Former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, dies at 80

Former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, has died. She died in Lagos yesterday December 3rd at the age of 80.

Born on September 28th 1936, the deceased who was onetime ICAN president, graduated from the University of London in 1963. She was appointed the first female chairman of the United Bank for Africa, UBA in 1984 by President Buhari who was a military Head of State.

Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in a statement released today, condoled with her family over her death. Read his statement below

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Sunday expressed shock and sadness over the death of foremost accountant and a former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Bola Kuforiji-Olubi. Dr. Olubi, who was a former President of Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN), was appointed the first female Chairman of United Bank of Africa (UBA) in 1984, passed on at the age of 80 on Saturday. Governor Ambode in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, described Dr. Olubi as a distinguished businesswoman, banker, economist and accountant, who cut her teeth in the corporate world. The Governor recalled the former minister’s decades of distinguished career in the private and public sectors of national life, saying she was a role model to the future generation. 

“Dr. Olubi was a woman of many firsts; she wrote her name in gold in the banking industry and was a pace-setter and leader in banking, manufacturing and entrepreneurship not only in Nigeria but also in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was not surprising that she was a proud and well-deserved recipient of National honours, fellowships, awards and honorary degrees from within and outside the country,’’ Governor Ambode said.

The Governor said Dr. Olubi’s legacies would continue to be a source of inspiration to the younger generation. He also prayed for the peaceful repose of her soul, urging her family to draw strength from the legacies she stood for while she was alive and the fact that she was a devout Christian.

 “On behalf of my family and the people of Lagos state, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family of Dr. Olubi, on this great and irreparable loss. I had always admired her demeanor. She was a woman of true character, substance and quiet nobility. We will sorely miss her” he said