Billionaire businessman and Oando Plc Group Chief Executive, Mr. Jubril Adewale Tinubu, has spoken glowingly, while reminiscing about the life of one of Ngozi Janice Okonkwo, one of his most outstanding employees. 

Okonkwo, who was the Chief Legal Officer of Oando Plc, died on June 4, 2020, after a long battle with cancer.

She was aged 45.

In an emotion-laden tribute, posted on his social media pages, Tinubu stated; “It’s been a year since we lost one of the most wonderful souls I have been opportune to meet in my professional capacity. An epitome of intellect, excellence, audacity, stealth, persistence infused with an incurable dose of optimism. Oando has missed you dearly.”

Before joining Oando, Okonkwo had worked as Junior Counsel with F.O. Akinrele & Co., and also with KPMG Professional Services (previously known as Arthur Andersen) as Manager in the Tax, Regulatory and People Services Unit and Head of Indirect Tax Services.

She obtained LLB (Hons) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1997 and a BL from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1999. 

Okonkwo was a member of the Nigerian Bar Association; an honorary fellow of the Association of Fellows and Legal Scholars of the Centre for International Legal Studies, Austria; an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom and an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Nigeria.

The highly cerebral lawyer was laid to rest on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at a private cemetery in Ikoyi, Lagos.

She is survived by her husband, Chukwunenye Okonkwo and four children.