CIoDN Mourns Former President, Ijewere

Sunday Okobi

The Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria (CIoDN) has expressed sadness over the death of its past President, Mr. Emmanuel Itoya Ijewere.

The group announced that Ijewere passed away in the early hours of December 29, 2023 at the age of 77.

Ijewere was the sixth president of the Institute from 1999 to 2001.

 The group in a statement issued and made available to THISDAY yesterday by its

Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Bamidele Alimi, stated that during his tenure as president, “Ijewere improved the corporate visibility of the Institute putting it on a deserving pedestal as the premier membership organisation in Nigeria. It was under his leadership that the headquarters of the Institute moved to Ikoyi in Lagos, where it is still located till today.

“Ijewere was one of Nigeria’s most prominent businessmen, who had a wide range of interests and experience in banking, finance, and agriculture. He was also a past president of ICAN and the Nigerian Red Cross.

“Born in 1946, Ijewere studied in Lagos, Ijebu-Ode, Cameroon, and the United Kingdom (UK).

“He began his accounting career in 1965 working at Coopers and Lybrand, and later established Ijewere and Co., a chartered accountancy firm in Nigeria, in 1979.”

In the statement, the group said Ijewere also served as chairman and director in many companies, including Best Foods Group, Emson, Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Drum Resources Nigeria Limited, Apel Capital and Trust Limited, Countrywide Direct Mortgage Company, Kerildbert Holdings, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), Gemini Pharmaceuticals, among others.

It added that: “He was the pioneer chairman of the Agriculture and Food Security Commission and also the director of the defunct modified value-added tax committee in 1993. He was a member of the National Economic Forum (NEF), the international investment council (HIIC), and the agricultural transformation implementation council (ATIC), under the chairmanship of ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and also served as a resource person on agriculture to the transition committee of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Ijewere was the president of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NAGB), the umbrella organisation for Nigerian agriculture until his death.”