Former Nigerian high commissioner to the UK Dr Christopher Kolade passes away

FORMER Nigerian high commissioner to the United Kingdom and a one-time chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Dr Christopher Kolade has passed away quietly in his sleep in Lagos at the ripe old age of 92.

Dr Kolade, who was born in Erin-Oke in Osun State in 1932-2025, was the son of an Anglican missionary who completed his secondary school education at Government College, Ibadan after which he studied at Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone. He served as high commissioner to the UK between 2002 and 2007, during which time he founded the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk).

A veteran broadcaster, Dr Kolade had a distinguished career as a diplomat, academic, advocate for integrity and as a corporate businessman among other things. Dr Kolade began his career in broadcasting, eventually rising to the position of director-general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.

He later became chief executive and chairman of Cadbury Nigeria, where he was widely recognised for his ethical leadership and corporate reforms. Among other things, he taught corporate governance and human resources management at the Lagos Business School and leadership and conflict management at the School of Media & Communication, both part of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

A family spokesman said: “We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings.”

Among other things, Dr Kolade was also a former member of the Pan-Atlantic University’s governing council, and served as its pro-chancellor and chairman. He was also later appointed as the chancellor of McPherson University in Ogun State.

Deeply committed to promoting ethical standards in business, Dr Kolade chaired several integrity-driven organisations, including Integrity Organisation and The Convention on Business Integrity. He was a fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters, the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Personnel Management in Nigeria where he served as president from 1988 to 1994.