By: Amb Godknows Igali
The sudden departure of Olusegun Awolowo on 27th November, 2025 was wholly unforeseen, leaving family, friends and the nation totally unprepared. It actually ripped a gaping hole in the fabric of Nigerian collective soul. At the very prime of his life, just 60 years, an age where wisdom and energy readily intersects to produce the most impactful service, this most affectionately regarded, and outstanding public figure yielded to the calling of the chariot of death rather peremptorily. The shock of his passing reverberated across every corner of the country, a poignant, pathetic reality of the debility of human existence and the cruel unpredictability of fate.
OF PRINCELY VIRTUES AND TURFS
To understand the life and impact of “Prince” Olusegun Awolowo, one must first grasp the profound definition of a “Prince” in the context of one of Africa’s most respected political and intellectual dynasties. This is because true princes are not merely born; they are cultivated. They are, by nature and by breeding, embodiments of dignity, grace, and immense responsibility. They are expected to be the custodians of traditions, the interpreters of the forefathers’ visions, and the bridge between a storied past and a promising future.
A true prince moves through life with a distinct poise, a carriage that commands respect and simultaneously invites affection. So, princes like Segun carry the crushing weight of history and expectation, yet navigate the world with an essential trio of virtues: humility, wisdom, and a profound sense of service. They are students of history, applying inherited lessons to contemporary challenges. So, commitment to a set of supreme values: integrity, discipline, empathy, and service, are their defining ethos. Despite all the gentry in all the splendid palaces of their royal majesties and highnesses spread across Nigeria’s many royal places, few embody these princely qualities as beautifully and quietly as Prince Olusegun Awolowo.
THE AWOLOWO BIG SHOES
Segun Awolowo’s identity was deeply anchored in his ancestral home of Ikenne Remo, a variant branch of the Ijebu people community that has historically produced remarkable leaders of strategy, diligence, and integrity. These include famous educationist, Dr. Tai Solarin, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, investment magnate, Dr. Adebayo Ogunlesi. This connection kept him grounded, reminding him that true influence comes from the roots of community and character.
More than that, Segun’s life cannot be examined without grounding it in the monumental legacy of the family he hailed from. He was the beloved grandson of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909–1987), known simply as ‘The Sage,’ and unarguably the best President Nigeria never had in the midst of titans of his time, such as pioneer President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, pioneer Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and former Premier, Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the grandfather, Awolowo was luminous and radiant. He stood shoulders high in ‘progressive thoughts’ and cranial worth as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Sekou Toure of Guinea, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Kenneth Kaunda of Zamfara.
Chief Awolowo’s life was a towering, indelible testament to vision, intellect, courage, and tireless advocacy for a modern, just, and egalitarian Nigeria. He was a foundational architect of Nigerian federalism, a relentless advocate for universal education, and a financial guru whose strategies, known as “Awoism”, shaped national economic thinking for decades. He led the Action Group political party, became the first Premier of the Western Region, and served as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance at a time. It was Chief Awolowo’s political ideal based on social welfarism that gave the West of Nigeria its competitive edge over other parts; a reality that seems to have perpetuated nearly 70 years after.
Obviously, Segun often reflected on the lessons from his grandfather, yet was so intimately his own. In his own words during an interview, he stated: “Growing up with Grandpa, I never fully understood his greatness. At home, he was affectionate, strict, and loving. He taught us discipline, responsibility, and how to tread the world with courage and grace.” Segun’s greatest aspiration was not to replicate his grandfather’s politics, but to see the incremental realization of the sage’s vision for a just and prosperous Nigerian society.
Related to this is the fact being born after a shadow of early tragedy as it were, Segun was more than a mere reflection of his grandfather’s monumental figure. He was a man who carved his own distinct path, shaped profoundly by personal circumstances and the strength of the matriarchs who raised him. He was born to Sisi Aba Folawiyo, a woman of extraordinary beauty, intelligence, and character, who is perhaps one of Nigeria’s most outstanding matriarchs. Segun was her only child, born two months after the tragic, ghastly accident that claimed the life of his father, Barrister Olusegun Awolowo, Snr., the then heir apparent of Chief Awolowo. This early, profound tragedy might have shattered many lives, yet for Segun, it became a catalyst for resilience, forged in the warmth and guidance of his grandmother.
His grandmother, Chief Mrs. Hilda Hanna Dideolu Awolowo (HID) (1915–2015), was the emotional and moral compass of his upbringing. Segun was the affectionate child and sweetheart of his grandmother till the last day of her epic sojourn of nearly 100 years. She provided a century of mentorship to many, especially her grandchildren. HID inculcated in Segun the balanced virtues required of his station: the dignity of being an uncrowned prince from one of the influential political dynasties, and the essential, practical common sense of thriftiness and diligence in all matters.
Grandma Awolowo’s philosophy was clear: balance the immense love with non-sentimental strictness and accountability. Again, Segun reflected on this crucial dynamic: “Grandmother taught us responsibility, thrift, and diligence. She combined love with discipline, ensuring that we grew up with values that could withstand the challenges of life.” This mentorship contrasted beautifully with the nature of the patriarch: “Awolowo was the scariest of men, but at home was the most affectionate of grandfathers, showing the softest and stickiest forms of love.”
SCHOOLING AND EDUCATION.
The path to Segun;s later life seem to have been cut out but he had to became a lawyer like his father and grandfather. He began his learning pursuits at the elite Maryhill Convent School in Lagos where he studied alongside many of his cousins including Dolapo Osinbajo who later became wife of the immediate past Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. Segun then moved on to Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, for his secondary education, and completed it at Government College, Ibadan.
At the tertiary level, Segun attended Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University), Ago Iwoye, where he earned a law degree and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989. Later in life, he underwent special specialists training in and out of Nigeria.
ON FAITH, ETHICS AND WORK LIFE
Close associates easily recount that Segun’s devotion to God was the bedrock of his life. He loved God very much and honoured Him through his life of service, humility, and the pursuit of justice. His faith was the internal source of the grace and self-restraint for which he was universally known.
The rest of Segun’s life was therefore devoted to the principles of faith, thriftiness and moderation in the various tasks that he was assigned in nation building. After his qualification as a lawyer and call to Bar in 1990, a profession which he inherited both from his father and grandfather, he started his life of practice with one of the most outstanding chambers of Abayomi Shogbesan & Co, founded by an accomplished attorney, Chief Abayomi Olusola Shogbesan. For a grandson of Chief Awolowo, it was a good place to start as his principal was himself at a time, a mentee of his grandfather after his call to the English Bar in 1966. Working under Shogbesan was the more fulfilling, as the principal was also an academic, and easily became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) as far back as 1983.
After initial tutelage at Shogbesan, he moved to another of the most outstanding law firms in Nigeria, G.O.K. Ajayi & Co. Chief Godwin Olusegun Kolawale Ajayi was another close associate of his grandfather and personal lawyer of the family. Again, Chief Ajayi, a fellow Ijebu man like himself until the time of his death in 2014, was ranked among Nigeria’s most successful lawyers. It was from this pedestal that he finally branched off, having received sound footing to establish his own law firm, Olusegun Awolowo & Co. Focusing mostly on corporate work, he did well as a lawyer, held his own and gave a good account of the legacy of the practice of the profession.
Having resisted continuously the allure of public office, Segun could not eventually resist when President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, appointed him as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Traditional Institutions, Legal Duties and Social Development. From personal account of Segun, this initially posed a challenge as he did not want to completely leave his law practice which had started to bloom in Lagos and around the western environment where he had robust leverage. However, the presidential appointment was apogee of public service all over the world and also included a legal substance which could not be resisted. Segun has reflected personally the fact the position suited well as not only dealing with customary matters but also with traditional political needs, in addition to aspects of legal due diligence and broadly legal matters. It was therefore not out of his comfort zone and he held this office with great confidence and zest.
With the end of the Obasanjo regime in 2007, he was again appointed in the government of successor President Umar Musa Yar’Adua as Secretary for Social Administration within the Federal Capital Territory, later on Transport Secretary and finally placed in charge of all the Area Councils. Although these were very weighty appointments, the quiet liveliness and flair which he brought to the work stood him out. Unwittingly, Segun became “sucked in” as one of Abuja bureaucratic elites and particularly exposing him to working with the political class, traditional institutions and no less, with the bustling diplomatic community, many of whom wanted close association with him due to the political capital which he carried.
Abuja had often been compared to Washington DC where people come in to carry out political assignments and never go back to their areas of origin. After the death of President Yar’Adua, he was again called back to work by former President Goodluck Jonathan to head the Nigerian Export Promotion Commission (NEPC). Often not much heard of, the NEPC was formally inaugurated as far back as March, 1977 by then military government of Olusegun Obasanjo to take the then economy away from its dependence on oil economy. Although NEPC had made some incursion into promoting Nigerian non-oil exports into West and Central Africa, there was still a lot of work to be done. It therefore needed somebody with a background as Segun to give it a new lease of life.
So, between 2013 and 2021 when he held sway at NEPC, he came up with a national strategy to diversify the national economy beyond oil, making that sector the most critical factor in latter government Economy Recovery Roadmap. He made Nigerian non-oil products to become global brands and veritable competitors in international trade. With emphasis on promoting small and medium scale industries enable Nigeria to increase its basket of export products. At the international level, he worked aggressively to put Nigeria on the map and at a time became the Head of Nigeria’s Delegation to the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation. He also sat on the board of the International Trade Centre, ITC.
On completion of his tenure, Segun was not able to go back to strict legal practice as he had become a global expert on trade, exports and investment programme, ending up with an appointment as Nigeria National Coordinator for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He also became the pioneer President of National Trade Promotion Organisations for ECOWAS member states. Segun’s vision was in the words, “Nigeria must survive in a world economy in which it no longer sells oil.” “All African needs for Africa is in Africa.” while involved with all these, he also played the leading role in setting the framework to nurture and empower the next generation through his Progressive Action Movement (PAM), a platform that enabled him to trade and set the cue for successful living for thousands of mentees.
CONCLUDING NOTE ON THE UNFINISHED MISSION
Despite being the grandson of a colossus and born into one of Africa’s most powerful political dynasties, Segun was renowned for his profound humility and simplicity. This was the noble legacy he wished to impart to all whom he encountered.
As a lawyer, he believed deeply in justice and treating all humans low and high with equanimity. Those who worked alongside him attest to the rare virtue of an angel, a man with high levels of self-restraint, whose judgment was always guided by fairness and empathy.
Undoubtedly, his departure leaves a void not only in the hearts of those who knew him but also in the ongoing story of Nigeria’s development. His life was a mission in progress, a commitment to the incremental realization of the ideals for which his grandfather, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, lived and fought.
He often reminded friends and colleagues that true service is not performed in the glare of public attention but in the steady, consistent labour of building systems, mentoring young leaders, and nurturing sustainable growth. He was not a politician seeking public drama or applause; but a strategic builder of structures, and a cultivator of ideas.
Our paths intersected during our public service careers at the Presidential Villa, where I served as Senior Special Assistant (Special Duties). The grace with which he carried himself was very much infectious to all of us who related with him and we shared great camaraderie and brotherhood.
His mission, though tragically unfinished, has paved paths for others to follow by leaving Nigeria and the world profoundly better than he found it. Our comfort is that he has greatly impacted many lives.
Though leaving behind his adoring wife, Adebola, children, grandchildren and aged mother and big family to mourn him, Segun has now been reunited with some other of those dearest to him. His father, who never saw him born; his grandfather, the patriarch himself, Chief Obafemi Awolowo; and, most affectionately, his grandmother, the mother of all mothers, HID and the Oyedirans. In his rest, he unites with all the great souls who have always wished the nation, Nigeria well.
‘Prince’ Olusegun Awolowo will remain in our memory as a man who carried the weight of history with humility, who devoted his life to God, family, and country, and whose legacy, etched in service, will continue to illuminate the path for generations to come. Bon voyage, my friend.
Dr. Igali, a career diplomat is a retired Federal Permanent Secretary
