BILLIONAIRE businessman, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas is dead. According to reports, he died in the early hours of Monday at the age of 79.
Until his death, Okoya was the Asoju Oba of Lagos, Babasuwa of Ijebu-Remo, Odofin of Ife, the current Chancellor of Lagos State University and chairman of CFAO Nigeria Limited. He is also a well known sports enthusiast, Okoya-Thomas was a committed sponsor of the popular annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship in Lagoshe was chairman of many organizations including CICA (Nigeria) Ltd., Transcap Nigeria Ltd., Oktom Investment Ltd., Itochu Nigeria Ltd., Chiyoda Nigeria Ltd. and Anchoria Investment & Securities Ltd. He also served as Director of NFI Insurance Company Plc and GatewayBank Plc.
He has also contributed to the development of Lagos State by serving in numerous committees including; member, Lagos City Council from 1971 to 1975, member Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, Chairman Board of Trustees Glover Memorial Hall and Tom Jones Hall.
Molade Okoya-Thomas was an active sportsman in his youth, he was a Joint All Nigeria Record Holder of 4 X 220 yards relay race while at Baptist Academy Lagos. He has been the sole sponsor of the annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championships for over four decades, setting a record as the only Nigerian to have single-handedly and consistently sponsored a competition spanning over four decades.
Okoya-Thomas MFR was born in Lagos on 8 June 1935 to Late Hussam Okoya-Thomas (the first Baba Adinni of Furabay Mosque, Olowogbowo, Lagos and the first local staff of CFAO, who served the company for 52 years) and Late Alhaja Suwebat Okoya-Thomas (née Gbajabiamila, Otun Iya Adinni of Idita Mosque).
He studied at Princess School, Lagos, 1946; Balham and Tooting College of Commerce, London, 1956–1959; Columbia University, New York, US, 1981. He was appointed Director, Transcap Nigeria Limited; Director, Niger Motors Industries Limited; Chairman, Studio Press Nigeria Limited and as been the Chairman of CFAO Nigeria Limited since 1987