Though in her time, women were not a familiar sight in the boardroom, Otunba Ayora Bolajoko Kuforiji-Olubi, defied all odds to become a queen in boardrooms within and outside Nigeria while creating a record of first that many can only dream of. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE writes
Until she died few days ago at the ripe age of 80, Otunba Bolajoko Dorcas Kuforiji-Olubi was known as one of the brains that held the banking world by the jugular, at a period when few women were admitted into board rooms. She not only made a mark in the business world but is known to have broken many records and created a long list of firsts in the history of Nigeria and indeed the African continent.
Otunba Kuforiji – Olubi was the first female to become president of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria and as the 25th president of the institute between 1989 and 1990, she launched the Accounting Technicians Course 1989–1990. She was the first Nigerian woman to become the Chief Executive Officer of a multinational company – VYB Industries Limited, with British affiliates (incheape & Co Plc).
The renowned banker was also the first female chairman of a public quoted company; Bewac Plc, she was the first chairman of the Ogun- Osun River basin development between 1976 and 1980. She was also the first woman in Africa, south of the Sahara to be appointed chairman of a leading financial Institution, the United Bank for Africa Plc in 1984.
Further, she was the first female graduate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAN). She was a foundation member and grand matron of the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN).
In her lifetime, she was a member of the governing council of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic research (NISER) from 1981 to 1983, the vice chairman of the National conference on Nigerian foreign policy in the year 2000, member National Sport commission between 198 and 1989. She was a foundation member and chairman of the Lagos State Education endowment fund (1988–1999). She was appointed as honorable Minister for Commerce and Tourism in the interim National government of Nigeria in 1983.
Few weeks back, just after her 80th birthday, she paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari and she had this to say during the visit, “having turned 80, I looked at my life and made a list of those who contributed to what I have become in my life and the name of President Muhammadu Buhari came topmost on the list. This is why I am here to pay my respect and thank him,” she had stated.
Kuforiji – Olubi was born on September 28, 1936. She is a graduate of the University of London with B. Sc honours in Economics and a fellow of the Institute of Charted Accountants, England and Wales 1977, British Chartered institutes of company Secretaries (ACIS 1964), the Nigerian Institute of management (FMIN) 1985 and the British Institute of Directors.
She received many honours and awards which include Doctor of letter (Honoris Causa), Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State in 2006, Doctor of Business Administration from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 1997, Doctor of Laws, LLD honoris causa (which in Latin means “for the sake of the honor”) from the Bayero University, Kano in 2004, National award of member of the Order of the Niger in 1979 by the Federal government of Nigeria for her numerous contributions to management education and socio- economic advancement of Nigeria and the award of Order of the Niger (OON) in 2002.
Other awards includes award for Excellence from the University of Benn’s Skonit Club in 1988, award of certificate of Merit by the United Nations Decade of Woman in 1980, award of Excellence by Brigade of Nigeria in 1992, honorary Grammarian of CMS in 1988 by CMS grammar school, International award of Excellence for outstanding entrepreneurial achievements by MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States in 1992 and the 2002 conferment award for Woman of achievements under the auspices of the Woman development centre, Abuja.
She had various publications to her name; the female Entrepreneur and Financial Management for Survival in 1987, the corporate Woman, a marginalised group, problem and strategies for success, vide public enlightenment programme of the institute of Directors in 1989, Civil service reform in a developing economy in 1988, technical education as a catalyst for technical cooperation and economic growth in developing countries in 1992 as well as co-authoring changing course.
Otunba Kuforiji-Olubi indeed lived a full life and explored her talents, creating a record that is quite hard to beat. And she can be said to have seen it all and done it all, conquering challenges to reach her potentials