•The Story Of Otunba (Amb) OLUFEMI FOWORA
In his lifetime His Excellency Otunba Ambassador Olufemi Fowora was a very important personality. He was an accomplished diplomat and a career foreign service personnel. He was also a respected Ijebu Otunba who was very close to the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona. He was the Otunba Setejoye of Ijebuland. He was born on 25th December 1936 and died on 27th January 2020.
His rite of passage began with Night of Tributes on 18th February 2020 at Lagos Motor Boat Club 28, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos 6 pm. Colour code: Blue Ankara.
The Commendation Service on Thursday 20th February 2020 at 10 am. Christ Church Cathedral, Marina, Lagos.
The Christian Wake Keeping on Friday 21st February at 6 pm. Conference Hotel Avenue, off Oba Erunwon Road, G.R.A Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. White attire with Royal Blue head tie.
The Funeral Service was on Saturday 22nd February 2020 at 10 am. Cathedral Church Of Our Saviour. Ita Olowajoda, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Entertainment of Guests at the Bisirodipe Event Centre, off Tam Balogun Street, Igbeba Housing Estate, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. Cobalt Blue & Grey Ankara with a white head tie.
Outing Service took place on Sunday 23rd February 2020 at 10 am Cathedral Church Of Our Saviour Ita Olowajoda. Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Otunba (Amb.) Emmanuel Olufemi Fowora was born on Christmas day, 25th December 1936 at Ijebu-Ode to Pa Moses and Otunba (Mrs) R.O. Fowora.
He had his primary education at Emmanuel School Isonyin – a small town of a peculiar kind- which was in the forefront of educational advancement in the whole of Ijebu province at that time.
The Ambassador entered Ijebu-Ode Grammar from 1951 and left in 1956 and after clearing the West African School Certificate in Grade II with distinction in History and Religious knowledge.
He worked briefly from December 1956 at the High Court Lagos until July 1958 when he left for further educational studies in North Western Polytechnic, Kentish Town, London. After an academic term 1958/59, he passed his Advanced Level, General Education Certificate papers in 3 subjects at one sitting, and entered the University of Hull in October 1959 to read Law and graduated LL.B Second Class Upper Division (Hons) in 1962.
Ambassador Fowora was recruited in London in 1962 into the Nigeria Foreign Service. He served in the Ministry from 1962-1964, attended the then 3-month course at Nigerian Law School in 1963, and was called to Bar, thereafter he enrolled as a solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of in 1964.
From 1964, Ambassador E.O Fowora began serving abroad. He was posted to Khartoum Sudan and remained there as Head of Chancery until he was moved to the Consulate General in New York 1966 as a consul. In 1967, he was cross-posted along with 21 colleagues to the Home Service during the civil war, when the Home Service was devastated by the deserting Biafran officers.
He was returned along with his colleagues to the Foreign Service after 7 months when Biafran officers similarly deserted the Foreign Service. He was posted to Dakar, Senegal in 1968, and remained there until 1972 when he returned to the Ministry as Director of Africa Affairs Department.
In 1976, Ambassador Fowora was sent to establish the Nigeria High Commission Canberra Australia as Acting High Commissioner in 1978.
At the end of 1979, he was assigned for the second time to Dakar Senegal as Ambassador.
In 1981, he was assigned to Surinam, Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago as head of the missions to those countries with residence in Port of Spain in Trinidad, as High Commissioner. He returned to ministry in Nigeria in 1982 and remained there as Director Administration until he was assigned to Belgrade Yugoslavia in 1986.
He was also High Commissioner in England between 1988/89 before moving to Senegal.
He finally returned to Nigeria in 1992 and retired after 35 years in government service, Thereafter,
Ambassador Fowora had a stint of 7 years in a construction company (private sector) in Apapa as Executive Director until 1999.
Having finally retired from public and private sector services, Ambassador Fowora was honoured with a title of Otunba Setejoye of Ijebuland in December 1996 by paramount Monarch of Ijebuland, His
Majesty, Alaiyeluwa, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Adetona, CFR, the Awujale of Ijebuland.
He was later chosen as Baba Egbe of Egbe Bobagbimo, an age grade of Ijebu. He had earlier been decorated chevalier de national (Knight of the National Order) in Senegal by President Senghor.
Otunba Setejoye is married to Chief (Mrs) Edith Olayinka Fowora, Yeye Setejoye of Ijebuland. Their marriage is blessed with 3 children and many grandchildren. Ambassador belongs to many social clubs including Lagos Motor Boat Club, Ikoyi Club, Yoruba Tennis Club and Island club all in Lagos.
When he turned 80, his wife Chief Mrs Edith Olayinka Fowora wrote a tribute which revealed a lot about her husband. “What do you say about someone you’ve known for 54 years and been married to for 52 years? A lot, but I will not bore you with that. We traversed the world from Khartoum to New York, then on to Dakar Senegal, Canberra Australia, London back to Dakar, Trinidad & Tobago and finally Belgrade Yugoslavia. Its been a wonderful life!
The Yeye Setejoye of Ijebuland said he has been a wonderful father and brother to me and a great father to his children and a doting grandfather.
Let me share with you what he told me when I agreed to his marriage proposal. “You are not going to work but look after me and the children” and I agreed. I hope I have satisfied you on that.
As you celebrate your 80th birthday, I wish you Yinkus many many more years and a healthy life. May the Almighty Father continue to bless and keep you. Amen.
