Biography
Ademola Rasaq Seriki, CON, also known as Demola Seriki was a Nigerian politician, teacher, businessman, public administrator and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain until his death
He was born on the 30th of November 1959 and died on the 15th of December 2022.
Prior to his appointment as the ambassador, he was a permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
In another capacity, he has also served as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence
Education
Demola Seriki is a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees holder in the field of Accounting, Finance & Management from the City University of New York
He also studied at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he completed a Senior Executive Education program and received a Certificate in National and International Security.
Career
Seriki began his career as a secretary in the Lagos City Council’s City Hall in 1978. He also spent a brief amount of time working for the International Bank for West Africa Ltd. (IBWA), which is now Afribank.
Before departing for New York to continue his studies. He taught accounting and business mathematics after completing his studies at the John F. Kennedy High School in New York, Walton High School, and Springfield Gardens High School.
He held the position of Assistant Manager at Koskolowsky and Co., a certified public accounting firm, from 1986 to 1987. In addition, he worked as an assistant manager and customer representative at Dollar Dry Dock Bank in New York City.
Public service
Upon his return to Nigeria, Seriki worked as a business manager for Equity and Trust Finance Company Limited until he was named chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council in 1992, a position he held until 1994.
Seriki played a key role in involving young talent in sports at the state and national levels despite the political unrest. He used his expertise as a grassroots organizer to encourage local youth to participate in sporting events, using educational institutions as venues for their participation.
In 1993, when the Nigerian military was supposed to hand over power to elected civilians, Seriki resigned from his position as a public servant to found the Perpetual Investment and Finance Company Limited (PIFCO) and begin a career in politics.
try as a result of the general elections’ annulment on June 12, 1993.
Seriki served as vice president of Perpetual Associates International (USA) Inc. in Rosedale, New York, from 1994 to 1999. (an international consulting firm serving multinational oil and aviation companies).
From 1999 to 2007, he served as Executive Director for Business Development and Marketing at PIFCO Nigeria Limited.
Demola Seriki’s Political career
On the platform of the now-defunct National Republican Convention, Seriki ran for senator in 1992 in the Lagos Central District constituency (NRC)
On the platform of the now-defunct United Nigeria Congress Party, he won election as a representative to the federal House of Representatives in 1998 from the Lagos Island federal constituency (UNCP). With the sudden fall of the General Abacha regime and the beginning of the transitional government of General Abdulsalam Abubakar, this victory was fleeting.
He was appointed a member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Fund Raising Committee for the 1999 National Elections in the 4th Republic. He was additionally chosen by the PDP to serve on the Obasanjo/Atiku candidate and party relations committee. Demola Seriki became the PDP Party Chairman of the Lagos Island Local Government Area between 2000 and 2002.
Later, in 2003, he served as the party’s representative for the Lagos Island federal constituency in the House of Assembly. He started working as the secretary of the PDP Disciplinary Committee for Lagos State in 2005.
He served as the PDP’s vice-chairman for Lagos State from 2005 to 2006, and in the following year, 2007, he ran for the Lagos Central senatorial district.
He served as the PDP’s vice-chairman for Lagos State from 2005 to 2006, and in the following year, 2007, he ran for the Lagos Central senatorial district.
Seriki left the PDP for the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2011.
Demola Seriki’s Political Appointments
Nigerian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain
In 2021, Seriki was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain. A position he held until his death.
Minister of State for Interior
Between 2009 to 2010, Seriki was the Nigerian Minister of State for Interior. In this capacity, Seriki collaborated with the interior minister to implement policies and carry out the ministry’s mission. In addition to assisting in overseeing, coordinating, and ensuring compliance with the ministry’s mandate, he served as the chairman of the Nigerian Civil Defence, Immigration, and Prisons Services Board.
Between 2008 and 2009, Seriki was the Minister of State for Defense. To achieve the goals envisioned by the federal government, he supervises the Military Pensions Board. Together with the minister of defence, he worked to develop and carry out policies that fell under the purview of his assigned timetable.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources
This was Seriki’s first call to national service. In this capacity, he collaborated with the minister to develop policies on agriculture and water resources that would galvanize the employment, industrial, and social development of this sector of the Nigerian economy.
Marriage
Seriki is survived by wives and children
Net worth
NewsWireNgr cannot independently verify Seriki’s net worth
Achievements
Seriki received the honorific title of Ottun Aare of Lagos in May 2009 from Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu.
In the interest of the advancement of Nigeria as a nation, Seriki has served in federal ministerial positions.
The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce admitted him as a member. He belonged to the Ikoyi Club 1938, the Lagos Yacht Club, the Island Club, the F’s Club, the Yoruba Tennis Club, and the IBB Golf and Country Club.
Seriki won the 1993 Nigerian Basketball Federation award for Best State Chairman of Sports Council (NBBF). In 1993, the Table Tennis Association awarded him Honorary Life Membership in recognition of his expertise in public administration and dedication to the growth of sports in Lagos State.
Controversy
Following Seriki’s failure to pay a debt of one billion naira, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria seized two of his properties in 2019.
Some of the properties in question are those at Nos. 1a and 1b, Jalupon Close, Surulere, Lagos, and No. 4, Djibouti Crescent, a posh section of Wuse 2, Abuja.
However, Seriki negotiated and bargained over the debt, and they came to an agreement on a settlement term that has been met and the debt was cleared
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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