Life teachings inform us that death is a necessary end for every man or woman. It will come when it must as William Shakespear tells us. So did it come within one week for one great man in Nigeria and another one in Kenya in far away, East Africa.
On Wednesday 8th of October death came calling and took away a great name in broadcasting, the corporate world, the teaching profession, the business world, as well as that of international diplomacy. The name of that great man was Christopher Kolade.
He was born on 28th of December, 1932 to a set of parents who came from Erin-Oke in Ijesa land here in Osun, the State of the Living Spring. Oh how proud and lucky l am as an individual to have shared the same birthday with so great a man who l had the opportunity of being taught by him in Abuja before he was appointed the country’s High Commissioner some two decades ago.
Born into a family that even as at then was deeply rooted and very committed to missionary works in the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Dr. Christopher Kolade died barely three months from his 93rd birthday that should have come up on Sunday 28th of December 2025. He was known to have attended renowned schools in the early years of his life. Christ School in Ado Ekiti; Government College, Ibadan and then Fourah Bay College the first known University College in West Africa. For some 60 years of the 92 he spent on earth, Dr Christopher Kolade impacted the nation’s space from the Education Officer he started with in the colonial era to the great height he reached as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom for five years between 2002 to 2007.
From 1960, the year of our country’s independence, when he left the Colonial Service to become a broadcaster, Christopher Kolade for 18 years took broadcasting to newer and higher heights especially when he was later appointed the Director General of the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) In those years he stood in the vanguard of shaping the nation’s media standards to great heights. In 1978 then at age 46, Dr Kolade left the world of broadcasting to take up newer challenges as Director of Administration at Cadbury Nigeria Plc By that he had veered into the private sector of the nation’s economy. He had so much to do there to make the nation proud. It is on record that he did his best.
By 1984 he had become the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Cadbury. He went on later to become the Board Chairman. Dr Christopher Kolade is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s best brains who not only dominated the country’s space for decades , but also impacted it positively and tremendously
Since 1960 he has worn many different hats/caps in the services he has rendered to this country. As Educationist, Broadcaster and Administrator, Boardroom guru, Teacher of integrity, Ethics and Corporate governance, and a great Mentor, he crowned it all as the nation’s diplomat on the world stage.
Dr Kolade even in his retirement years still found time to be useful to Nigeria and humanity. Until his death, he remained a principal figure in several institutions. Always a brilliant and diligent statesman, the late Kolade gave this country all he had in service . No wonder President Bola Tinubu described him in a tribute after his death as “a patriot and an uncompromising advocate of transparency and accountability in governance” Tinubu also saw him as a man who served Nigeria dutifully with honesty and great dedication” Mr President went on to describe the late Christopher Kolade as”Custodian of Nigeria’s Enterprise history, especially in Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management.” Here indeed was a man!
There is no doubting the fact that the late paragon of integrity was an egg head in all the fields he dabbled into. A formidable name in business management, a core professional in the corporate world and work ethics, his remarkable inputs and services as we found got extended to national and international organizations.
At different times and sometimes even simultaneously, Dr Kolade led the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Institute of Personnel Management Nigeria, the International Institute of Communication and The World Association for Christian Communication. He was awarded with the Order of St Augustine Medal by the Archbishop of Canterbury . Nigeria the appreciating country of his, deservingly gave him the Commander of the order of the Niger (CON) national award.
Apart from he serving as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade also served as Board Chairman of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Program (SURE-P) of the Federal government under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration.
The late Nigerian shinning star from Osun State was an advocate of Business integrity. He chaired the Integrity Organization Ltd GTE, as well as The Convention of Business Integrity Ltd, GTE.
His dedication to ethics, leadership and integrity inspired him to set up the Christopher Kolade Centre for Research in Leadership and Ethics (CKCRLE). It is an organisation that bears the late Kolade’s name in recognition of his unwavering commitment to leadership, ethics, education and learning.
The Centre strives to influence positively, the Nigerian and African environment through research in leadership. Dr Kolade’s understanding of leadership and integrity continues to shape the Centre’s mission as well as foster a culture of ethnical leadership and impactful research on the African Continent. It also shares knowledge that improves the way managers lead and live in Africa and the world at conferences, through the electronic, print and the social media to disseminate the result of its research works.
Even in old age, Dr Christopher Kolade taught Corporate Governance, Human Resources Management as courses at Lagos Business School (LBS) , Leadership and Conflict Management at School of Media and Communication (SMC) ; two institutions that are both affiliated with Pan- Atantic University, Lagos. He equally held very significant roles in the governance and Administrative structure of the university.
A great organist he for many years was choir director at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Lagos . Dr Kolade was Chairman and Pro-chancellor Pan- Atlantic University in Ogun state.
Gov Ademola Adeleke of Osun State the home State of Dr Kolade in his tribute described the late son of Erin-Oke as “someone whose life was marked by excellence and untainted integrity.” He added that his selflessness in service to Nigeria has shaped several institutions for the better, and will guide generations of Nigerians to come. May his soul rest in peace.
From Nigeria death moved into Kenya in East Africa where this last Wednesday 15th of October, Ralia Odinga Kenya’s Chief Opposition leader died at Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala, India. Odinga was Prime Minister of Kenya from 17th April, 2008 to 9th of April 2013.
Ralia Odinga died at age 80 from cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment in India. He was the son of Kenyan’s one time Vice president, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Under late president Daniel Arap Moi, Ralia Odinga spent 8 years in prison. When he was eventually freed from prison, he gave full support to the 2010 Kenya’s constitution that has transformed the East African nation into a modern democracy.
As opposition leader Odinga lost election for Kenya’s presidency five different times: 1997 2007, 2013 2017 and in 2022 to the young man William Ruto. That made him become the symbol of the country’s democratic opposition. He was a politician who was known to have often forged alliance with his erstwhile rivals each time he lost. He did so even to the incumbent president, William Ruto who he lost to in 2022. In the process he managed to get on to a broad based coalition that tended to give some key positions to members of his political fold.
Odinga’s fans called him ‘Baba’ meaning father and also saw him as their “hero”.
As the symbol of opposition the down trodden Kenyan’s loved to call him a ” man of peace” Their feeling is that his death has robbed Kenya of their future. Whatever that means for an 80 year old political leader who repeatedly lost in presidential elections! But then it goes to show the love they had for the symbol of opposition in Kenya politics. Some Kenyas called him the king. For these ones a hero has fallen. Inspite of their love, Ralia Odinga did not belong to the class of the poor. He had a vast estate in Karen one of the high brow areas in his native home. He led the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
It is not in doubt that the Odinga family dynasty has remained a formidable one in the history of Kenyan politics.
His father was Vice president. He himself has helped to strengthen democracy in Kenya and cannot be wished away with the wave of the hand.
No wonder President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had cause to describe him as a “Towering figure in the politics of Africa”. In his tribute to Kenyan’s the Nigerian president also called him “a champion of democracy and justice”. Mr President is very right. Since the dictatorial era of Arap Moi who succeeded Jomo Keyanitta in 1978, and ruled till the 1990s, Ralia Odinga had helped to stabilize Kenyan and Africa’s democracy.
For a man to run elections for five times, never won it but continued to plode on, is no mean an effort and service to his country.
His, indeed, is the end of an era of Kenyan politics. Having been given a state burial in Nairobi on Friday, two days after his death we can only end this piece by saying; May the gentle soul of Ralia Odinga of Kenya rest in peace. Here in deed was a politician.
Smolette Adetoyese Shittu-Alamu.
