Molade Okoya-Thomas facts for kids

Chief Molade Alexander Okoya-Thomas (born June 8, 1935 – died February 2, 2015) was a famous Nigerian businessman and a kind person who helped many others. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria.

He went to school in Lagos, London, and New York, studying important subjects. Later, he became a respected leader, holding special titles like Asoju Oba of Lagos. He was also in charge of Lagos State University as its Chancellor and led a big company called CFAO Nigeria Limited.

Early Life and Education

Molade Okoya-Thomas was born in Lagos on June 8, 1935. His father, Alhaji Hussam Okoya-Thomas, worked for the CFAO company for 52 years. His mother was Alhaja Suwebat Okoya-Thomas.

Molade went to Princess School in Lagos from 1942 to 1946. After that, he attended Baptist Academy, Lagos for high school. He was a top student and his name was put on the school's DUX BOARD (Honors Board) when he graduated in 1956.

After high school, he studied accounting at Balham and Tooting College of Commerce in London from 1956 to 1959. He also had more training in Accountancy at Columbia University in New York City in 1981. He returned to Nigeria in 1959 and started working as an accountant for CFAO. This was the start of his long and successful career with the company.

His Career and Leadership

Molade Okoya-Thomas held many important positions throughout his life. He became a director at several companies, including Transcap Nigeria Limited and Niger Motors Industries Limited.

Since 1987, he was the Chairman of CFAO Nigeria Limited. He also led other organizations like CICA (Nigeria) Ltd. and Oktom Investment Ltd. He was a director at NFI Insurance Company Plc and GatewayBank Plc.

He helped develop Lagos State by serving on various committees. He was a member of the Lagos City Council from 1971 to 1975. He also chaired the Board of Trustees for Glover Memorial Hall and Tom Jones Hall.

Because of his great contributions, he received the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. This is the highest honor that France gives to a person from another country.

Contributions to Sports and Helping Others

Molade Okoya-Thomas was very active in sports when he was younger. He even held a record in the 4 X 220 yards relay race while at Baptist Academy.

He is famous for sponsoring the annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championships for over 40 years. He was the only Nigerian to consistently support a competition for such a long time.

As a kind person who helped others (a philanthropist), he also served as Vice-Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council. He was President of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. He also led committees to raise money for sports development. In 2009, he built and gave a modern sports hall to Lagos State University (LASU) for its students and staff.

He was also a key member of the group that raised money to build the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere. To honor his many contributions, the indoor sports hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium was named after him on June 8, 2010, when he turned 75.

Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas passed away on February 2, 2015, after a short illness.