Nigeria’s Ambassador to France, Kayode Laaro, has died at the age of 63.
In a statement sighted by AIT.live, Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, described the death of Laaro as shocking and devastating. He prays God to forgive him and grant him al-Jannah Firdaus.
The statement added that the death of the top-flight career diplomat from Kwara State was one sad event too many, and urged the family to find comfort in his legacies as a statesman and his contributions to human capital development in Nigeria.
The statement reads; “On behalf of the Government and people of our state, the Governor sends his heartfelt commiserations to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the diplomatic community where he was a top player till his death, the Ilorin Emirate as a whole, and his immediate and extended family.
“The Governor beseeches Almighty Allah to ease the accounts of the deceased, admit him to Al-Jannah Firdaus, and ease the affairs of everyone that inherits his fine legacy”.
Ambassador Kayode Laro was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria, on November 30, 1959. He was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as an Ambassador in July 2020 and assigned to France.
He arrived in France on May 15, 2021, to assume duty with concurrent accreditation to Monaco. He was responsible for promoting trade, investment, and cultural exchange between Nigeria and France.
Laaro was a Nigerian diplomat and Consul General at Atlanta Consulate in the United States. Prior to his arrival in Atlanta in February 2017, Laaro was the Director of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria.
He has served in various positions at home and abroad. His most recent diplomat postings were to Geneva (where he worked on human rights and disarmament) and New York (where he worked on United Nations Security Council matters).
From 2008-2009, Laro participated in the strategic-level training programmme of Nigeria’s top military training institution, the National Defence College of Nigeria, and he is a Fellow of the College.
Since 1983, Laro worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria. He held a Master’s degree in Planning from the United Nations Institute for Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal, and graduated in Geography from the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria in 1980.
The Nigerian government is however yet to comment on the death of Ambassador Kayode Laaro.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
