Famous Nigerian broadcaster, diplomat, and corporate leader, Dr. Christopher Kolade, has died at the age of 93 on Thursday.
His family announced his passage in statement issued that he passed away peacefully on Thursday.
Born in 1932 in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Kolade was the son of an Anglican missionary. He attended Government College, Ibadan, before proceeding to Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he obtained his degree.
The late Kolade started his career as a broadcaster and rose to become the Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). His professional journey later took him into the corporate world, where he served as Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc.
He also represented Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and served earlier in his career as an Education Officer during the colonial era.
Kolade was deeply involved in academia, particularly at the Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, where he taught courses in Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management at the Lagos Business School, as well as Leadership and Conflict Management at the School of Media and Communication.
He was a former member of the university’s Governing Council, later becoming its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman. He also served as Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.
A strong advocate for ethical business practices, Kolade chaired the Integrity Organisation Limited GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Limited GTE, promoting transparency and good governance in corporate Nigeria.
Dr. Kolade’s contributions to broadcasting, education, and business leadership earned him a reputation as one of Nigeria’s most respected figures in both public and private life.
Notably, he was awarded the prestigious Order of St. Augustine medal by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was appointed Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Board by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012.
As an advocate of business integrity, Kolade also chaired organizations such as Integrity Organization Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.
