By Ken Afor
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed sadness following the death of his Deputy Chief of Staff (DCoS), Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo.
The death of Soyannwo was announced in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.
According to the statement, Soyannwo died on Wednesday at the age of 55 after a brief illness.
The statement added that Sanwo-Olu extended his condolences to the Soyannwo family on behalf of the Government and people of Lagos.
“I have lost a brother and a servant of the people,” the Governor was quoted to have said while breaking the news to the Executive Council (EXCO) meeting.
The late Gboyega Soyannwo is survived by a wife and two children.
He graduated from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. Hons.) He also had a Degree in Economics. He also held an MBA (General Management) from Lagos Business School.
The late Soyannwo began his career at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1992 as a Youth Corps member. He subsequently held various positions at Financial Services Consultants Limited, STACO Insurance Plc., National Bank of Nigeria Limited (now WEMA Bank Plc), Zenith Bank Plc, and Oceanic Bank International Plc (now Eco Bank Plc). He left Oceanic Bank in December 2009, where he had been the Group Head of Commercial Banking, to join the First Class Group Limited as Director of Finance and Strategy.
He was a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria (FCE), an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIB). A Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (MCIPM), Institute of Directors (MIoD), an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (AMNIM).
After more than 31 years in the banking and financial services sector, Soyannwo was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff (DCoS) to the Lagos State Governor from 2019 to 2023. He was reappointed on June 8, 2023.
