Christopher Kolade, one of Nigeria’s most revered elder statesmen, has passed away at the age of 92.
His death was confirmed by his family in a statement released on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
“We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” the statement partly read.
Born on December 28, 1932, in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Dr Kolade lived a life distinguished by integrity, leadership, and commitment across various fields—including broadcasting, diplomacy, corporate governance, and education.
He was the son of an Anglican missionary and attended Government College in Ibadan. He later furthered his education at Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone. His academic achievements were later recognised with honorary doctorate degrees from institutions such as the University of Sierra Leone in 1976 and McPherson University in 2016.
Dr Kolade began his career in broadcasting and eventually rose to become the Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). He later ventured into the corporate world and served as chief executive and chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc.
Due to his outstanding leadership and integrity, he was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, where he served with distinction.
Following his diplomatic service, Dr Kolade continued to contribute to the development of society by teaching corporate governance and human resource management at the Lagos Business School (LBS) and leadership and conflict management at the School of Media and Communication (SMC), both at Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. He also held the position of Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the university.
Outside academia, Dr Kolade occupied leadership positions in numerous professional organisations, including the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, the International Institute for Communications, and the World Association for Christian Communication.
In recognition of his exceptional service to humanity, he received several awards, including the Order of St. Augustine medal conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 2012, he was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan to chair the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Board.
Dr Kolade was a steadfast advocate for transparency and ethical business practices. He also chaired Integrity Organisation Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.
