Being a board chairman in Nigeria’s corporate world is a highly coveted and limited position. Many high-profile individuals chair one or two major companies at a time, but only a handful are board chairmen within their own groups.
Then there is Gbenga Oyebode.
As of 2026, Gbenga Oyebode, the co-founder of Aluko & Oyebode, holds the chairmanship of more companies than almost any other individual in Nigeria. 
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The List of Company Boards Gbenga Oyebode Sits as Chairman
The scale of Gbenga Oyebode’s board chairmanships becomes clearer when his current portfolio is examined. Oyebode currently serves as the board chairman of the following companies:
• Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading agro-industrial companies that cultivates palm oil and rubber, processing them into agricultural products.
• Nestlé Nigeria Plc: manufactures food products like beverages and other nutritional products, including bottled water.
• HBM Nigeria Plc (formerly Lafarge Africa Plc): A manufacturer and supplier of cement and other building materials.
• CFAO Nigeria: A distributor of electrical and technical machines and building materials.
• The Asset Management Group Ltd: A provider of investment and asset management services.
• Combined Industrial Agro Consultants Ltd: A provider of agriculture-related consultancy services and activities.
• Timbuktu Media Ltd: A media and communications firm.
• The Continent Venture Partners: A firm that invests in businesses, providing financing and support.
In addition to these, he chairs other prominent non-profit and professional bodies, such as:
- Teach For All: an education network that supports organizations that aim to improve educational opportunities for children.
- African Philanthropy Forum: a network that brings together and equips philanthropists and social investors to use strategic investment to drive development in Africa.
- Africa Legal Network (ALN): a union of leading African law firms that provides cross-border corporate legal services to African businesses.
Only a few, if any, other Nigerians chair this many significant commercial entities, especially one that includes multiple large listed companies.
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Why This Is Rare
Corporate governance norms usually discourage stacking too many chairmanships. The role of a chairman is demanding in terms of time, strategic oversight, and independence.
Regulators and institutional investors normally prefer chairs who can give focused attention. Most of the best-known business leaders in Nigeria concentrate their board leadership within their own groups.
Tony Elumelu serves as chair of the boards of Heirs Holdings and Transcorp Group. He recently stepped down from UBA. Business moguls Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu primarily chair their respective conglomerates.
Oyebode’s combination of independent listed companies, including several private entities, is unique and unusually wide. However, public records and professional databases do not show a clear rival matching this number of simultaneous commercial chairs.
The Man Behind the Boards
Oyebode co-founded Aluko & Oyebode in 1993, and built it into one of the leading full-service law firms in the country.
He is a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) and holds the Belgian honour of Knight of the Order of Leopold.
Before becoming chairman of the companies listed earlier, he had served as chairman of the board of Access Bank between 2005 and 2015.
Oyebode served as the founding director of MTN Nigeria from 2001 to 2019 and chaired PZ Cussons Nigeria between 2020 and 2023.
In all, Gbenga Oyebode’s board chairmanships reflect the breadth of his influence across Nigeria’s corporate landscape.
Today, he serves as Of Counsel at his firm, Aluko & Oyebode, while maintaining an extensive non-executive portfolio. Oyebode keeps a quiet life, but his influence cuts across some of Nigeria’s most important industrial, consumer, and investment institutions.
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