“Thou know’st ‘tis common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity” Williams Shakespeare.
If only man, with all his scientific discoveries and breakthroughs, could discover the real elixir, then lives that have graced the earth and departed unannounced to the pains and grieves of their loved ones would have been resuscitated back to life; but death remains one of the mysteries the Divine is using to distinguish Himself from us, mere mortals.
Death is one factor which, when it diminishes humanity, has no returns. Death is the leveler, it levels both the king and slave, the super-rich and stinking poor, for all must be lowered six feet below. And he who must live must die, for death is the completion of life, the fulfillment of existence.
Calpurnia, wife of Julius Caesar, is the only character (fictitious) who elevates class difference even in death…
All Deaths End Lives – some will die through accident, some will be embraced peacefully by death; some will die a violent deaths from the Boko Haram and their bones and fleshes will be fragmented in the air from bomb explosion. But whatever way dead comes, it is a stop to existence.
We have compiled fifteen deaths of 2015 that grieved the hearts of both young and the old.
1. Madam HID Awolowo
Mrs Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo (née Adelana), popularly known as HID, was born to a modest family in the small Ikenne community of Ogun State. She was married to legendary politician and political juggernaut, Chief Obafemi Awolowo from December 26, 1937 to his death in 1987.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo famously referred to her as his “jewel of inestimable value”. She was also a successful businesswoman and astute politician. She played an active role in the politics of Western Nigeria. She stood in for her husband in the alliance formed between the NCNC and the AG, called the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), while he was tried and in jail.
The plans were that she would contest the elections, and if she won, would step down for her husband in a by-election. To fulfill his dream of becoming president in the Second Republic, she toured the length and breadth of the country with her husband campaigning. She also coordinated the women’s wing of the party and was always present at all party caucuses. A successful businesswoman, she became the first Nigerian distributor for the Nigerian Tobacco Company (NTC) in 1957. She was the first to import lace materials and other textiles into Nigeria. On September 19, 2015, she died at the age of 99 just over 2 months short of her 100th birthday. She was laid to rest beside her husband in Ikenne on November 25, 2015.
2. Chief Deinde Fernandez
Chief Antonio Oladeinde Fernandez was born in the year 1936 and died on September 1, 2015. During his life time, he was a business magnate, Diplomat and Permanent Representative of Central African Republic to the United Nations. Chief Deinde Fernandez was considered one of the richest men in Africa.
Chief Fernandez was born in Lagos, Nigeria to the Fernandez family that originated from Cuba.
He started his diplomatic career in 1996 as Consul of the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin Republic). In 1982, he served as advisor to the Angolan Government on Economic matter. He held this position for two years until his appointment as Deputy Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the United Nations in 1984.
Chief Fernandez ran an oil company called Petro Inett which obtained a 50% share with South African-based Energy Africa Limited in a deal with the state oil company for exploration rights in a 4,700 km2 area of Angola’s coast in 1996. In 1992, he was appointed as Special Adviser to the President of Mozambique on International Economic Matters, a position he held for three years.
He was formerly married to Aduke Fernandez, whom he divorced in July 2003 following a £300m divorce suit in Scotland filed on July 1, 2003 by her counsel. Lord Brodie presided over the case. He was asked by Aduke through her counsel, Charles Macnair QC, to compel Chief Fernandez to pay her a lump sum of £ 5m and an allowance of £75,000 monthly for 3 years but the case was dismissed by the court. She died in 2013.
Fernandez died on September 1, 2015 in Belgium after an undisclosed illness of several months and was buried at Ixelles Cemetery in Brussels on September 18, 2015.
3. Oba Okunade Sijuwade
Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, or Sijuade, became the fiftieth traditional ruler or Ooni of Ife in 1980, taking the regnal name Olubuse II.
Ife is a traditional Yoruba state based in the town of Ife in Osun State, Nigeria. He was crowned on 6 December 1980 in a ceremony attended by the Emir of Kano, Oba of Benin, Amayanabo of Opobo and Olu of Warri, as well as by representatives of the Queen of England.
Sijuwade was born on 1st of January 1930 in Ile-Ife to the Ogboru ruling house, grandson of the Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan Olubuse I. He studied at Abeokuta Grammar School and Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife. He worked for three years in his father’s business, then for two years with the Nigerian Tribune, before attending Northampton College in the United Kingdom to study business management. By the age of 30 he was a manager in Leventis, a Greek-Nigerian conglomerate. In 1963 he became Sales Director of the state-owned National Motor in Lagos. After spotting a business opportunity during a 1964 visit to the Soviet Union, he formed a company to distribute Soviet-built vehicles and equipment in Nigeria, which became the nucleus of a widespread business empire. He also invested in real estate in his home town of Ile Ife. By the time Sijuwade was crowned Ooni in 1980 he had become a wealthy man. He died on the 28th of July, 2015
4. Emir of Borgu, Haliru Dantoro Kitoro III
Haliru Dantoro Kitoro III was a popular traditional ruler and politician. Dantoro became Emir of the Borgu, a traditional state located in Niger State, on February 26, 2002, following the death of his predecessor, Isiaku Musa Jikantoro. Dantoro served as Emir until his death on October 28, 2015.
Dantoro was born in 1938, the youngest of three children born to his parents.
He briefly served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in 1983 during the administration of President Shehu Shagari. However, his appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory was abruptly ended by the Nigerian coup d’état in December 1983.
Dantoro also served as a Senator in 1992 as a member of the defunct National Republican Convention.
Emir Haliru Dantoro died at a hospital in Germany following a brief illness on October 30, 2015, at the age of 77.
5. Jessica Elvis, Nigeria’s Prostitute Leader
The president of Nigerian Association of Prostitutes,Jessica Elvis (Oluchi) died on the 25th of October, 2015. Elvis died in an undisclosed hospital in Benin after battling a protracted heart-related disease. Few weeks before her death, she granted an interview in which she said her dream is to sleep with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wizkid before she retires. She is survived by a 15 years old daughter.
6. Diepreye Alamiesiegha
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was born in 16 November 1952 in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. He attended the Bishop Dimeari Grammar School, Yenagoa. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a Cadet Officer in 1974, then joined the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply. He held various air force positions in Enugu, Makurdi, Kaduna and Ikeja. Alamieyeseigha retired from the air force in 1992 as a Squadron Leader.
After leaving the air force he became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt. Later he became Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON)
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was elected as Governor of Bayelsa State in May 1999 as a member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was re-elected in 2003.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was detained in London on charges of money laundering in September 2005. At the time of his arrest, Metropolitan police found about £1m in cash in his London home. Later they found a total of £1.8m ($3.2m) in cash and bank accounts. He has been found to own real estate in London worth an alleged £10 million. He jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom by allegedly disguising himself as a woman, though Alamieyeseigha denies this claim.
Alamieyeseigha was impeached on allegations of corruption on 9 December 2005.
Nigeria
On July 26, 2007, Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty before a Nigerian court to six charges and was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge; however, because the sentences were set to run concurrently and the time was counted from the point of his arrest nearly two years before the sentences, his actual sentence was relatively short. Many of his assets were ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa state government. According to Alamieyeseigha, he only pled guilty due to his age and would have fought the charges had he been younger. On July 27, just hours after being taken to prison, he was released due to time already served.
In December 2009, the federal government hired a British law firm to help dispose of four expensive properties acquired by Alamieyeseigha in London. Alamieyeseigha had bought one of these properties for £1,750,000.00 in July 2003, paying in cash. Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha used it as his London residence, and as the registered office of Solomon and Peters Inc.
On 12 March 2013, Alamieyeseigha was pardoned by President Goodluck Jonathan, but his pardoning was criticised by many.[10][11]
Alamieyeseigha was reported to have died of cardiac arrest at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital on 10 October 2015. However, in a later interview, Bayelsa State Information Commissioner, Esueme Kikile revealed that the former Governor “died of complications arising from high blood pressure and diabetes which affected his kidney.”
7. Uche Chukwumerije
Uche Chukwumerije was born on November 1939 and died on the 19th of April 2015. He was elected a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in April 2003, representing Abia North Senatorial District.
Chukwumerije served as Minister of Information and Culture under General Ibrahim Babangida and under the Interim National Government of Ernest Shonekan.
In the Fourth Republic, Chukwumerije was elected to the Senate on the Peoples Democratic Party’s platform, but he fell out of favor with the party’s leadership when he opposed the Third Term Agenda. Chukwumerije eventually decamped to the Progressive Peoples Alliance in 2006, and was reelected to the Senate on April 28, 2007.
Chukwumerije was reelected on the PDP platform in the April 2011 elections. He died in office of lung cancer in 2015.
Chukwumerije was divorced and has 7 children. One of his sons Chika won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Another son, Dikeogu Egwuatu Chukwumerije, is a writer and a performance poet. One of his sons Kwame, died in a car accident many years ago.
8. Femi Robinson, The Village Headmaster
Femi Robinson was a Nigerian film and television actor, famous for his lead role in The Village Headmaster, where his stage name, “Village Headmaster”, was coined. Chief Eddie Ugboma, former Chairman of the Nigerian Film Corporation, called him “an icon of the industry”
Robinson was born on September 27, 1940 at Bodo, a village in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria, into the family of an Ifá priest. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in botany from Obafemi Awolowo University in the early 1960s before joining the Nigerian film industry.
He began his acting career playing the lead role of Odewale in The Gods Are Not To Blame, a 1968 play by the Nigerian playwright Chief Ola Rotimi. The play was an adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex. He also played the lead role in The Village Headmaster, Nigeria’s longest-running television soap opera from 1968 to 1988, scripted by Olusegun Olusola.
On October 11, 2012, Robinson called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ban Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart in Nigerian schools, following the publication of Achebe’s controversial memoir There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra.
Robinson died of a heart attack on May 20, 2015 at Ayodele Hospital in the Ifako Ijaiye local government area of Lagos. Robinson’s death drew the attentions of many notable Nigerians. According to Vanguard, a veteran Nigerian film actor, Prince Jide Kosoko, said in his tribute, “Femi Robinson was a true professional. He has contributed immensely to the growth of the entertainment industry in Nigeria”.
The then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, conveyed his condolences to Robinson’s family in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati
9. Gamaliel Onosode
Gamaliel Oforitsenere Onosode was a Nigerian technocrat, administrator and a former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party of Nigeria. Educated at the Government College, Ughelli and the University of Ibadan, he emerged in the 1970s as one of Nigeria’s leading educated chief executives, when he was at the helm of NAL merchant bank of Nigeria. Over the years, he rose to become a leading boardroom player in Nigeria’s corporate environment. He was also a former presidential adviser to President Shehu Shagari and a former president of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
An Urhobo man, born and raised in Sapele, a suburban city in the current Delta State by a disciplined father, he sometimes credited the strict family background and practice as being a complementary factor in his success as a disciplined civil servant and corporate administrator.
Throughout his career, Onosode has chaired several private and public sector businesses and initiatives. He was the Chairman of Dunlop Nigeria Plc (1984–2007), a former chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc (1977–93), the Presidential Commission on Parastatals (1981), Nigeria LNG Working Committee and Nigeria LNG Limited (1985–90) and the Niger Delta Environmental Survey (since 1995). He was also the Chairman of Zain Nigeria, a GSM telecommunications company, the oldest GSM operator in Nigeria.
Onosode was Presidential Adviser on Budget Affairs and Director of Budget (1983). He was a Fellow of the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, the Nigerian Institute of Management, of which he was President (1979–82). He was also a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, having been elected to membership of its Board of Fellows in 1998.
In addition, Onosode was the inaugural President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, past Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Uyo and past and inaugural President & Chairman of Council of the Association of Pension Funds of Nigeria. He was an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and held Honorary D.Sc. degrees of Obafemi Awolowo University (1990), the University of Benin (1995), and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (2003) as well as Honorary D.D. degree of The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso (2002).[5]
He was a devout Christian and started Good News Baptist Church in his Sitting Room on 1 Feb.1984. Good News Baptist Church is now a large church of over 2,000 people and ranks high in the Nigerian Baptist Convention in terms of missions and evangelism.
Gamaliel Onosode was the inaugural Chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. In addition, Onosode is Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Nigeria’s oldest degree awarding theological institution, which in 2008 marked 110 years of its existence while the University of Ibadan was 60 years old. On 29 September 2015, he died at the age of 82 after losing a battle with bone cancer
10. Tajudeen Disu, Mike Adenuga’s in-law
The former Managing Director of the Lekki Free Zone Ltd, Mr. Tajudeen Disu was killed on the 12th of October, 2015 at Ibeju-Lekki at a clash between villagers and mobile police officers in Okunraiye community near Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The late Disu was the father-in-law to Bella Adenuga, daughter of billionaire businessman and owner of Globacom Communications, Otunba Mike Adenuga.
The deceased was reportedly killed when policemen clashed with villagers when a protest by the villagers on the issue of land meant for the construction of a petrochemical refinery by Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
11. Molade Okoya-Thomas
Prince Molade Okoya-Thomas was born in Lagos on 8 June 1935 to Late Hussam Okoya-Thomas and Late Alhaja Suwebat Okoya-Thomas
Molade Okoya-Thomas had his elementary education at Princess school, Lagos, between 1942 and 1946. He subsequently proceeded to Baptist Academy for his high school education and left Baptist Academic in 1956 as the best graduating student, hence earning the honour of his name been listed on the school’s DUX BOARD (Honors Board).
Immediately after his education at Baptist Academy, he studied accountancy at Balham and Tooting College of Commerce between 1956 and 1959 and a further training in Accountancy at Columbia University in New York City in 1981. He returned to Nigeria the very year he completed his studies at Balham and Tooting College of Commerce 1959 and was instantly employed as an accountant by CFAO. This was the beginning of a meritorious service to CFAO.
He was appointed Director, Transcap Nigeria Limited; Director, Niger Motors Industries Limited; Chairman, Studio Press Nigeria Limited and has been the Chairman of CFAO Nigeria Limited since 1987.
He served as Chairman of many organisations including CICA (Nigeria) Ltd., Transcap Nigeria Ltd., Oktom Investment Ltd., Itochu Nigeria Ltd., Chiyoda Nigeria Ltd. and Anchoria Investment & Securities Ltd. He also serves as Director of NFI Insurance Company Plc and GatewayBank Plc.
He had also contributed to the development of Lagos state by serving in numerous committees including; member, Lagos City Council between 1971–1975, member Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, Chairman Board of Trustees Glover Memorial Hall and Tom Jones Hall.
He was a recipient of the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, the highest national honour given by the French to a foreigner.
Molade Okoya-Thomas was an active sportsman in his youth, he was a Joint All Nigeria Record Holder of 4 X 220 yards relay race while at Baptist Academy Lagos. He has been the sole sponsor of the annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championships for over four decades setting a record as the only Nigerian to have single-handedly and consistently sponsored a competition spanning over four decades.
As a philanthropist he had similarly served as vice-chairman, Lagos State Sports Council, President Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Chairman 3rd All-Africa Games Appeal Fund Committee, Chairman National Appeal Fund for Sports Development and chairman Sports Trust Fund. Molade Alexandria Okoya-Thomas built and donated a modern sports hall for students and staff of the Lagos State University (LASU) in 2009.
He was also a prominent member of the fund raising committee for the construction of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere. The Commissioner for Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development, Prince Ademola Adeniji-Adele announced the state government’s decision to celebrate Molade Alexandria Okoya-Thomas at the age of 75, taking into consideration his numerous contributions, with the naming of the indoor sports hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium on 8 June 2010 and a State Dinner at the City Hall Lagos Island on the same day.
He died in the evening on the 1st of February 2015 after a brief illness.
12. Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri
His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse II was born .. He was crowned the 19th Olu of Warri on May 2, 1987, an event that was witnessed by the renowned Nigerian politician and statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, among other important dignitaries.
Ogiame Atuwase II born Godwin Toritseju Emiko, a lawyer by profession, was the second son of Olu Erejuwa II and was fully prepared for leadership before his coronation. He was the only son of his father who was made a member of the Warri Traditional Council since 1983 and also a Member of Warri Local Government Council, where he served in several capacities before ascending the throne in 1987.
Ogiame Atuwatse II contributed immensely to the development of the country, his native Delta State and indeed the Itsekiri nation. He would be remembered for his worthy service and invaluable contributions to the sustenance of the cultural heritage of his people. A capable ruler and immensely knowledgeable, he used his exalted throne to build bridges of unity, friendship and harmony across the nation.
Ogiame Atuwase II loved his people and was a philanthropist who gave much of his resources to them throughout his 28-year rule. Apart from his philanthropy, he was very humble. The friendship and relationships he built even before ascending the throne were still nurtured and never undermined by his monarchical status. He was renowned for remembering all friends and honouring them. Also, he was a devout Christian, a faith that was to put him in conflict with the traditional beliefs of his people.
However, his tenure was largely peaceful despite the inter-ethnic relations between the Ijaw, the Urhobo and the Itsekiri over allegiance to the Olu stool. The crisis in the kingdom due to the administrative restructuring with regard to Warri South West Local Government and the location of its headquarters led to violent clashes between the three ethnic groups. Remarkably, peace was centrally restored as a result of the Olu’s grace and magnanimity.
His Christian conviction, aforementioned, resulted in his alleged renunciation of the traditional title of ‘Ogiame.’ He, however, bowed to the wishes of his subjects due to their consequent protest and that single action underlined the point that he ruled according to the wishes of the people whose well-being was paramount to him. A recipient of the national award of the Commander of the Niger (CON), Ogiame Atuwase II will be sorely missed by the Itsekiri, Deltans and all Nigerians.
(Source: The Guardian)
13. Audu Abubakar
Prince Abubakar Audu, the first Executive Governor of Kogi State was born on 24th of October 1947, to the family of his Royal Highness, the late Pa Audu Oyidi, Orego Atta of Igala Land and the paramount ruler of Ogbonicha-Alloma in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He started his education at the then N.A. Junior Primary School, Alloma, and later N.A Senior School Ankpa, from where he proceeded to Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha. He later transferred to the Jos Commercial College where he obtained both the GCE O and A level.
After a stint as a bank worker, Prince Audu later proceeded to London from 1975-1978 where he studied banking and personnel management, obtaining professional qualification as a certified secretary, and as a Fellow of the Association of International Accountants of London, as well as fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Industrial Administration of Nigeria.
Audu’s banking career lasted for a total of 25 years, which he spent with First Bank – formerly known as Standard Bank. Here, he served in various capacities at management level until 1991. He also made history as the bank’s first training officer of African descent and also as one of the first black senior management staff of Standard Chartered Bank in London and New York.
In 1991, he was appointed Executive Director of FSB International Bank PLC.
Audu’s sojourn into public service began in 1986 when he was appointed as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in the Old Benue state. He served in this capacity until 1988 when the cabinet was dissolved. He then returned to Fist Bank of Nigeria PLC as a General Manager.
In August 1991, Kogi state was created from parts of the old Benue and Kwara states. This coincided with one of Nigeria’s many previous encounters with democracy, and Audu, being part of those who had advocated for the creation of the state and a notable son of the soil, was invited to contest for governorship. He contested on the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC) and won the election held in November, 1991. He was subsequently sworn in as the first executive governor of Kogi state in January 1992.
In 1998, democracy was again re-introduced and Audu, now with the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), was elected again with over 700,000 votes while his opponent hardly recorded 50% of the vote cast. He was sworn in on 29 May 1999 as the 2nd Executive Governor of Kogi State.
His socio-economic contribution in the state is to date a point of reference to the generality of the people and many aspiring leaders. Some of his major achievements during his brief first term of office include the establishment of three different housing schemes for public officers consisting of over 1,500 housing units in Lokoja, the transformation of Lokoja township with asphalt roads, street lights, aesthetic roundabouts, the construction of inter-township and rural roads, over 75 electrification schemes and 50 water projects.
Other include the founding of Kogi State Polytechnic, the establishment of a television station, radio station (both AM and FM), a state newspaper and the transformation of the colonial residence of Lord Lugard into an Ultra Modern Government House Complex, the construction of office blocks for ministries as the new state had no office accommodation, the construction of shopping arcade complex to enhance commercial activities, among others. He also pioneered the construction of the first ultra modern state liaison office in Abuja. His administration also built an ultra modern stadium and a five star hotel in Lokoja, the Confluence Beach Hotel.
He also took steps to woo prospective investors to harness the numerous solid mineral potentials in the State. The big prize was the establishment of Obajana Cement Factory. The project, which was on going before he left office, attracted the support of the United State Government. During the visit of former President Bill Clinton to Nigeria, the State Government signed the agreement with the US Trade Development Agency (TDA) for a grant to finalize the feasibility work on the project. The cement project is now operational.
When Prince Audu left office in 2003, he was charged by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), with corruption. This case has been on for twelve years and many say it was coined as an attempt by the then ruling PDP to smear Audu’s image, especially in light of the achievements recorded during his tenure.
He has responded to these allegations, stating that while he was governor, the state received less than N400million as monthly allocation, and that it would have been impossible to embezzle the N12 billion that the agency claims he did when he received less than N19 billion in total, yet embarked on many projects.
Prince Abubakar Audu emerged as the candidate of the APC at the August 28th Kogi State gubernatorial primary election. Subsequently, he announced James Abiodun Faleke, a legislator, as his running mate.
Audu died of a heart attack on 22 November 2015, shortly after INEC announced the Kogi State Gubernatorial Election as inconclusive. Yahaya Bello becomes the Governor of kogi state after the death of Abubaka Audu, the first time an Ebira man to become Governor of kogi state.
14. Oronto Douglas
Oronto Douglas was Nigeria’s leading environmental human rights lawyer. He was a deputy director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, and until his death, a visiting lecturer and speaker at community-organized events, international conferences, and universities all over the world.
Douglas was a member of the legal team that represented Ken Saro-Wiwa before he was executed by the Nigerian military junta in November 1995.
He received degrees in law from the University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and De Montford, Leicester, England. His articles and speeches have been published in books, journals, and magazines in Nigeria, Europe and the United States. His recent book: “Where Vultures Feast, Shell, Human Rights, and Oil in the Niger Delta” has been published by Random House. He was a Commissioner for Information, Culture, Tourism and Strategy for Bayelsa state in Nigeria and a presidential aide to former president Good luck Jonathan.
Oronto Douglas died on the 9th of April, 2015 after battling with cancer.
15. BAYO kuku
Eminent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Chief Bayo Kuku, died on 5th of Match, 2015. Kuku, until his death, was the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland in Ogun State. He was a former president of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE).
Kuku, regarded as one of the richest and most influential Ijebu sons, would also be remembered as a Nigerian, who, in spite of his wealth and influence, was humble.
Although, he ranked among top Nigerian billionaires, he religiously held on to his belief and slogan of, ‘living a life of moderation’.
A lawyer by profession, Kuku was the Bobajiro of Ijebuland as well as chairman, Council of Chiefs of Ijebu.
He served as vice chairman, Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited, former board member, FBN Merchant Bank and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
