User:Gracemuriuki/sandbox

Oluremi Andrew Olowude

Remi OlowudeOluremi Andrew Olowude was the Executive Vice Chairman and the driving force behind the phenomenal achievements of Industrial And General Insurance Company (IGI), the biggest private insurance company in Nigeria. He was also Chairman, Orbital Computers Limited; Chairman, Monarch Communications Limited; Chairman, New Vista Telecommunications, Chairman, Global Trust Savings and Loans Limited; Chairman, Postal Life And General Insurance Company Limited; Chairman, Adonai Tekts Investment Limited, Chairman, International Health Services Limited, Chairman Travex Travels Limited: Chairman Andrew Robins Limited and Apex Airlines Limited, Chairman Discovery & Scientific Services Limited, Chairman, OPE Nigeria Limited and Vice Chairman Bendel Wood Industry Limited. Mr. Olowude was also Member of the Board of Directors of British International School (BIS) and First City Group. He was Chairman of Corporate Nigeria in 1999 - 2000 and then Vice Chairman of the Group.

His major contribution to the uplifting of the country and humanity in general have been made through his entrepreneurial skills, his innovative management style which revolutionized the practice of insurance in Nigeria and his generous financial support for community and youth development programmes in the country in general and in Victoria Island in particular.

Olowude was born on April 26, 1951 to Christian parents of the Baptist faith in Inisha-Ejigbo, Osun State. He has a sound multidisciplinary, academic and professional background. He attended the University of Lagos graduating in 1973 with a B.Sc. in Quantitative Economics. He proceeded to the United States in 1975 to further his knowledge of Economics and subsequently bagged an M.Sc. degree in Applied Economics from the University of Santa Clara in 1976. He returned home to his alma mater the University of Lagos for a Doctorate Programme in Applied Economics. He passed the Ph.D Sitting Examination in 1978 even as he read for the qualifying examinations of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) London. He successfully completed the ACII examinations in 1981 to become a fully chartered insurance practitioner.

Mr. Olowude continued his public service career and also began his adventure into insurance at the National Insurance Corporation (Now NICON Insurance Plc.) in November 1978. For thirteen (13) years beginning from November 1978, he established himself as a first rate insurance professional especially in the highly technical areas of Oil & Energy insurance as well as Contractors All Risks / Engineering. Serving in various grades, Mr. Olowude helped the nation develop capacity in the underwriting of Oil insurance.

In 1991 Mr. Olowude left NICON to actualise his career vision "to preside over a dynamic, merit-driven and globally focused institution providing qualitative service delivery and the pursuit of excellence through a strategic information management system and the optimisation of its human and material resources for the achievement of organisational goals".

With Mr. Olowude in the pilot seat, IGI soared to the N1billion mark in premium income in 1996, thus becoming the biggest private insurance company in Nigeria in terms of volume of business after only four years in operation. Since then, IGI has maintained this coveted industry position and has recorded a premium income in excess of N4 billion in 2004.

Another area in which Mr. Olowude has contributed to national development is his deep personal interest and involvement in Youth development through sports activities and competition. He is the Chairman of the National Collegiate Sports Foundation (NCSF) a private sector led initiative which was established in 1998 with a national mandate to restore glory to school sports.

Mr. Olowude was Chairman, NYSC Foundation, an independent national initiative created by former NYSC members and public-spirited Nigerians with the main aim of sourcing funds to help sustain the noble ideals of the NYSC Scheme.

On the international front, Mr. Olowude is the Vice President (West Africa) for African Concern, a Non-Government organisation established in 1995 in Zambia by His Excellency Justice Bola Ajibola, Nigeria's former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to promote socio-economic development of the African continent through the efforts of Africans.

Mr. Remi Olowude was married to Mrs. Olubunmi Olowude (nee Akitunde) and blessed with four children.