President Bola Tinubu and other distinguished Nigerians have paid glowing tributes to the late Dr. Christopher Kolade, a revered boardroom titan, elder statesman, broadcaster, and educator. They have celebrated him as a business icon whose life exemplified diligence, integrity, and patriotism.
They described Dr Kolade as a rare model of ethical leadership and excellence who embodied public service and corporate stewardship ideals.
In a condolence message he personally signed on Thursday, President Tinubu said he received the news of Dr Kolade’s passing with “profound sadness,” noting that Nigeria has lost one of its most respected intellectual and moral figures.
Dr Kolade, who died at the age of 92 on Wednesday, was a revered broadcaster, educationist, diplomat, and boardroom guru who served Nigeria in various capacities, including as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). President Tinubu described the late nonagenarian as “one of Nigeria’s intellectual treasures and a custodian of the nation’s enterprise history,” noting his towering contributions to corporate governance, human resource development, and leadership ethics.
“Dr Kolade was among the finest of men. He was exceptionally brilliant, statesmanly, diligent, and had unimpeachable integrity,” the President said.
“He was not only a boardroom icon, serving as one-time chief executive and chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, but also a patriot and an uncompromising advocate of transparency and accountability in governance.”
The President commended Dr Kolade’s decades-long devotion to service, both in public and private life. He said his career stood as an example of selfless leadership and moral uprightness in an era when values often gave way to expediency.
He said Dr Kolade’s imprint was visible across multiple spheres from the classrooms of his early teaching days, through his distinguished media career, to his outstanding contributions in diplomacy, management, and nation-building.
“He served Nigeria dutifully, with honesty and great dedication,” Tinubu added. “From working as a colonial-era education officer to serving as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and director general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, Dr Kolade left ineffaceable stamps of distinction in every endeavour — whether in the boardroom, on panels, or in public office.”
The President also recalled Kolade’s philanthropic gestures through the Christopher Kolade Foundation, noting his sustained advocacy for sickle cell patients and his commitment to education and youth development.
“I recall his many humanitarian interventions through the Christopher Kolade Foundation, especially his support for sickle cell patients, a cause to which he donated a chunk of his earnings,” Tinubu said.
While acknowledging that Dr Kolade’s death was a painful loss to the nation, President Tinubu urged Nigerians to celebrate a life with honour, purpose, and distinction.
“Dr Kolade’s passing is agonising, yet we must celebrate his life and legacy. He lived an exemplary life and immortalised himself in his uncommon service to our nation and humanity,” he stated.
The President described the late elder statesman as a “representation of the true Nigerian — selfless, resilient, and principled,” adding that his life would remain an enduring source of inspiration for future generations.
“He will remain an inspiration for us and for many generations. May God Almighty, whom he served so faithfully, grant him eternal rest,” the President concluded.
Also, former Commonwealth secretary general, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Dr Christopher Kolade, describing him as “an Iroko in the country’s limited forest of public servants with impeccable integrity.”
In a condolence message sent from London, Anyaoku lamented the loss of the revered diplomat, corporate titan, and statesman, noting that Nigeria has lost one of its most ethical and exemplary figures — both in public service and in the private sector.
“Christopher Kolade was a star leader in our country’s broadcasting service and a consummate professional in the private sector, where, among other notable achievements, he steered Cadbury Nigeria Plc with distinction — first as chief executive officer and later as chairman,” Anyaoku said.
He further praised Kolade’s “remarkably enduring legacies,” citing his sterling service as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, in which he represented the nation with uncommon dignity, diplomacy, and excellence.
Kolade: The Gentleman Who Redefined Corporate Leadership
When Dr. Christopher Kolade crossed from the world of broadcasting into the corporate arena in 1978 as Administration Director of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, few could have foreseen that he was on course to redefine corporate leadership in Nigeria.
Within a few short years, he became managing director, chief executive, and eventually chairman, leading the company through what many would later describe as its “golden era.”
But Kolade did not step into the boardroom with bluster or bravado. He came with grace — the quiet kind that commands respect without ever demanding it. While others viewed the boardroom as a battleground of egos, Kolade saw it as a classroom of ideas. He listened intently, spoke deliberately, and when he finally did, his words carried the weight of wisdom and experience.
To him, leadership was never about power or fear, but about trust. His calm insistence on fairness, discipline, and transparency made Cadbury a beacon of corporate governance in an environment often clouded by compromise. Those who worked closely with him remember his signature question in moments of decision:
“Is this the right thing to do?”
For Kolade, that question was not rhetorical; it was a moral compass. In his world, profit without principle was nothing but failure in disguise.
Even after his illustrious years at Cadbury, Kolade’s influence continued to ripple across Nigeria’s corporate and governance landscape. His counsel was sought by institutions that valued integrity as much as innovation — from Shell Nigeria to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), from the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) to The Integrity Organisation. Wherever he served, his presence was never ceremonial; it was catalytic.
He did not sit on boards for prestige or perks, but to help steer institutions toward honesty, accountability, and purpose-driven leadership — virtues he personified with rare humility.
Long before “corporate governance” became a buzzword, Kolade was already championing it. As Chairman of both The Integrity Organisation and The Convention on Business Integrity, he pioneered initiatives that set ethical standards for Nigerian enterprises and reshaped conversations around business morality.
As an educator, Kolade invested deeply in the next generation of leaders. At the Lagos Business School, he taught courses in Corporate Governance and Human Resource Management; at the School of Media and Communication, he lectured on Leadership and Conflict Management — both under the umbrella of Pan-Atlantic University, where he later served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council. He also served as Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.
In every role — broadcaster, corporate leader, diplomat, or teacher — Christopher Kolade stood as a model of integrity and excellence. His life was not merely a career of achievements, but a testimony to what principled leadership can accomplish in a society yearning for it.
