Her Excellency, Toyin Ojora Saraki, President of The Wellbeing Foundation Africa and The Wellbeing Group, extends her deepest condolences to the Board, management, staff, and shareholders of Reckitt Nigeria, as well as to the Falomo family, on the passing of Chief Michael Olumuyiwa (Olu) Falomo, Chairman of Reckitt Nigeria.
Chief Falomo was a distinguished Nigerian professional and one of the pioneers of television and commercial radio broadcasting in Nigeria, having commenced his career in the sector in 1959. Educated in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, he later transitioned into advertising, where he rose to the position of Executive Director at Ogilvy, Benson & Mather before founding Forum Advertising Limited in 1986, which he led as Chief Executive Officer until his retirement.
In addition to his role as Chairman of Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria, Chief Falomo served as Principal Consultant of Olu Falomo & Associates and held several non-executive directorships across corporate institutions. He made significant contributions to the development of the advertising profession in Nigeria, serving as President or Council Member of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), the Nigerian Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). Appointed Chairman of APCON in December 1999 by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he served in that capacity for four years and was also a member of the World Board of Directors of the IAA from 1990 to 1994.
Chief Falomo was equally renowned for his philanthropy and commitment to social causes. He served on the boards and councils of numerous charitable organizations, including the Nigerian Society for the Blind, the Nigerian Society for the Welfare of Retired and Elderly Persons (NISWREP), and the Bloom Cancer Care and Support Centre. He was Patron of the Aanu Olu Pre-School Unit for Physically Challenged Children and a Trustee of the Osun State UNDP-Assisted Sustainable Human Development Fund (OSSHDF), the Bode Akindele Foundation, the D.O. Fagunwa Foundation, and St. Paul’s Senior Citizens Foundation.
Through his leadership at Reckitt Nigeria, Chief Falomo also championed corporate engagement in public health and community wellbeing. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa(WBFA) acknowledges with gratitude Reckitt’s support for hygiene promotion, maternal and family health education, community resilience and newborn care initiatives delivered through WBFA programmes, including WASH advocacy and behaviour-change outreach aligned with the WBFA–Dettol Nigeria Hygiene Quest partnership and newborn care and survival initiative through the Neonatal Jaundice (NNJ) Detection, Management and Prevention of Kernicterus Programme – “Project Oscar – Light for Life”, which has saved hundreds of newborns from longstanding disability and death. These efforts have contributed meaningfully to advancing safe hygiene practices and preventive health awareness among women, children, and frontline communities and strengthening the health system for MNCH care across Nigeria — a shared mission that reflects Chief Falomo’s enduring commitment to societal progress.
Speaking on his passing, Her Excellency Toyin Ojora Saraki stated:
“Chief Olu Falomo was a man of exceptional vision, integrity, and public spirit. His leadership in the corporate and professional spheres, and his lifelong commitment to service and philanthropy, leave an enduring legacy. Nigeria has lost a pioneer and a gentleman, and Reckitt Nigeria has lost a wise and respected Chairman.”
Her Excellency further conveyed her personal sense of loss, having known Chief Falomo for decades through his close friendship with her late father, HRH The Otunba Adekunle Ojora, and through his participation in the Reckitt Global Delegation visit to Nigeria in mid-2025.
Her Excellency Toyin Ojora Saraki prays that Almighty God grants repose to his soul and comfort to his family, colleagues, and all who mourn him.