Today is one to talk about Legacies, the role older people play in the lives of young ones & how we eventually become their Legacies.
Mr. Gamaliel Oforitsenere Onosode, OFR, former Chairman of Airtel, Cadbury, Dunlop Nigeria, NLNG, Nigerian Stockbrokers Limited, former Pro-Chancellor & Chairman, Governing Council, University of Lagos, University of Uyo, University of Ibadan, Bowen University, former President, Nigerian Institute of Management, Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria etc. Today is his Birthday & he would have been 91years Old yet I remember him so fondly. He was Chairman of any & every good thing.
He taught me to how to write effortlessly without errors, contentment & never to take anything that doesn’t belong to me, to always speak the truth at whatever cost it may come. The Captain of Industry who had only few Shirts & Suits & lived in Surulere, Lagos for over 40years until his passing.
He would say a Man can’t sleep in more than one room at a time, anyway & all he needed was few, sharp clothes because the value of a Man in his heart and brain.
He was Mentor to several CEOs of the last 2 Generations of Corporate Nigeria.
My Name is Onosode, Gamaliel Onosode. That Voice, Impeccable English, Pure Eloquence, Mr. Integrity, Astounding Humility, Unflinching Faith in Humanity, Industry Trailblazer, always there when you called, always on time, never arrived anywhere late, his walls were always white, you dare not touch them. He’ll move Mountains for you, I know because he did for me. He was our Company Chairman until his Passing and at age 82, he flew in from London to be the Chairman of my Wedding. He would make Coffee in his Office & tell me stories about Business and Government.
This Country once had a few quintessential Good Men. The Professionals of the Eighties & Nineties who shaped Corporate Nigeria and put Service above Self.
Even in Death, his Life remains a Message & we continue to touch the lives of children and youth on his behalf, by supporting education programs around the Country. Just few months ago, we the Board of Trustees of the Gamaliel Onosode Foundation went to hand over & commission the N500 Million Naira worth International Management and Research Centre fully built and donated to the Lagos Business School.
The Young shall grow and the Old will go, inevitably. How would you be remembered by your Graveside and in the hearts of many, when you cross to the great beyond? If you don’t help and support a younger person who needs you, wetin you gain?
What a mighty Great Man. Dear GenZs, Google him. These are the real role models.
Who are you submitting to, who are you giving the chance to shape your Lives, Careers & Family Values? When I met him, he was 73, I was in my Twenties yet I’ve never derailed from the values & discipline he instilled in me, till today.
Papa Migwo, keep resting in Power Sir & thank you for those Christmas Trips to Ughelli & for introducing me to Starch & Owo Soup.
TAO.