*Photo Clockwise: Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola (right) with former President Olusegun Obasanjo; with President Bola Tinubu; with former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and with former President Muhammadu Buhari*
Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola OFR, Nigeria’s immediate past High Commissioner to United Kingdom, is 64 years old today, 25th November 2024.
The highly urbane and humane leader was born on 25 November,1960 into the famous
into the notable 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.
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 is happily married with children.
The Board, Management and Staff of The Shield Online (theshieldonlineng.com) join his numerous friends, associates, admirers and family members in wishing him greater heights and long life, in good health, in the services of Ogun State, Nigeria and humanity in general.
