By Ajani Okanlawon
Tributes have been pouring in following the death of politician, technocrat and administrator, Gamaliel Onosode, on Tuesday.
Family sources said the 82-year-old former presidential aspirant under the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) died at about 8.15am in a Lagos hospital.
The Presidential Adviser to former President Shehu Shagari was said to have been flown home on Monday from London after a protracted illness.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said “Mr. Onosode was one of the few Nigerians who ruled the boardroom.”
Ambode said the quintessential businessman was also a master in his field and deeply religious.
“It was not therefore surprising that he rose to become a leading boardroom player in Nigeria’s corporate environment.
“He will be remembered for the dexterity he brought to bear when he served as chairman and board member of several multinational companies,” the governor said.
Ambode expressed his deepest condolences to the Onosode family on behalf of the good people of Lagos state, saying the death is indeed a sad loss.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also described Onosode as a man of integrity and exemplary discipline.
In a statement released by his media office in Abuja, Atiku said that Onosode was not only straight in all his business dealings, but carried himself with admirable composure, standing straight and tall and speaking loudly and clearly right up till his 80s.
“Onosode was a big man who didn’t necessarily look the part. He was in trim, good shape and his tastes were simple,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President thanked God for keeping Onosode alive for all till a ripe age, and encouraged his family, loved ones and community to focus on his achievements and on his contribution to posterity, rather than on his departure.
“You and the rest of Nigeria can rest in the assurance that Onosode left his footprints on the sands of time,” he said.
Former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu, described Onosode as an extraordinary boardroom guru and a consummate philanthropist, whose demise is a monumental loss to the nation.
Kalu acknowledged the accomplishments of the late technocrat in the private and public spheres of life.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said: “The passing of Deacon Gamaliel Onosode is sad, coming at a time his vast wisdom is needed for the economic advancement of the country. He was a silent achiever who believed in sincerity, hard work and equity. He lived a modest life despite his intimidating credentials. His legacies will remain evergreen in the minds of the people. Mr. Onosode will be deeply missed.”
The former governor urged the deceased’s family to take solace in the fact that their patriarch lived a fulfilled life dedicated to God and humanity.
Kalu, while commiserating with the government and people of Delta State and the Onosode family, prayed God to grant the late entrepreneur eternal rest and also give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also paid tribute in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh.
The party said it was “deeply saddened by the loss of this great Nigerian, a highly respected statesman and organised corporate administrator who made immense contributions towards the economic and political development of our dear nation.”
Born on 22nd May, 1933 in Sapele, Delta State, Onosode attended Government College, Ughelli, then known as Government Middle School, in 1947.
Five years later, he won multiple scholarships to study at the University of Ibadan (then known as University College Ibadan) where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Classics in 1957.
He emerged in the 1970s as one of Nigeria’s leading educated chief executives, when he was at the helm of NAL Merchant Bank of Nigeria.
Onosode was at various times the Chairman of Dunlop Nigeria Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Zain (now Airtel) Nigeria, Presidential Commission on Parastatals, Nigeria LNG Working Committee and Nigeria LNG Limited, the Niger Delta Environmental Survey.
He was the inaugural Chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, in addition to serving as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomosho.
