Bola Kuforiji-Olubi
Bola Kuforiji-Olubi | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 28, 1936 |
| Died | December 3, 2016 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Traditional leader, accountant, banker, politician |
| Known for | First female president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; first female CEO of a multinational corporation in Nigeria; Minister of Commerce and Industry (1993) |
Chief Bola Kuforiji-Olubi (28 September 1936 – 3 December 2016) was a distinguished Nigerian traditional leader, accountant, banker, and political figure. In 1993, she was appointed as the Minister of Commerce and Industry under Chief Ernest Shonekan's Interim National Government. She also bore the chieftaincy title of Otunba Ayora of Ijebu Ode.
Education and affiliations
Born on 28 September 1936, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi earned a B.Sc. with honours in Economics from the University of London in 1963. Her professional journey began as a Grade Two Teacher at Zawan Girls Catholic Primary School in Jos, where she advanced to headmistress by the age of 19 in 1955. She achieved fellowship status at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales in 1977, the ICAN in 1976, and the British Chartered Institute of Company Secretaries (ACIS) in 1964. Moreover, she was affiliated with the Nigerian Institute of Management (FMIN) and the British Institute of Directors.
Awards and recognition
Kuforiji-Olubi was honoured with several distinctions acknowledging her impact on business and management education, including:
- Doctorate in Business Administration from Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 1997
- Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD) conferred by Bayero University, Kano, in 2004
- Honorary Doctorate of Letters awarded by Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, in 2006
- Member of the Order of the Niger, Nigeria’s national accolade, granted in 1979 for her efforts in advancing management education and socio-economic progress
- Certificate of merit from the United Nations Decade for Women in 1980
- Excellence awards presented by the University of Benin’s Skonit Club (1988) and Brigade of Nigeria (1992)
- Designated Honorary Grammarian by CMS Grammar School in 1988
- International recognition for outstanding entrepreneurial accomplishments from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
- Woman of Achievement award from the Woman Development Centre, Abuja, in 2005
Career roles
Throughout her career, Kuforiji-Olubi occupied significant leadership positions both nationally and internationally. She was notably the 25th president—and first female—of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, where she introduced the Accounting Technicians Course.
She made history as Nigeria’s first female CEO at a multinational corporation, VYB Industries Limited (which included British partners like Inchcape plc), and also became the first woman to chair a publicly traded company, Bewac Plc.
Her governance experience extended across various organizations. She was the founding Chairperson of the Osun River Basin Development Authority from 1976 to 1980 and served on the governing council of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) between 1981 and 1983. In 1984, she broke new ground as chairman of United Bank for Africa Plc—the first woman to hold such a position in sub-Saharan Africa—remaining until 1990. Additionally, she served as vice chairperson for the National Conference on Nigerian Foreign Policy until 2000 and was a member of the National Sport Commission from 1986 to 1989. As a founding member and chairperson of the Lagos State Education Endowment Fund, she was later appointed Minister for Commerce and Tourism during Nigeria’s interim government in 1993. Furthermore, she held roles as deputy chair and federal commissioner responsible for revenue mobilization in Ogun State.
Publications
- The Female Entrepreneur and Financial Management for Survival (1987)
- Civil Service Reform in a Developing Economy (1988)
- The Corporate Woman: A Marginalised Group, Problems and Strategies for Success (1989)
- Technical Education as a Catalyst for Technical Cooperation and Economic Growth in Developing Countries (1992)
- Co-author of Changing Course.