By Milton Tella – Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom will today, Tuesday 11th October, be honoured with the 2022 National Honours Award.
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR has approved the conferment of National Honours on a number of distinguished individuals.
Ambassador Isola will receive the National Award as a recipient in the rank of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) at the investiture ceremony that will be held at International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja, Nigeria.
In 2021, Sarafa was appointed the High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom. He recently became the Chairman of the Accreditation Committee of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth.
Ambassador Isola has represented Nigeria in bilateral and multilateral engagements in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Malta, Czech Republic, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Senegal, Togo, South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Rwanda, Mali, Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Cote d’ Ivoire.
Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, OFR, was born into the family of Chief Ibrahim Isola Tairu and Hajiya Amudalat Ajiun Isola of Abeokuta.
He graduated from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, England in 1981. He attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA, and the University of Ilorin. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
Sarafa started his working career as a Lecturer in Marketing, Statistics & Economics at the Federal College of Education, Katsina in 1983.
In 1997, he was elected the Chairman of Abeokuta North LGA, at the fourth attempt, and was subsequently elected the Chairman of the Conference of Local Government Chairmen in Ogun State. He later became the Coordinator of South-west Local Government Chairmen.
In 1999, Sarafa was the Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of State for Finance.
In 2002, Ambassador Isola was invited by the USA Department of State on a study tour of the USA financial systems through the International Visitors Programme. The tour took him to the Department of State, Capitol Hill, Federal Reserve Bank – New York, New Jersey, University of Texas, Commodity Exchange – Chicago, Bank of America – Arizona, Silicon Valley/San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
In 2003, he was appointed the Secretary to Ogun State Government.
In 2007, Ambassador Isola was appointed Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola is happily married with children.
The list of award nominees includes Politicians, Public Officers, Security Officers, Businessmen, Traditional Rulers, and Religious leaders.
Other awardees include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala Director of World Trade Organization, Hon. Abike Dabiri – Erewa CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ariwoola and Immediate past Chief Justice Tanko Mohammed, who would both be bestowed with the award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.
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