Samuel Shonibare

Samuel Shonibare Biography / Profile

Samuel Olatunbosun Shonibare was born in 1920 in Ogun State, Nigeria. He was a respected Ijebu indigene, astute business man and renowned political stalwart of the defunct Action Group.

Samuel Shonibare Age

Not available.

Samuel Shonibare Early Life

Shonibare worked for United Africa Company (U.A.C) as a clerk from 1936 to 1942. He rose to Chief Clerk in 1942 and office manager and technical department. He left U.A.C in 1952. In 1958, he became managing director of the National Investment Property Company and was later appointed Managing Director by S.O. Gbadamosi a board member.

Samuel Shonibare Career

Shonibare was one of the major players in Western Nigeria during the transition from British rule to self-rule. As Chairman, Shonny Investments and Properties Limited, he built the famous Shonibare Estate in Lagos – widely acclaimed to be the first mixed race settlement in Nigeria. He was in charge of publicity for the Action Group.

Shonibare also extended newspaper publication to all the geopolitical zones of the country. He had the likes of Chief Lateef Jakande, Chief Bola Ige and Chief Olabisi Onabanjo on his pay roll. Most of the political heavyweights of the South West were his protégés, and they worked under him. He had a company called the Mobile Films. The company would go to all the rural areas, show Indian films and when they had gathered all the people around, they would show their political adverts. It gave him opportunity to speak about the policies of the Action Group. This helped them publicize the plans of the group.

He was also involved in developing the Agora Bank. The development of the produce farms, cocoa, rubber, used to finance the Action Group projects. The Chief was instrumental in bringing the present day Awujale to the throne. When the previous Awujale died, the kingmakers looked around in the family to see whose turn it was to rule and found the present day one. In the early 1960s, there rose a disagreement between Awolowo and Akintola who alleged the Action Group was trying to take over the government and many of them were arrested including Shonibare who was taken to Ondo.

Samuel Shonibare Personal Life

In 1946, Shonibare got married to Alice Olukoya, daughter of his supervisor at U.A.C, Mr. Samuel Olukoya. They had about five children including Mrs Idowu Ashiru, Managing Director, MART-Life Detox Clinic, Lagos. She also authored a book “Memories of My Father” and set up the Samuel Olatubosun Shonibare Charity Foundation in his honour.

While under house arrest, Shonibare's health failed and he was not able to travel abroad on time to seek medical help. By the time he was found innocent of all charges by the Coker Inquiry and was allowed to go abroad to get medical help, it was too late. He died a few months later in January 1964 of high blood pressure and personal pressure. He was 44 years old. At that time, the youngest of his children was only three years old and the oldest was about 18.