MINISTER OF STATE FORESTRY AFFAIRS. Mr. Samuel Aliyu Ajayi was born in the old Kabba province on the 2nd of December, 1916. Unlike most of his peers, he did his education outside his home place, indeed outside his region. Between 1924 and 1930, he was at Ovim Central School, Okigwe Division of the old Eastern region from where he passed his Standard Six. He went to the Etinan Institute, Calabar and there he was successful in the Cambridge University Preliminary Local Examination between 1930 and 1933. Still in the Eastern region, he went to the CMS Teachers School Coal Camp, Enugu from 1934 to 1935. He also went to the Students Grammar School, Ibadan in the old Western Region, from where he passed the Class Four Middle and Junior Cambridge. He started a teaching career in far away Ibadan as he taught at St. Davids Kudeti , Ibadan in 1938. He returned home in 1939 to become a Road Inspector in the Kabba NA. In April 1941, he was already a Technical Assistant in the P.W.D. In 1949, he was Technical Assistant, Grade I in the same P.W.D. By 1953 however, he was promoted Inspector of Works, the post he held until August 1954 when he retired from government service with an enviable Certificate of Dedication and Loyalty. On the political front, Mr. Samuel Ayayi was a staunch member of the NPC. He rose to become the Vice President of the Party in Kabba Province. He was a very popular man and highly respected. These he showed in the 1956 election into the Northern House of Assembly when he won the majority votes beating such prominent politician like Mr. Bello Ijumu by a wide margin. It was from this position that he became the Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of the Northern region and fostered the relationship between him and the great man. His passion and focus for his people was EDUCATION and as a close associate to Sir Ahmadu Bello, he lobbied and facilitated the establishment of a satellite campus of Ahmadu Bello University in Kabba Province an institution which is the only Federal Government institution in that region. He attended the Lancaster London Constitution Conference of 1958/1960 as an Adviser/Delegate. The climax of his political career was when he was appointed Minister of State in charge of Forestry Affairs. He held this position until 1966 when the bloody coup of that year terminated their government and their programmes for development. Prior to the coup, he was appointed Acting Minister of Education when the then Minister of Education (Alh. Isa Kaita) travelled abroad for medicals. He also led the Northern Nigeria delegation to London for the negotiation and launching of VC 10 Nigerian Airways in 1964. The good old man retired into business and built for his community a hotel- the first of its kind in that part of the country and church for the service of God. Later, he was appointed to the first Board of Directors of NICON. He died in May 1994 in his home, Kabba. Within and outside Kabba Divison, he gave very strong financial and accreditation support to ALL schools ensuring that they were established (He gave Scholarships to over a Hundread students from primary to university level). In his direct home town, Ogidi Ijumu, he was the PROMOTER of the Community secondary school, he was the PROMOTER of the Ogidi water project, he was the promoter of Ogidi Post office and St John’s Anglican Secondary school, a school in the Church he built where he is also buried. In continuation of his passion and vision his children started a foundation where scholarships are given yearly.