In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Obafemi Awolowo University, the institution echelons on Saturday conferred distinguished alumni award on Dr Akin Ogunbiyi and 59 other outstanding alumni of the University.
Presenting the award, Professor Wale Omole, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University stressed that Dr Ogunbiyi richly deserved the award being an outstanding alumnus, good ambassador and avid supporter of Great Ife and partner in better education for all.
The celebration, together with formal launching of Great Ife Advancement Foundation, was held at Marriot Hotel in Lagos State. Dr Ogunbiyi in his usual philanthropic gesture donated 10 million naira to the University foundation.
According to the University, the awardee is, “an innovative leader and well-grounded scholar who identifies opportunities and creates great and highly beneficial values from them through entrepreneurship.
“Akinade Ogunbiyi, with PhD in Insurance and Risk Management (Hon) has accumulated over the years, unique skills and capabilities through his insatiable search for knowledge. He graduated in 1986 with a Second Class Upper division in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ife. He has an Executive Master’s Degree from the University of Nevarra, Barcelona, Spain, as well as Executive Leadership training at Yale, Harvard and Oxford universities.
“Akin is an Associate Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of the London and a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (FCIIN). He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Directors (FIOD); Fellow West Africa Insurance Institute, Banjul, Gambia and also a Fellow of the Risk Managers Society of Niger (RIMSON). He worked in various strategic capacities within the Corporation, including the training of chief executives of Insurance Companies from sister African countries.
“He gave up an impressive and promising career at NICON to go into Insurance Consultancy – a business hitherto unexplored and without a precedent of success in Nigeria. Dr Akin Ogunbiyi was the pioneer Chief Executive of Finance & Insurance Expert Limited, a firm of Finance, Insurance, Environmental and Management Consultants as Managing Partner/Chief Executive Officer in 1992.”
The chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party and Osun State governorship hopeful is a resilient business manager and has continued to create wealth for the Nation through the establishment of many viable and well-managed businesses. He is currently the Group Chairman of Mutual Benefits Group – a
conglomerate with nine subsidiaries and over 5,000 employees.
