Family in “huge shock” as Renowned Nigerian Businessman, Harry Akande is Pronounced Dead

Internationally revered Nigerian businessman and billionaire, Harry Akande is dead, his family announced on Saturday, December 5.

He was said to have died in the early hours of Saturday after a brief illness. He was aged 77.

The deceased’s son, Olumide Akande announced his father’s passing in a statement released hours after the incident, describing it as a “huge shock” to the entire family.

The statement reads, “Chief Harry Ayoade Akande, Agba Oye of Ibadanland (March 3, 1943-December 5, 2020)

“In the early hours of Saturday, December 5, 2020, our patriarch Chief Harry Ayodele Akande passed away following a brief illness.

“Chief Harry Akande was an astute businessman of international repute whose legacy and influence cut across continents.

“But by far his greatest passion was for a better Nigeria that guaranteed equity and justice for all. It is our fervent hope that this will be a reality in the not too distant future.

https://atomic-temporary-203083154.wpcomstaging.com//2020/12/05/50-most-influential-african-women-in-business-see-the-amazing-women-featured-in-the-december-2020-issue-of-business-elites-africa-magazine/

“His passing is a huge shock to his immediate and extended family, friends, and associates. We are all grappling to make some sense of it.

“As we seek the repose of his gentle soul, we ask you to in turn to uphold us in your prayers while we pass through this very turbulent period of our lives occasioned by the loss of someone as dear as him.”

Harry Akande was the founder of AIC Limited, an international corporation he founded in 1971 after returning to Nigeria from the US where he had worked with KPMG Peak Marwick and standard Oil as the company’s financial consultant.

In 1967, Akande graduated from Hampton University with a BSc in Accounts and Finance and was decorated with the highest honors. He was the first black graduate North Western University’s J L Kellogg School of Management, a top American business school where he obtained an MBA degree in 1969.

He once contested to become Nigeria’s President, and he was a one-time Chairman, Board of Trustees of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.