Dr. Patrick Dele Cole and his Nigerian public service

Dr. Patrick Dele Cole served as the Secretary of the committee established by General Murtala Mohammed in August 1975 to oversee the creation of more states in Nigeria. At the time, Nigeria consisted of 12 states. The committee was chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Ayo Irikefe and included members such as Dr. A. D. Yahaya, Mr. S. D. Lar, Brigadier Godwin G. Ally, and Mr. C. Audifferen.

During this period, Dr. Cole was an administrative officer in the Political Division of the Cabinet Office, which was headed by Alhaji Umaru Sanda Ndayako. Dr. Cole’s academic background included studies at the University of Otago, the Free University of Amsterdam, and the University of Cambridge, where he was also a fellow at King’s College. He also served as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania.