Omodele Adigun
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday led other sympathisers to condole with the family of Apostle Hayford Alile, the pioneer Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), over his death.
Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, commiserated with the family, friends and close associates of the deceased, who was also the Spiritual Leader of St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God International.
In his life-time Alile had served variously on the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other blue-chip companies.
“The President affirms that the late Spiritual Leader served the country extensively, especially in the structuring of the economic landscape of both the private and public sector, and consistently advocated a synergy for national development.
“President Buhari believes the rich educational pedigree of Apostle Alile and his strong spiritual background were used for the benefit of the country, commending his sense of patriotism and national outlook in promoting peace, unity and setting up The Hayford Alile Foundation to cater for the poor.
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“The President prays that the almighty God will grant the Spiritual Leader eternal rest, and comfort his family,” Adesina said.
Meanwhile, clerics from across the country have also described the late Apostle Heyford Alile, who died on Sept. 30 at 87, as an honest and incorruptible man.
The Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Msgr. Gabriel Osu, said Alile was a peaceful and highly spiritual man.
“We owe him a duty to follow the values he stood for.
“He will be surely missed, the family should not mourn his demise but celebrate him for living a fulfilled life and living for the people he served.
“May his gentle soul rest in peace. Osu also said that Alile was a very simple, peaceful, respectful man of God. He was a deep spiritual man,’’ he said.
Similarly, Pastor Glory Akhimie of Winners Chapel, noted that the late Alile contributed significantly to the growth of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
“He was a role model to many of us and we admired how he succeeded in striking a balance between Christian ministry, work and family.
Pastor Dickson Atigolo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos said the late Alile was a stabiliser at NSE, adding that his tenure also witnessed a lot of sanitisation in the sector.
“He was accommodating and a no nonsense person, we will miss him because long after his retirement, he was still contributing toward the growth of Nigerian capital market.
“Though we will miss him, my condolences go to his immediate family,’’ he said.
Born on Sunday, April 24, 1938, Apostle Hayford Ikponmwonsa Alile, OFR, B.A. MBA (Hon) D.Sc., attended briefly the University of Ibadan as a State Scholar in Physics and thereafter proceeded to Howard University, Washington D.C. where he earned his B.A. degree in Economics and Mathematics. He later attended Rutgers Graduate School of Management, New Jersey, USA for his MBA and the Harvard Business School for AMP.
Apostle Alile’s rich working history began as an economic and financial Consultant to Louis Berger Inc, East Orange, New Jersey, USA in 1968. Between 1969 and 1972, he served as Assistant Director, Rutgers University Entrepreneurial Development Center, New Jersey and Rutgers Minority Investment Co Inc. He worked as an Investment Adviser/Broker with Investors Diversified Services Inc, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 1972-1973.
In 1973, he returned to Nigeria to head the Management Consulting Department of the Centre for Management Development, Lagos where he was responsible for the establishment of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMCON) and the Nigerian Association of Management Consultants (NAMCON). Thereafter, he was appointed in 1976 as the Executive Director/CEO of the then Lagos Stock Exchange (LSE). He became the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of The Nigeria Stock Exchange in 1979 from where he retired in 1999.
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Apostle Alile has authored several books in management development in Nigerian and on the capital market. He is a philanthropist and has mentored several corporate executives. he is the founder of The Hayford Alile Foundation (THAF). He is happily married with children and currently the Spiritual Leader of St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God International.
Asked how he managed to remain incorruptible at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the soft-talking Spiritual leader said: “Well, you know that people would always want you to do the wrong thing but from the very beginning I read out all the rules and regulations of the institution and spent much time educating them that the good that they would derive from corrupt doings will not be as big as the loss that society will gain from it. To a certain extent, I believe God was always speaking through me and guided me to pay deaf ears to corrupt discussions.”