By Ayo Kehinde
Veteran broadcaster, former High Commissioner to the UK and chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Dr. Christopher Kolade, has died at the age of 92.
His family confirmed his passing in a statement on Wednesday, noting that he died peacefully in the early hours of the day.
Born on December 28, 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.
Kolade began his professional career in broadcasting, where he rose through the ranks to become Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). He later served as Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, and also represented Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Following his diplomatic service, Kolade ventured into academia, teaching Corporate Governance and Human Resource Management at the Lagos Business School, and Leadership and Conflict Management at the School of Media and Communication, both of the Pan-Atlantic University. He went on to serve as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University’s Governing Council and later became Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.
A respected voice in both corporate and moral leadership, Kolade chaired several organisations, including the Integrity Organisation Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.
He also led numerous professional bodies such as 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 2012, he was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as Chairman of the SURE-P Board, where he oversaw efforts to channel fuel subsidy savings into national development projects.
Kolade received several honorary doctorate degrees, including from the University of Sierra Leone in 1976 and McPherson University in 2016.
Announcing his passing, the family said: “We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service, and we are grateful for God’s abundant blessings
