Segun Awolowo
Picnews
Segun Awolowo, the grandson of Nigeria’s first Western Region premier Obafemi Awolowo, passed away on 20 November 2025 at the age of 62, leaving a void in both the legal and public‑service spheres. His death was announced by his family, who described him as “the world’s most phenomenal husband, father and grandfather” and thanked Nigerians for the outpouring of love .
Born on 27 September 1963, Segun Jr. entered the world just two months after his father, Segun Awolowo Sr., was killed in a tragic car accident on the old Ibadan‑Lagos road. He was raised by his aunt, Mrs Tola Oyediran, and her husband Prof Kayode Oyediran, alongside his mother and siblings, an upbringing that shaped his resilient character .
He began his schooling at Mayhill Convent, where he shared a classroom with Dolapo Osinbajo, later the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. After completing secondary education at Igbobi College and Government College, Ibadan, he pursued law, eventually being called to the bar in 1989 and building a solid practice with firms such as Abayomi Sogbesan & Co. His public‑service journey took off when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua appointed him Special Assistant, later serving as Secretary for Social Development and Transport in the Federal Capital Territory Administration from 2007 to 2011.
In November 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan tapped him to lead the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) as Executive Director and CEO. His first term saw the council secure a $1 billion Memorandum of Understanding with AFREXIM Bank and NEXIM, aimed at boosting intra‑African trade ¹ ⁴. He was re‑appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, extending his stewardship for another four years, during which he championed the Zero Oil Plan—a bold blueprint to diversify Nigeria’s export base and generate $30 billion in foreign exchange across 22 sectors
Awolowo’s leadership style was famously hands‑on; he described himself as a “meddlesome interloper” who roamed ministries and agencies to drive export‑oriented reforms. He secured almost N350 billion in export‑expansion grants, energized the Export Development Fund for MSMEs, and forged partnerships with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Shoprite, and other private‑sector giants to get Nigerian products onto African and global shelves ⁵ ⁶ ⁷. His “PLIE” doctrine—prioritising exporters, listening, innovating, and evaluating—became a mantra for the team.
Beyond policy, Segun Awolowo was a bridge between Nigeria’s historic political legacy and its future aspirations. Colleagues recall his humility, his willingness to “walk the floor” with entrepreneurs, and his pride in representing Nigeria as the first president of the ECOWAS Trade Promotion Organizations Network ⁸. He leaves behind a nation more attuned to non‑oil exports, a legacy that will continue to shape Nigeria’s economic narrative for years to come.
