Often, we fail to understand the gifts that life bestows on us because they do not come in the packages we expect. Some gifts are simply just too good for us to believe.
It will not be wrong to describe Gamaliel Onosode as one of such gifts. In a time when it was easy to follow the crowd and be regular, Gamaliel stood out, with his incredible integrity, and charming personality.
He was human, a Nigerian, surrounded on all sides by growing corruption and compromise. His country was fast becoming notorious for ineptitude, nepotism, prebendalism and gross misconduct on the part of public officers. All over the world, people were beginning to see the average Nigerian as a corrupt person.
But they made an exception for Gamaliel Onosode. They named him "Mr. Integrity".
By the time he died on September 29, 2015, Gamaliel Onosode had established himself as Nigeria's foremost technocrat, with an excellent track record in both private and public sector engagements.
Gamaliel Onosode was a man of integrity, honest, and dedicated to doing his work excellently. He left behind something more than a name; he left a legacy.
He would have been 85 on May 22, 2018.
His passion for young people informed his decision to start The Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation, to contribute meaningfully to the improvement of education in Nigeria, and to communicate character values.
In the spirit of celebration, our blog series, "Mr. Integrity: The Legacy of Gamaliel Onosode", will commence tomorrow, May 16, 2018. It is a collection of thoughts and opinions highlighting the profound class and distinction of Gamaliel Onosode's personality. It will run daily till May 22, 2018.