Forte Oil Plc chairman Femi Otedola has said that the late Wahab Folawiyo is the richest Nigerian that ever lived.
In a caption of a photo he took with Tunde Folwaiyo, son of the deceased, the Forte Oil boss said it was the late Folawiyo that taught him entrepreneurship.
“In Malaysia with my brother, the great Tunde Folawiyo! 43 years ago his family opened my eyes to entrepreneurship! The great late Chief Iyanda Folawiyo, the richest Nigerian of all time!
“The first time I drove a car in 1976, Tunde availed me the opportunity! May the late Baba Adinni’s gentle soul continue to rest in peace,” Otedola wrote.
At least five Nigerians have been named as the richest of all time by various sources.
They include: Antonio Fernandez, Louis Ojukwu (father of the late Biafran leader), Candido Da Rocha, Alhassan Dantata (grandfather of Aliko Dangote) and the late Moshood Abiola.
The late Wahab Folawiyo, who lived from June 16, 1928 to June 6, 2008 was a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist.
According to Wikipedia, in 1957, he founded Yinka Folawiyo & Sons, which has become the parent company of the Yinka Folawiyo Group of Companies
He was born in Lagos to Pa Tijani, a wealthy local merchant, during the British colonial era. He attended the University of North London in 1951, where he read Management, specialising in ship brokerage.
Folawiyo returned to start Yinka Folawiyo & Sons, an import and export business. He was also the first African-descended principal member of the Baltic Exchange in London.
