Gamaliel Onosode May 22, 1933 – Sept 29, 2015

The news of the passing of Gamaliel Offoritsenere Onosode, last month, came as a huge shock to Nigerians. The accomplished technocrat and private sector heavyweight died on September 29, at the age of 82, after succumbing to an undisclosed protracted ailment. Family members said he died a day after he was flown back to Nigeria, […]

The news of the passing of Gamaliel Offoritsenere Onosode, last month, came as a huge shock to Nigerians. The accomplished technocrat and private sector heavyweight died on September 29, at the age of 82, after succumbing to an undisclosed protracted ailment.
Family members said he died a day after he was flown back to Nigeria, in line with his wish, from the United Kingdom, where he had been taking treatment.
Since the sad news broke, prominent Nigerians have paid tribute to the man that many came to know as a model for integrity, corporate management success and selfless service.
President Muhammadu Buhari said Onosode was a “colossus in Nigeria’s private sector,” who “also excelled in public service on various occasions.”
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari charged “his family, friends, associates and other Nigerians to honour Mr Onosode’s memory by upholding the virtues of integrity, honesty and dedication to service, which he passionately promoted in his long and highly in the private and public sectors.”
“He operated ahead of his time,” said former President Goodluck Jonathan, “by striving to introduce a controlled approach to public finance, at a time when prudent management of resources was largely ignored in many public offices.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki
Hassan, described the deceased as a “gentleman who distinguished himself in business and politics as a devout Christian and deacon of the Baptist Church.”
On its part, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) said Onosode’s death was a great loss to the Nigerian capital market. NSE’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Oscar Onyema, said the deceased “was an exceptional, forthright and inspirational leader, whose life exemplified all the values dear to the NSE.”
Mr. Onyema recalled that Onosode founded the first indigenous stock broking firm in Nigeria, Nigeria Stockbrokers Limited.
Onosode was born in Sapele in Delta State and received his tertiary education from the University of Ibadan. He had at various times, chaired the boards of a number of private firms, including Dunlop Nigeria Plc (1984-2007) and Cadbury Nigeria Plc (1977-93), among many others.
He also headed the Presidential Commission on Parastatals in 1981, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Working Committee from 1985-1990. He was also the inaugural president of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, a former Pro-Chancellor of the Governing Board of the University of Ibadan, his alma mater.
As a devout member of the Baptist Church, he was the chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Baptist Convention and chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary.    He also established Good News Baptist Church, now a ranking mission in the Nigerian Baptist Convention, in 1984.
We join other Nigerians to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and associates of this great colossus, whose legacies in Nigeria’s private sector are unmatched.
We equally enjoin other Nigerians to learn from the lessons of his exceptional achievements and integrity, in a successful lifelong career that crisscrossed both private and public sectors.
Gamaliel Onosode lived well and achieved a lot and Nigeria needs more like him.