Former Minister Kuforiji-Olubi is dead

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A former Minister of Commerce, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi is dead.

The Ogun State government in a statement said she died on Saturday barely over two months after she clocked 80 years.

She was the first female president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN.

“Yes we will miss her, but we still have to thank God for the impactful and successful life she lived,” Governor Ibikunle Amosun was quoted as saying in the statement.

He added that the late Mrs. Kuforiji-Olubi was not only a successful technocrat, “she also impacted and motivated generations of Nigerians, especially women, through her industry and success as a technocrat and an administrator.”

While commiserating with the Kuforiji-Olubi family, the people of Ogun State and indeed all Nigerians over the loss, Mr. Amosun said “for us in Ogun State, she was an icon. She was one of those international icons that made us proud.”

He added that, “her enviable track record includes being the first woman in sub-Saharan Africa to serve as chairman of a leading financial institution, UBA; the first chairman of ‎Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority and Vice Chairman, National Conference on Nigerian foreign policy among others.

“We will particularly miss her words of wisdom at this critical stage in the development of our dear state,” Mr. Amosun said.

In his condolence message, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos said “she wrote her name in gold in the banking industry and was a pace-setter and leader in banking, manufacturing and entrepreneurship not only in Nigeria but also in Sub-Saharan Africa.”