Ibukunoluwa Abiodun Awosika is a businesswoman, author, and motivational speaker from Nigeria. Her parents were Mr. Abdulmashood Adekola and Mrs. Hannah Aduke Adekola, and she was born on December 24, 1962. She is the third child of seven and hails from Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Ibukun attended Methodist Girls' High School in Yaba Lagos for her secondary education after completing her elementary education at St. Paul's African Church Primary School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) before moving on. She ultimately chose to take elective courses in accounting despite initially wanting to study architecture.
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She has completed a number of business programs at the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School University of Navarra, earning postgraduate and MBA certifications. Ibukun Awosika completed her required one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service in Kano State while working as an audit trainee at Akintola Williams & Co. She worked as the showroom manager for a furniture company called Alibert Nigeria Ltd. after the service.
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In 1989, she founded Quebees Limited, a furniture manufacturing company, which later changed its name to The Chair Centre Limited and then SOKOA Chair Centre Limited after merging with SOKOA S.A. and Guaranty Trust Bank. Her quest for independence allowed her to do this. In 2018, Ibukun Awosika was among five Nigerian entrepreneurs who appeared in the first African version of the Dragon's Den. She also hosts a T.V programme called Business His Way. She received the prestigious International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge Award (IWEC) that year as the first Nigerian recipient as well as a US Department of State recipient and multiple award-winning businesswoman. She helped co-found the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre in 2011, a career center created to combat the high unemployment rate that existed in Nigeria at the time. After Prince Ajibola Afonja's resignation on September 7, 2015, Ibukun was named First Bank of Nigeria's first female chairman.
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Ibukun Awosika is a fellow at the Intern School in Barcelona and the African Leadership Network.
Shes a member of various important group due to her good deeds and area of responsibilities which are listed below:
- Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group,
- Member, Board of Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund
- Former Chairperson of Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund,
- Member, Board of Trustees of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ)
- Member of IESE's International Advisory Board (IAB).
- She also sits on the board of Digital Jewel Limited and Cadbury Nig Plc.
- Member of the National Job Creation Committee (NCJC),
- The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG),
- And the International Advisory Board of the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Dr. Mrs. Ibukun Awosika serves on the boards of various for-profit and nonprofit organizations, such as the Convention on Business Integrity, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (CBI). She founded the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre (AGDC), an institution that she chairs the board of, to assist Nigerian youngsters who are having trouble finding jobs and starting their own business. In addition to FBN Capital Limited and FBN Life Assurance Limited, she served as chairman of Kakawa Discount House Limited. She is a co-founder and previous chairman of Women in Business, Management, and Public Service and is passionate about social issues and women.
She is happily married to Abiodun Awosika the CEO of Excel Exploration & Production Company Limited. They are blessed with three children: Oludola, Olafusika, and Olamiposi.
Books by Dr. Mrs. Ibukun Awosika
An established author, Dr. Mrs. Ibukun Awosika These are the set of books that were published by her:
- 1.The Girl Entrepreneurs - 2008
- 2. Business His Way
- 3. My Thoughts in Quotes - 2021
- 4. The Girls in the Boardroom – 2021
The following are Awards and Nominations of Mrs Ibukun Awosika
2005 - THISDAY Newspapers Annual Merit Award nomination for Entrepreneur of the Year
2005 - Nomination for the Success Digests Magazines Annual Enterprise Awards Female Entrepreneur of the Year honour
2006 - The Financial Standard and the Pan-African Organisation for Women's Recognition nominated her for the Best Female Entrepreneur of the Year award.
In 2006, the FATE Foundation Awards presented the FATE Model Entrepreneur Award of the Year.
2007 International Womens Society Awards: Golden Heart Award
Award for the 2008 International Womens Entrepreneurial Challenge
2015 YNaija Person of the Year nominations
You can follow Mrs. Ibukun Awosika and get update via her website, YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter handle.
Dr. Mrs Ibukunoluwa Abiodun Awosika is a business woman, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, author and pastor.
She was born on the the 24th of December, 1962 to Mr AbdulMashood Adekola and Mrs Hannah Aduke Adekola in Ibadan, Oyo State. She is married to Mr Abiodun Awosika and they are both blessed with three sons, namely: Oludola, Olafusika and Olamiposi. At birth, she was named Bilikisu Abiodun Motunrayo Omobolanle Adekola.
Dr. Ibukun Awosika attended the Saint Paul’s African Church Primary School, Lagos for her primary education and the Methodist Girls’ High School, Yaba for her secondary education. She obtained a Bsc in Chemistry from the Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile Ife , formerly known as University of Ife. For her postgraduate studies, she took the chief executive programme at the Lagos Business School then obtained Global executive MBA from the IESE Business School -Barcelona, Spain.
Her career life started with working as an audit trainee at the Akintola Williams and co now known as Deloitte during her service as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member. Later on, she joined Albert Nigeria which is a furniture company and she worked as a showroom manager. Being that her initial choice of course to study at the university was architecture coupled with the experience and interest she has acquired as a showroom manager, she went ahead to establish Quebees Limited in 1989. It is a furniture manufacturing company now known as SOKOA Chair Centre Limited.
Ibukun Awosika is a member of the board of directors, First Bank of Nigeria, Plc and is the first woman to be appointed as the chairman of First Bank of Nigeria on the 7th of September, 2015. She was once the Chairman of FBN life Assurance Limited, FBN Capital Limited, and Kakawa Discount House Limited.She sits on the Board of Digital Jewel Limited and Cardbury Nigeria Plc. She is also a member of the board of Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund. She is a member of the governing board, Convention on Business Integrity. She is also a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)., and a member of the IESE Business School International Advisory Board (IAB). She is a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative, Aspen Global Leadership Network, Institute of directors, and Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria. She has also served on National Job Creation Committee (NCJC).
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Ibukun Awosika is the co-founder of the Afterschool graduate development centre which was established in 2011. It is a career centre that aims at tackling unemployment amongst graduates in Nigeria. The board of this establishment is also chaired by Ibukun Awosika. She is a co-founder and past chairperson of Women in Business, Management, and Public Service (WIMBIZ). She is also the founder of the Christian Missionary Fund.
As an author, she has published quite a number of books such as; The “Girl” Entrepreneurs, Business His Way, The “Girl” Entrepreneurs: our stories so far kindle edition. She starred in the 2020 Citation blockbuster movie which was produced by Kunle Afolayan. She has received several awards such as; the FATE Model Entrepreneur Award(2006), the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge Award(2008), the Forbes Woman African Chairperson Award(2020).