10 OF THE TOP INFLUENTIAL NIGERIAN MEN IN LONDON

Adebayo Ogunlesi

Mr. Ogunlesi is the Nigerian who famously bought London’s Gatwick Airport. His father is the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine. Mr. Ogunlesi attended Kings College Lagos, Nigeria, after which he received his B.A.with first class honors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, from Oxford University, his J.D. magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Adebayo Ogunlesi is currently Chairman and Managing Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners, a $15 billion joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs. He was Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of Credit Suisse, based in New York. He previously served as a member of Credit Suisse’s Executive Board and Management Council and chaired the Chairman’s Board. Previously, he was the Global Head of Investment Banking at Credit Suisse. In 2009, Global Infrastructure Partners acquired the majority in London Gatwick Airport in a deal worth £1.455 billion.

Chuka Ummuna MP

Chuka Ummuna is the UK Shadow Minister for Business He was elected Member of Parliament for Streatham with a 3,259 majority at the 2010 general election,

A young and dynamic member of the opposition Labour Party, he is most likely to emerge the new leader of the party following the next UK elections which come up in May.

Before hi appointment as Shadow Business Secretary by Ed Milliband whom he had voted for to be leader of the Labour Party in succession to Gordon Brown in 2010, the University of Manchester Law Graduate also served on The Treasury Select Committee. In October 2010, following Miliband’s election as party leader, Umunna was appointed to serve as his Parliamentary Private Secretary and, in May 2011, he was appointed to the position of Shadow Minister for Small Business and Enterprise until his promotion to the Shadow Cabinet

Dr Victor Olisa

Dr Olisa is a senior officer with the Metropolitan Police Service in London. He is the Commander of the London Borough of Haringey in North London with the command of over 500 police officers and staff. He is one of the very few blacks and the only Nigerian to hold such a high post within the MPS.

Chief Superintendent Olisa is also a PhD holder in the area of Criminology and a Member of the Chartered institute of Management. The University of London Biochemistry graduate is also and a Qualified FA Soccer Coach.

Councillor Ade Aminu

Councillor Adedamola Aminu is the Mayor of the London Borough of Lambeth which boasts of the largest concentration of Blacks as well as Nigerians in London if not the entire UK. Adedamola Aminu, a Nigerian UK-based academic councillor was sworn in as the first black mayor of Lambeth, United Kingdom. In 2014. Aminu, who was first elected as a councillor in 2006, was elected deputy mayor in 2013 and was acting as mayor till hisinauguration as Mayor.
The Ibadan, Oyo State born Aminu holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Studies from London Southbank University, a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Masters degree in marketing from Greenwich University and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

Bimbo Folayan Roberts:

Chief Bimbo, a double titled Nigerian is also the current Chair of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK, CANUK. This is a position that makes him the President of Nigerians in the United Kingdom and this alone, puts him in the highest level of leadership and gives him a lot of influence and power within the community.

Chief Bimbo is the Patron of many Nigerian Associations in the UK including the Association of Nigerian IT Professionals and appears regularly on Radio and TV shows to discuss issues relating to Nigerians at home and abroad. He is also the director of NDDIS, the organisation that links Nigerians in the Diaspora wishing to go back home to invest in businesses, with individuals and organisations who can partner with them or assist them with establishing their brand. The NDDIS hold its summits annually and it attracts big Multinationals, Banks, Moneyed individuals and State Governments with an interest in attracting investors to Nigeria.

Sam Debo Onigbanjo

Sam is an Entrepreneur and one of the foremost Nigerian Events Organisers in the UK. He is the founder of Women4Africa and the Nigerian Entertainment and Lifestyle Awards. A business and life coach, mentor and inspirational speaker, as well as being an experienced Business Leader and Management consultant with over 18 years commercial experience in marketing and business development.

Sam was awarded as one of the 100 most influential Nigerians in the UK in 2014. This aside his many other awards which he has deservedly been presented over the years for his work in helping start ups and established businesses reach their full potentials and maximize their output, clientèle and profits through his nationwide Business Club – Great Business Platforms.

Deejay Abass

Deejay Abass or Abass Abayomi Tijani is the unofficial Godfather of the Events and Entertainment Industry in London if not the UK. This is largely because he is one of the pioneer DJs in the Nigeria-London Social/Club/Show Biz scene which emerged in the late 80s – early 90s and the only one of his contemporaries whose influence and involvement cuts across the board including the new Nollywood UK. Multi Award winning Deejay Abass has mentored tens if not hundreds of new entrants into the Events and Entertainment Industries and not many events take place without his input either as a consultant or organiser.

As an industry leader, his influence extends as far away as Europe, Nigeria, South Africa and the US.

He is one of the people who backed and brought Afrobeats artists such as D’Banj and KAS into prominence in London before they both relocated to Nigeria and he is one of the pioneering founders of the world famous Naija Corner at the Notting Hill Carnival.

His outfit DJAMEDIA is the leading organiser of Nigerian and Nollywood movie premieres and Concerts in the United Kingdom. Notable among such premieres it has produced and co-produced are The Figurine and The Mirror Boy.

Dayo Olomu

Dayo Olomu is one of the most influential Africans in the UK, a leading human capital development and business transformation strategists; an accomplished inspirational speaker and award winning event host.

He is vice chairman of Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) South London; Member, Governing Council, Davidson Primary School in Croydon, Surrey; Founder, African Professional Speakers Academy; Founding President, Croydon Communicators Toastmasters Club; President, Nigerian Trainers & Speakers Consortium and CEO, Dayo Olomu & Associates UK.

He is an avid supporter of the Nigerian Community initiatives in London and in the UK and has sat on the committee of many community interest projects including the Nigerian Centenary Awards UK, which organised the event where 100 Outstanding Nigerians were recognised and awarded.

Dayo is also an Author, Life and Business coach and Mentor who helps to create momentum in people’s lives by taking them from good to great and also help his clients to grow their people, performance and profits exponentially without compromising quality. He has been invited to give talks at many high profile events outside of the Nigerian Community and is a regular visitor to the House of Commons and a close friend of the Mayor of Lambeth. In 2014, he became one of the very few Nigerians to ever be awarded a Honorary Doctorate Degree in the UK in appreciation of his numerous contribution.

Alistair Soyode

Alistair is the Chairman and founder of BEN TV – the first Black owned Television station in UK, which employs at least 20 Nigerians. Alistair first came to the UK to play professional football but had to find another means of living when the football dream didn’t materialise.

After branching into the media industry via the sale of mobile phones, the programmes production idea came up and he ended up setting up his own production company which later became a Television Station – after failing to find any mainstream station that would produce programmes directed at Africans.

He is the European chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), set up by the government in 2000 to unite Nigerians living abroad with an interest in contributing to the development of the nation.

Pastor Agu Irukwu

Pastor Agu Irukwu is the Senior Pastor of one of the largest churches in London, RCCG Jesus House. Agu is a law graduate from the University of Warwick, and was a Barrister and investment banker before he was ordained a Pastor in August 1993 and took over as Senior Pastor of Jesus House in April 1994, two months after it was birthed.

He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Head of the Executive Council of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the United Kingdom which acts in a supervisory capacity over the 600 parishes located in the United Kingdom and about 180,000 members. In addition he is Chairman of the Festival of Life organising committee.
He is the founder of the Mandate Men’s Ministries which is dedicated to building men of integrity who will be role models in their families, churches and society at large.