NIGERIA’S tallest man, Afeez Oladimeji Agoro, passed on Wednesday, June 14 after a prolonged illness, aged 48.

He died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) after battling with an ailment known as acromegaly, a disorder in adults in which the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone.

Agoro, who hailed from Lagos State, was born on December 13, 1975.  He was known as the tallest man in Nigeria at 7ft 4.58in, and second tallest in Africa who measured 7ft 5in.

He featured in some Nigerian movies and started a Reality TV show in August 2018. The show titled, ‘I Am Agoro’, centred around his life and what it feels like living as the tallest man in Nigeria.

In an interview with BBC News pidgin in 2019, Agoro talked about some of the difficulties he faced as a giant, including not being able to board a public transport, and finding it difficult to get his shoe or clothe size in the market.

During an interview he had with Linda Ikeji in 2018, he explained that his growth could have been halted if only the Nigerian doctors he consulted had been able to identify and treat his condition.

Regrettably, they were unable to diagnose his condition or provide appropriate medical intervention. It was not until he encountered doctors in the United States that a potential solution was discovered. However, by that time, the opportunity to address his condition had already passed.