The Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN and the Lagos State Chambers of Commerce and Industries, LCCI, yesterday, mourned former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Bola Kuforiji-Olubi.
Olubi, who was former chairman, United Bank for Africa, UBA Plc, and first female president, Chartered Institute of Accountant (ICAN) passed away on Saturday, two months after her 80th birthday.
Governor Ambode in his condolence message yesterday expressed sadness over the death of the corporate amazon
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, Ambode described Kuforiji-Olubi as a distinguished businesswoman, banker, economist and accountant, who cut her teeth in the corporate world.
“On behalf of my family and the people of Lagos state, I want to express our heartfelt condolence to the family of Dr. Olubi, on this great and irreparable loss.
“I had always admired her demeanor. She was a woman of substance and quiet nobility. We will sorely miss her”, he said.
In his reaction, President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Frank Jacobs, expressed shock at the news of Kuforiji-Olubi’s demise. He said: “Kurforiji Olubi was a great technocrat. It is a great loss. May God give the family fortitude to bear the loss”.
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, equally expressed shock at her death. Retrospecting into her life and time, Muda Yusuff, Director General, LCCI, said: Kuforiji Olubi was one of the few women that made impact on the corporate world. A onetime President of ICAN, she really played a leading role in her much younger days even at a time when women were not so prominent in corporate world. She was on the board of many corporate organisations.
Businessman and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has also expressed sadness over the demise of late Kuforiji-Olubi, noting that the late accountant created a niche for herself in the private and public spheres of life.
According to the former governor, Kuforiji-Olubi served the country diligently and selflessly in different capacities.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said: “I received with pain the news of the passing of Otunba Kuforiji-Olubi. She was an extraordinary person who built true friendships and relationships across the country
Dr. Olubi was born September 28, 1936. The former 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.
