26th February, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The remains of the late business mogul, Molade Okoya-Thomas will be buried on 6 March.
This was contained in the Lagos State University, LASU Official Bulletin released Thursday by management of the institution where the late Okoya-Thomas was the Chancellor before his demise.
Okoya-Thomas will be buried at the Vaults and Gardens after the funeral service at the Holy Cross Cathedral on Lagos Island on Friday, 6 March, 2014.
In the programme of activities lined up for his burial, LASU students will organise a Candle Light procession and valedictory session for the former Chancellor on Monday, 2 March.
The Candle Light procession will take off around 2:30pm from the Students Arcade and terminate at the main auditorium.
There will be Service of Songs for Okoya-Thomas on 3 March at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, while in the evening of the same day, the Lagos State Government will organise tributes in his honour at the Teslim Balogun Stadium between 4.00 and 6.00pm.
On Wednesday, 4 March, there will be another evening of tributes and service of songs for the deceased at Trinity House, Zion Centre, Victoria Island by 5.00pm.
This will be followed by Wake Keep on 5 March at Landmark Centre, Victoria Island by 5.00pm.
The remains of Okoya-Thomas will be lying in state at his residence and at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club on 6 March before his interment the same day at the Vaults and Gardens.
Okoya-Thomas died at the age of 79 on 1 February, 2015.
Until his death, Okoya-Thomas was chairman of many organisations, 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 Gateway Bank Plc.
Okoya-Thomas was born in Lagos on 8 June, 1935 to the 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 the late Alhaja Suwebat Okoya-Thomas (née Gbajabiamila, Otun Iya Adinni of Idita Mosque).
Okoya-Thomas had his elementary education at Princess School, Lagos, between 1942 and 1946. He subsequently proceeded to Baptist Academy for his high school education and left Baptist Academic in 1956 as the best graduating student, hence earning the honour of his name being listed on the school’s DUX BOARD (Honours Board).
Immediately after his education at Baptist Academy, he studied accountancy at Balham and Tooting College of Commerce between 1956 and 1959 and a further training in Accountancy at Columbia University, New York, USA in 1981. He returned to Nigeria the year he completed his studies at Balham and Tooting College of Commerce 1959 and was instantly employed as an accountant by CFAO. This was the beginning of a meritorious service to CFAO.
He has also contributed to the development of Lagos State by serving in numerous committees, including; member, Lagos City Council between 1971–1975, member Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, Chairman Board of Trustees Glover Memorial Hall and Tom Jones Hall.
He was a recipient of the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, the highest national honour given by the French to a foreigner.