Gamaliel Onosode
Encyclopedia
Gamaliel Offoritsenere Onosode (born May 22, 1933) is a Nigerian technocrat, administrator and a former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party
of Nigeria. Educated at the Government College, Ughelli
and the University of Ibadan
, he emerged in the 1970s, as one of Nigeria's leading educated chief executives, when he was at the helm of NAL merchant bank
of Nigeria. Over the years, he has risen to become a leading boardroom player in Nigeria's corporate environment. He was also a former presidential adviser to President Shagari and a former president of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
man, born and raised in Sapele a suburban city in the current Delta State
by a disciplined father, he sometimes credited the strict family background and practice as being a complementary factor in his success as a disciplined civil servant and corporate administrator.
Throughout his career, Dr. G. O. Onosode has chaired several private and public sector businesses and initiatives. He was the Chairman of Dunlop Nigeria Plc (1984-2007), a former chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc (1977-93), the Presidential Commission on Parastatals (1981), Nigeria LNG Working Committee and Nigeria LNG Limited (1985-90) and the Niger Delta Environmental Survey (since 1995). He is also the Chairman of Zain
Nigeria, a GSM telecommunications company, the oldest GSM operator in Nigeria.
Mr. Onosode was Presidential Adviser on Budget Affairs and Director of Budget (1983). He is a Fellow of the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, the Nigerian Institute of Management, of which he was President (1979-82). He is also a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, having been elected to membership of its Board of Fellows in 1998.
In addition, Mr. Onosode is immediate past and inaugural President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, immediate past Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Uyo and immediate past and inaugural President & Chairman of Council of the Association of Pension Funds of Nigeria. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and holds Honorary D.Sc. degrees of Obafemi Awolowo University (1990), the University of Benin (1995), and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (2003) as well as Honorary D.D. degree of The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso (2002).
, Gamaliel Onosode tried to bring a disciplined approach to public finance. Towards the end of 1983, when public
confidence
in the economic direction of the country was eroded and accountability was lacking in government subsidies to public enterprises, he was brought in to find solutions to the lackluster performance of public enterprises, as the head of a Nigerian Commission on public parastatals and to bring in a disciplined approach to government subsidies. The offshoot of his honest and disciplined approach earned him respect from subsequent administrations. A report which was later tagged the Onosode report, an outgrowth of his role as the chairman of the commission
to review Nigerian parastatals was the first in the nation to tackle comprehensively, the industrialization drive and capital spending which dominated the oil
boom of the 1970s and the early 1980s. The report identified five major defects in planning which it believed had become evident by the end of 1983:
In 1995, he became the Chairman of the Niger Delta Environmental
Survey, a non-governmental organization that conducted scientific studies on environmental and social impact
assessment of oil exploration in the Niger delta
. The survey was partly financed by Shell
. The survey reports which apportioned responsibilities and blame for much of the environmental degradation
in the region on oil operators, the federal government and communities has not been made public.
Deacon
Onosode is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan
, and has contributed immense time to see through philanthropic and governing matters concerning the university. He is the former Pro-Chancellor of the University and Chairman of its Governing Council.
He is also a devout Christian and started Good News Baptist Church in his Sitting Room on 1st Feb.1984. Good News Baptist Church is now a large church of over 2000 people and has become a force to reckon with in the Nigerian Baptist Convention in terms of missions and evangelism. Mr. Gamaliel Onosode was the inaugural Chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. In addition, Onosode is Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Nigeria's oldest degree awarding theological institution, which would, in 2008 be marking 110 years of its existence while the University of Ibadan would be 60 years old.
All Nigeria People's Party
The All Nigeria Peoples Party is a conservative political party in Nigeria. At the last legislative elections , the party won 27.0% of the popular vote and 92 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 27 out of 109 seats in the Senate...
of Nigeria. Educated at the Government College, Ughelli
Ughelli
Ughelli is a town in Delta State, Nigeria. The city of Ughelli has an 'Ovie', which is the traditional ruler. The indigenes of Ughelli town have a yearly celebration festival called 'Omanuku'...
and the University of Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, he emerged in the 1970s, as one of Nigeria's leading educated chief executives, when he was at the helm of NAL merchant bank
Merchant bank
A merchant bank is a financial institution which provides capital to companies in the form of share ownership instead of loans. A merchant bank also provides advisory on corporate matters to the firms they lend to....
of Nigeria. Over the years, he has risen to become a leading boardroom player in Nigeria's corporate environment. He was also a former presidential adviser to President Shagari and a former president of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
Life and career
An UrhoboUrhobo people
The Urhobo are people of southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger River delta. The Urhobo is the major ethnic group in Delta State; the Delta State is one of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language in Niger–Congo group...
man, born and raised in Sapele a suburban city in the current Delta State
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
by a disciplined father, he sometimes credited the strict family background and practice as being a complementary factor in his success as a disciplined civil servant and corporate administrator.
Throughout his career, Dr. G. O. Onosode has chaired several private and public sector businesses and initiatives. He was the Chairman of Dunlop Nigeria Plc (1984-2007), a former chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc (1977-93), the Presidential Commission on Parastatals (1981), Nigeria LNG Working Committee and Nigeria LNG Limited (1985-90) and the Niger Delta Environmental Survey (since 1995). He is also the Chairman of Zain
Zain
-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricketer*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
Nigeria, a GSM telecommunications company, the oldest GSM operator in Nigeria.
Mr. Onosode was Presidential Adviser on Budget Affairs and Director of Budget (1983). He is a Fellow of the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, the Nigerian Institute of Management, of which he was President (1979-82). He is also a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, having been elected to membership of its Board of Fellows in 1998.
In addition, Mr. Onosode is immediate past and inaugural President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, immediate past Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Uyo and immediate past and inaugural President & Chairman of Council of the Association of Pension Funds of Nigeria. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and holds Honorary D.Sc. degrees of Obafemi Awolowo University (1990), the University of Benin (1995), and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (2003) as well as Honorary D.D. degree of The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso (2002).
Public Service
Primarily a business personality, he has seen his career wade through different sectors of the Nigerian economic environment. Though, he was a part of a profligate democratic experiment which was the Nigerian Second RepublicNigerian Second Republic
The Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
, Gamaliel Onosode tried to bring a disciplined approach to public finance. Towards the end of 1983, when public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
confidence
Confidence
Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. Arrogance or hubris in this comparison, is having unmerited...
in the economic direction of the country was eroded and accountability was lacking in government subsidies to public enterprises, he was brought in to find solutions to the lackluster performance of public enterprises, as the head of a Nigerian Commission on public parastatals and to bring in a disciplined approach to government subsidies. The offshoot of his honest and disciplined approach earned him respect from subsequent administrations. A report which was later tagged the Onosode report, an outgrowth of his role as the chairman of the commission
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
to review Nigerian parastatals was the first in the nation to tackle comprehensively, the industrialization drive and capital spending which dominated the oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
boom of the 1970s and the early 1980s. The report identified five major defects in planning which it believed had become evident by the end of 1983:
- Public capital expenditure rose during the oil boom at a much faster rate than Nigeria's physical, technical or financial abilities.
- Huge expenditure on particular industrial projects did not yield expected returns because of "inappropriate choices in their selection, size, design, location and management."
- Government policies laid too much emphasis on industrialisation, without regard to Nigeria's resource base and comparative advantage.
- Frequent changes in fiscal and monetary policies created planning problems for the private sector.
- The exchange rate of the naira was not managed "to reflect the basic strength of the economy and the need to encourage domestic production.
In 1995, he became the Chairman of the Niger Delta Environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
Survey, a non-governmental organization that conducted scientific studies on environmental and social impact
Social impact
In business and government policy, social impact refers to how the organization's actions affect the surrounding community.See also the psychological "Social impact theory". is also the name of a service provider to NGOs and international agencies....
assessment of oil exploration in the Niger delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
. The survey was partly financed by Shell
Shell Nigeria
Shell Nigeria is the colloquial name for Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian operations carried out through four subsidiaries—primarily through Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited...
. The survey reports which apportioned responsibilities and blame for much of the environmental degradation
Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
in the region on oil operators, the federal government and communities has not been made public.
Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
Onosode is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
, and has contributed immense time to see through philanthropic and governing matters concerning the university. He is the former Pro-Chancellor of the University and Chairman of its Governing Council.
He is also a devout Christian and started Good News Baptist Church in his Sitting Room on 1st Feb.1984. Good News Baptist Church is now a large church of over 2000 people and has become a force to reckon with in the Nigerian Baptist Convention in terms of missions and evangelism. Mr. Gamaliel Onosode was the inaugural Chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. In addition, Onosode is Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Nigeria's oldest degree awarding theological institution, which would, in 2008 be marking 110 years of its existence while the University of Ibadan would be 60 years old.