The last child of late boardroom guru, foremost technocrat and business administrator, Gamaliel Onosode is dead. Emmanuel Oforitsenere who was the seventh child of the former chairman of Dunlop Nigeria passed on at the age of 57 in Portland, Oregon, United States of America. While a service of songs will be held in his honour on August 12 in Portland, Oregon another memorial service and night of tributes is being planned for him at a yet to be fixed date and time at Unity Hill Chapel Church, The Campbell center on Lagos Island. He will be buried in the US on August 12.
Over a week after his death, details surrounding how the business consultant passed on still remains sketchy. The late Emmanuel was a typical Lagos boy who started his education at St. Catherine’s Model School, Lagos, his secondary education at The International School, University of Ibadan. He was to later bag a degree in English from the University of Ibadan before proceeding to the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, for further studies in economics and political science. He left behind a wife, Chinyere and three children.
Emmanuel was a businessman who ventured into the world of oil and gas industry, foreign exchange, gems and precious stones, to name a few. He was an integral member of the Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation (GAMSU) and was instrumental in bringing high value donors, such as General Electric and the Ford Foundation, to support the work of the foundation. He served as a Director of The DreamBank Foundation, a social innovation non-profit organsaation.
He will be remembered as a man who was a connector of people and destinies. He helped expand a lot of businesses and changed the lives of many who benefited from his vast network across industries and continents. He was an avid student of martial arts, played the piano well and was an undisputed ludo champion. Emmanuel’s famous father, who was a notable boardroom guru, passed on in Lagos in 2015 at the age of 82.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
