 P), a World Bank sponsored project designed to ensure sustained gas development and availability for power production to meet Nigerian electricity demands .
Between July 2005 and November 2006 , Borishade was Minister of Aviation , during which a Civil Aviation Bill was passed to replace the 1964 Act and the direct flight between Nigeria and the United States of America was restored .
His initiation of various reforms and development in the aviation sector resulted in Nigeria scoring 93 per cent in the ICAO Universal Audit which made Nigeria a benchmark to African Aviation Industry .
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