Very few Nigerians have had opinions undivided among the living after their death. Dr. Christopher Olusola Kolade is one of the few. At his death on October 8, 2025, Nigerians across all disciplines were unanimous in their verdict on the great man: humble, simple, compassionate and, above all, unquestionable integrity. To this day, no one who has had an opportunity to eulogise the great man failed to be effusive.
Former Nigerian military and civilian leader, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is renowned for not being showy with praise of others. But Obasanjo spoke of Kolade in glowing terms in a way not a few had been held spell-bound. At the specially organised Service of Songs and Night of Tributes for the accomplished broadcaster, boardroom guru, teacher and diplomat at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts (formerly National Theatre), Iganmu, Lagos on October 27, Obasanjo revealed to the audience that the deceased had been his dependable friend “from way back”.
“I do not have many friends. But Christopher is one of the few friends I had and cherished. His commitment to the national course was incomparable. I recall how I had to persuade him to serve as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to London from 2002 to 2007 during my tenure as president. It was very difficult to get him convinced that he was indeed the personality I needed at the time to be the High Commissioner. The UK had the highest number of Nigerians abroad and I strongly believed Christopher would be the best for the job. It turned out that his presence in London would help Nigeria pave the way for the debt relief that my administration secured. Aside from this, he also demonstrated great commitment and support for the Nigerian mission in the UK.”
But accepting to be Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK by Kolade was not as easy as Obasanjo may have portrayed at the Night of Tributes. The incredibly content former executive chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc had taken some time to weigh his letter of appointment before finally giving in to the challenge of living outside Nigeria after a long time at home. He did not personally deliver the acceptance letter to Obasanjo either. Rather, he fetched the Cadbury’s then Media Relations Manager, Mr. Emeka Oparah (currently Group Vice President, Corporate Communications and CSR, Airtel Africa), armed him with the letter and sent him on a mission to Obasanjo at the Aso Villa, Abuja to deliver it. Obasanjo bothered little about how the acceptance letter was delivered to him. As far as he was concerned, Kolade had granted his wish.
Obasanjo also did not forget to mention Kolade’s key role in founding the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, of which the latter was a trustee. “Christopher had the carriage of incomparable success; anything he touched easily turned gold. Such was his remarkable life that he deserves to be emulated,” the former president said.
At the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture, effusion could best describe the encomium poured on the late Kolade. President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, led the pack. “Dr. Kolade was an honourable and most distinguished man of integrity, competence and compassion and his foundation’s work supporting those with sickle cell disease was truly impacting and inspiring,” Tinubu said.
The Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, also said: “Uncle Christopher was a shining example of how to serve his fellow humans. His leadership in the public and private sectors is much admired and regarded by most as best practice. He was calm, dignified and cerebral, his comportment even in times of stress was one that we all wanted to emulate. He chaired the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, providing support to communities during economic reforms.”
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, also took their turns on the podium, extolling Kolade’s virtues and enjoining Nigerians, particular the younger generation, to live the life that would be celebrated.
A clergyman, Yinka Akinlade, Bishop of the Diocese of Ife, weighed in on a spiritual plane: “Dr. Christopher Kolade was not a perfect man, but he was a good man. Today’s sermon is not about the dead but for us, the living. I therefore urge this congregation to engage in self-reflection and spiritual renewal. I also challenge you to examine what governs your lives and have the fear of God while on earth. What are you allowing to take control of you? Is it the Spirit of God, or is it self and the world? When you allow the Spirit of God to heal you, even if you die physically, you live on in the spirit. Jesus said, the one who believes in me, that’s the Christian, even when this flesh dies, he lives on.”
Oparah, one of Kolade’s many mentees, summed up his mentor: “People like Dr. Kolade, whose life we revere and celebrate, never die; they live forever in the hearts and minds of millions whose lives they touched by their exemplary conduct. Every single testimony speaks to his integrity and forthrightness.”
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