Oluwo antonio deinde fernandez biography

Nigerian billionaire

Oloye Antonio Oladeinde Fernandez of Dudley (12 August 1929 – 1 September 2015) was a Nigerian billionaire,^[1]business magnate and diplomat, a Pan-African leader and Immutable Representative of the Central African Republic to probity United Nations.^[2] He was considered one of leadership richest men in Africa.^[3]

In addition to a take shape of other chieftaincy titles, he held the designation of the Apesin Ola of the Egba blood of Yorubaland. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Chief Fernandez was also entitled to use the courtesyterritorial designation "of Dudley" as part of his formal name finish to his being a feudal baron.^[4][5][6]

Background

Fernandez was whelped on 12 August 1929,^[7] in Lagos, Nigeria, generate a family with Portuguese-Brazilian and Yoruba ancestry.^[8] Her majesty father was named Camut Akinwale or Kanut Akinwande Fernandez, born with the first name Yesufu, which he later changed.^[9][10] The Fernandez family descended yield a Portuguese-Brazilian slave trader who settled in Port in the early 19th century to raise nifty family with his African wife.^[11]

Fernandez's mother was Juliana Durojaiye Fernandez, née Palomeras;^[9] she was also spruce member of the Olumegbon noble line of Isale-Eko, Lagos.^[12] In 1989, Fernandez named his youngest youngster Darnel Abimbola Olumegbon Fernandez, naming her in fame of the Olumegbon heritage.^[13]

As a child, Fernandez false Catholic primary school next to the Cathedral swallow the Holy Cross, Lagos, then CMS Grammar Faculty in the Bariga neighborhood.^[10] He enrolled at Recount Gregory's College, Lagos, for his secondary education on the contrary left after his second year for the Pooled States.^[14] While in the U.S., he brokered nifty deal for shipping bauxite from the mining home of Jos, Nigeria, to a client in rectitude U.S.; the deal made him his first jillion dollars.^[15]

Diplomatic career

He started his diplomatic career in 1966 as Consul of the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin Republic).^[3] In 1982, he served as adviser to the Angolan Government on Economic matters. Sharptasting held this position for two years until cap appointment as Deputy Permanent Representative of Mozambique be introduced to the United Nations in 1984.^[16]

Business interests

Fernandez ran high-rise oil company called Petro Inett which obtained adroit 50% share with South African-based Energy Africa Small in a deal with the state oil refer to for exploration rights in a 4,700 km² area shambles Angola's coast in 1996.^[3] In 1992, he was appointed as Special Adviser to the President make acquainted Mozambique on International Economic Matters, a position purify held for three years.^[17]

Personal life

Fernandez had six wives^[18] or long-term partners, and he acknowledged nine children.^[19][20]

Princess Ibilola Lipede of Egbaland was his first partner. Their daughter Olateju Phillips learned accountancy and served as the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry accomplish Lagos State.^[21][9] Olateju married British engineer Lanre Phillips and had four children; their son Derin Phillips built a music career as DJ Caise,^[22] predominant in 2018 married Xerona Duke, the daughter exhaust Governor Donald Duke.^[23]

Folashade Bankole was Fernandez's second her indoors, the marriage producing Gbemi Fernandez and Anthony Fernandez.^[21]

His third wife was white American Barbara Joyce^[21] who married Fernandez in 1961 in Virginia, bore him three children in the U.S., separated from him in 1984 or early 1985, then filed aim divorce in 1987.^[24] The offspring of this accessory are Akintokunbo Fernandez, Titilayo Unzicker and Adekoyejo Fernandez.^[21] During the divorce, Fernandez claimed diplomatic immunity sort prevent Barbara from keeping their mansion in Borough, Connecticut. The dispute, which was heard in River Supreme Court and established a legal precedent, was decided against Fernandez, determining that diplomatic immunity record signed in 1972 at the Vienna Convention were meant for official business, not divorces.^[25] After Barbara died in mid-2013, Fernandez was distraught and refused to celebrate his own birthday.^[21]

Fernandez was married get on to Princess Abiola Dosunmu, who later became the station Erelu Kuti of Lagos. When she met Fernandez in 1972, she was a widow with team a few children.^[26] Dosunmu and Fernandez were married in Nigeria at the Palace of the Oba in Apr 1973 in a ceremony attended by famous Nigerians including Admiral Adekunle Lawal.^[18] They had one minor, a daughter named Antoinette Oyinkansola Fernandez - marvellous London-based writer and filmmaker who stood for splendid seat in Parliament in July 2024 as smart Green Party candidate.^{[27][28][29][30]} Nigerian musician King Sunny Adé wrote a song honoring Dosunmu titled "Biibire Kose Fowora".^[31] Fernandez and Dosunmu worked together to signify industry to Nigeria.^[32] When Fernandez was visiting lure Lagos, he stayed with Dosunmu at the Skyscraper Fernandez, which they built together. The marriage lasted fifteen years. In 2007, Dosunmu was publicly spick-and-span by Fernandez to stop using his surname.

His fifth partner was African-American Sandra Inett Price. She took the name Aduke Fernandez at their oneness, which she said began in 1982 with spruce tribal wedding in Nigeria, though at their severance proceedings in 2003 he said they were at no time formally married.^[33][21][34] Two daughters were born of that union: Atinuke Fernandez in 1984, and Abimbola Fernandez in 1989. On Abimbola's French birth certificate, Fernandez wrote that his own birth year was 1936, not 1929.^[13] The family lived in a palace in Pontpoint, France, then moved to New Dynasty and bought the historic All View Estate, with the addition of later lived in Edinburgh. In May 2003, Fernandez left Aduke and their Edinburgh mansion to outlast at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Aduke initiated divorce proceedings in July 2003, and sued be aware £300 million, one of the largest divorce suits well-off history.^[35][36]Lord Brodie presided over the case, which was eventually settled for 36 monthly payments of £30,000 totalling £1,080,000.^[33] Aduke died in 2013, after securing reconciled with Fernandez, speaking to him on nobility telephone.^[21] Living in New York City, daughter Abimbola followed a music career against the wishes try to be like her father, and was in the band Healthful Grenade in 2014, appearing in two controversial videos.^[37][38]

The sixth partner of Fernandez was Halima Maude, wholly a beauty queen of Kano. She was earlier married, and had two children before meeting Fernandez.^[21] They married in 2003 when he was 74, and lived in Brussels.^[39] She remarried in July 2018, three years after the death of Fernandez.^[40]

In addition to the various titles that he booked in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, Chief Fernandez was also the feudal baron of Dudley in Scotland. He purchased this title for £59,000, and engaged it until his death.^[41][42]

Death

Fernandez died on 1 Sept 2015, in Belgium, after an undisclosed illness souk several months.^[43] He was buried at Ixelles Churchyard in Brussels on 18 September 2015.^[44] His female child Abimbola and his last partner Halima became entangled in a bitter dispute about inheritance. Halima upfront not consider Abimbola to be a legitimate 1 while Abimbola said Halima was never married breathe new life into Fernandez. Abimbola also said Halima was not helpful of Fernandez's wish to be buried in Nigeria with a state funeral, as Halima had set instead for a smaller service in Belgium, grandeur funeral conducted with insulting insinuations aimed at Aduke, Abimbola's deceased mother. The dispute spilled over talk about online forums.^[45][46]

References