Isaac Fola Alade Foundation
Footprints of an Icon

Chief (Arc.)
Isaac Fola Alade
OFR, FNIA, RIBA, D.Sc. (Honoris Causa)

Pioneer Nigerian Architect · 1933 – 2021

Architect. Pioneer. Public servant. Father. The story of a boy from Aramoko Ekiti who drew, designed and built much of modern Nigeria — and never stopped giving back.

23 · 11 · 1933   —   18 · 06 · 2021

Read the story with photos

Text-only edition is downloadable — a formal, printable biography without photographs.

Chief Isaac Fola Alade, OFR
Daddy's Life Story
A Life Remembered

Footprints
of an icon.

He came into the world the 23rd surviving child of a great Aramoko house, lost his father at nine, and rose by discipline and grace to become the first architect ever appointed a Federal Permanent Secretary of Nigeria.

The buildings he drew shape the skylines of fourteen countries. The lives he raised — five biological children, and many more cousins, wards and protégés — shape Nigeria still. The mantra he lived by was the one his own father pressed into him: "Remember Whose Son Thou Art."

I
1933 — Aramoko Ekiti

Born of two great houses

Isaac Folayan Alade was born on the 24th of November, 1933 at Aramoko Ekiti — son of the late Chief Daniel Ojo Alade, head of the Eleyinmi Chieftaincy Household and Baba Egbe of St Philips Church, Aramoko Ekiti; and of Eyelori Aina Ogunwenu, of the family of the Chief Ologbosere of Oke Oja, Aramoko Ekiti.

She was the fifth wife of Chief Daniel Alade. Her son was the 23rd surviving child of his father — born into a vast house where lineage, name and honour were everything.

II
1940 — 1951

A boy with a pencil, then a boy without a father

His schooling began at St Phillip's Elementary School, Aramoko Ekiti (1940–1945), followed by Christ's School, Ado Ekiti (1946–1951).

He lost his father at the age of nine. From that day forward he worked — early mornings, evenings, holidays — to earn the school fees his education demanded. It is here, in this discipline of the fatherless boy, that the architect was first drafted.

Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade as a young school boy
Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade as a young school boy.
III
1957 — 1965

Pioneer of West African architecture

After brief stints working in Ibadan and Lagos, he gained admission to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology (later Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria) in 1957. He won the Atlas Award for Architecture in 1959 and, in 1961, finished as one of the first four pioneer Architecture graduates in West Africa.

As a student he organised and pioneered the first ever "Rag Day" in Nigeria — a tradition of raising funds for the needy that would echo through the rest of his life.

Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade and friends on the first RAG Day in 1958
Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade and friends on the first RAG Day in 1958

On a Commonwealth Scholarship he completed his postgraduate studies in Tropical Architecture at the Architectural Association School, Bedford Square, London (1964–1965).

The Architectural Association School of Architecture, Bedford Square, London
The Architectural Association School of Architecture, Bedford Square, London — where Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade completed his postgraduate studies in Tropical Architecture (1964–1965).
The young Architect Isaac Fola Alade and his wife Olayemi Fola-Alade
The young Architect Isaac Fola Alade and his beautiful wife Olayemi Fola-Alade.
A Father — and a Father to Many

When his wife passed,
he carried the whole house
on his own.

In 1976, just as he began his herculean task as Director of Public Buildings for the Armed Forces Development Projects — his beloved wife passed on to glory after a brief illness.

He carried on as a single parent — not just to their five biological children, but to cousins, uncles, aunties, nephews, nieces, friends and several wards, most of whom he trained, educated, mentored and nurtured as his own, well into his twilight years.

A Career, A Country

A life measured
in decades of service.

Over four decades of architectural practice across the public service and private commissions of Nigeria.

Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade, OFR
Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade, OFR.
1965

Returns to practice in Ibadan, Western Region.

1967

Relocates the family to Lagos.

1968

Joins the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing as Resident Architect.

1969

Becomes the first Registrar of ARCON; General Secretary, Commonwealth Architects Conference, Lagos.

1972

Appointed Chief Project Architect.

1975

Director of Public Buildings.

1976

Appointed by Head of State Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo as the FIRST ARCHITECT ever to become a Federal Permanent Secretary, on Special Duties for Armed Forces Development Projects.

1979

Voluntary retirement after meritorious service. Awarded Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) — the first architect in Nigeria to receive the honour.

1980

Founds his private practice, Fola Alade Group.

1977

Serves as the Supervisory Architect for the construction of the 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos — one of Nigeria's most iconic mid-rise housing landmarks.

1987

Awarded D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) in Architecture by the International University Foundation of North Carolina, USA.

1988

Awarded D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) by the Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna University Foundation, Malta.

1990

Appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Federal University of Port Harcourt.

1999

Appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, University of Ado Ekiti (now known as Ekiti State University).

2003

Awarded D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) in Architecture by Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Funds the CAD Laboratory at OAU as his 70th-birthday gift.

2005

Publishes his autobiography, Remember Whose Son Thou Art.

2021

Departs on the 18th of June, leaving five children, thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Selected Works

The buildings,
the barracks,
the embassies.

A selection of the projects he designed, planned and supervised — in public service and in his private practice, Fola Alade Group.

The Federal Secretariat, Ikoyi — designed by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade
The Federal Secretariat, Ikoyi — the largest building in West Africa at completion (1972–75).
Civic & National
National Judicial Institute, Abuja — designed by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade (opened 2001).
National Judicial Institute, Abuja — designed by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade (opened 2001).
  • Land Titles Appeal Courts, Western State, Ibadan (1965–66)
  • Federal Secretariat, Ikoyi — the largest building in West Africa at completion (1972–75)
  • Office of the Head of State & Council Chambers, Dodan Barracks (1971–72)
  • National Stadium, Surulere — design & supervision for the 2nd All-African Games (1971–73)
  • Sports Institute, National Stadium Surulere (1974–75)
  • The National Cenotaph & Remembrance Arcade — Tafawa Balewa Square (1977)
  • Retrofit of Tafawa Balewa Square to include the shopping arena, office & administrative complex, and the cricket pitch (1975–78)
  • 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos — Supervisory Architect for construction. (1977 - 1979)
  • New Ministry of External Affairs, Marina, Lagos (1975–76)
  • Heads of State Federal Guest Houses, Victoria Island (1974–75)
  • Satellite Town, Lagos (1975–78)
  • Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos
  • Prototype Federal Secretariats in all 19 State capitals (1973–76)
  • Prototype Federal Secretariat (Fola Alade Prototype), Plot 4, Federal Capital Territory - Design & Supervision. (1987 till 2012)
  • National Judicial Institute, Abuja (opened 2001)
Military Projects (41 in all)
Nigerian Navy Hospital Ojo. Designed & built by Chief (Arc) Isaac Fola Alade.
Nigerian Navy Hospital Ojo. Designed & built by Chief (Arc) Isaac Fola Alade.
  • Emergency War Projects — hospitals, schools, barracks, dockyards, landing strips (1968–70)
  • Armed Forces Rehabilitation & Training Centre, Oshodi, Lagos (1968–70)
  • Re-development of Dodan Barracks, Lagos
  • Ikeja Cantonment, Lagos
  • Ojo Cantonment, Lagos
  • Nigerian Army Barracks, Bonny Camp, Lagos
  • Army Brigade Barracks, Epe, Lagos
  • Army Barracks, Shaki, Oyo State
  • Army Barracks, Shendam, Plateau State
  • Army Brigade Headquarters and Barracks, Owerri, Imo State
  • Army Cantonment, Zuru, Sokoto State
  • Battalion Barracks, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State
  • Battalion Army Barracks, Ikom, Cross Rivers State
  • Brigade Headquarters and Barracks, Biu, Yobe State
  • Army Barracks, Bama, Bornu State
  • Brigade Location, Mongonu, Bornu State
  • Army Cantonment, Abak, Akwa Ibom State
  • Brigade Barracks, Keffi, Plateau State
  • Brigade Headquarters and Barracks, Ekenwa, Benin City, Edo State
  • Army Battalion and Depot, Warri, Delta State
  • Army Mechanical Engineering Training School, Auchi, Edo State
  • Amphibious Brigade, Ikorodu, Lagos
  • Battalion Barracks, Lokoja, Kogi State
  • Military Barracks and Training Base, Keffi, Plateau State
  • Battalion Army Barracks, Sarti, Gongola State
  • Nigerian Army Cantonment and Depot, Zaria, Kaduna State
  • Armoured Brigade, Katchia, Kaduna State
  • Brigade Headquarters Location and Barracks, Minna, Niger State
  • Infantry Brigade Barracks, Owode, Ogun State
  • Army Barracks, Okitipupa, Ondo State
  • Naval Base, Ojo, Lagos
  • Navy School, Ojo, Lagos
  • Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos
  • Air Force Base and Training School, Makurdi, Benue State
  • Military Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State
  • Military Hospital, Jos, Plateau State
  • Military Hospital, Sokoto, Sokoto State
  • Military Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State
  • Military Hospital, Ojo, Lagos
  • Creek (Military) Hospital, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos (1977–79)
  • Development of Satellite Town, Lagos — Design & Supervision (1975–78)
  • Development of Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos — Design & Supervision
  • Government institutions, housing schemes, educational, medical and engineering workshops — Design & Supervision (1972–76)
Nigerian Army Cantonment Ojo, Lagos.
Nigerian Army Cantonment Ojo, Lagos.
Diplomatic Buildings Abroad
  • Nigerian Embassies & Chanceries in 16 countries — Monrovia (Liberia), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Lusaka (Zambia), Dakar (Senegal), Bonn (Germany), Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Cotonou (Benin Republic), Brasilia (Brazil), Gaborone (Botswana), Douala (Cameroon), Yaoundé (Cameroon), Islamabad (Pakistan), Accra (Ghana), Peking — Beijing (China), Washington D.C. (United States) and Rome (Italy) (1970–76)
Educational & Institutional
University of Maiduguri — Master plan done by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade.
University of Maiduguri — Master plan done by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade.
  • Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo (1965–66)
  • Nigerian Institute of Policy & Strategic Studies, Kuru, via Jos (1978–79)
  • Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos & other FGCs (1978–79)
  • OAU (Ife) Teaching Hospital Complex (1980–83)
  • University of Maiduguri (1982–85)
  • Master-planning the new Nigerian Universities and Higher Institutions — Professional & Technical Adviser (1975–77)
Commercial & Telecommunications
Bar Beach Towers, Victoria Island Lagos — Architect Isaac Fola Alade design.
Bar Beach Towers, Victoria Island Lagos — Architect Isaac Fola Alade design.
  • 12-storey Prototype Block of Flats — Bar Beach Towers, Creek Hospital, Mulliner Rd Ikoyi, 2nd Ave Ikoyi, Eric Moore Towers (1977–79)
  • NITEL Exchanges across Ondo State — Ido Ani, Akure, Ikole, Ikere, Ifon, Aramoko Ekiti (1980–84)
  • First Bank of Nigeria, Akure (1984–85)
  • West African Portland Cement (WAPCO, now Lafarge) Head Office, Alausa (1987–90)

His signature architectural language — curves and circles — still stands across Nigeria and beyond as a legacy of his creativity, resourcefulness, and innovation.

Community & Philanthropy

Service
at the grassroots.

Ekiti State Landscape in the early days
Ekiti State Landscape in the early days.

He voluntarily designed the Master Plan of Ekiti State at its creation in 1997.

He designed all twenty-six Local Government Headquarters for Ondo State free of charge in 1976.

He chaired Aramoko Community Bank, which won the 2nd Merit Award among 1,387 community banks in Nigeria. He chaired WAPCO for two terms, served on the boards of many companies including Juli Pharmacy, and was Pro-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (1990–1992). He was also Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD), now Ekiti State University. He was also the co-founder and first president of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Alumni Association.

He was the Former President of Ekiti Parapo Association and the Former President of Christ's School Ado-Ekiti Old Students' Association.

He designed — without fee — for many communities, churches, schools, palaces and homes. He facilitated NEPA electricity in Aramoko (1978) and built the town's local government headquarters.

For his 70th birthday in 2003 — reminiscent of his Rag Day philosophy — he asked family and friends to monetise his gifts and birthday adverts. He used the proceeds to build a Computer-Aided Design Laboratory at OAU Ile-Ife, donating fifty workstations, networking equipment, structured cabling and licensed AutoCAD software.

He set up a Computer Centre in Aramoko Ekiti on retirement, to raise the quality of technology literacy in his region — having himself learned AutoCAD at the age of sixty.

Read more about how this life of service continues today — the full Impact & Legacy Report tracks the initiatives extended in his name, and the Projects & Initiatives page catalogues each active programme of the Isaac Fola Alade Foundation.

Full Impact Report Projects & Initiatives
Honours & Chieftaincies

Recognised
at home and
abroad.

National & International Honours
  • Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), September 1979 — first architect in Nigeria so honoured
  • Man of the Year Award, Daily Times, January 1978 — alongside the late President Anwar Sadat of Egypt
  • Listed in Newswatch's Who is Who in the Commonwealth, 1979
  • Albert Einstein Bronze Medal (1985) — Albert Einstein International Academy Foundation, Malta
  • Albert Einstein Gold Medal (1988) — Albert Einstein International Academy Foundation, Malta
  • D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) in Architecture — International University Foundation of North Carolina, USA (1987)
  • American Biographical Institute Medal of Honour (1987)
  • D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) — Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna University Foundation, Malta (1988)
  • D.Sc. (Honoris Causa), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (2003)
  • Listed among the 1,000 best professionals in the world
Chieftaincy Titles
The Irukere — traditionally carried by Kings (Obas), Chiefs and Priests in Yorubaland
The Irukere — Traditionally carried by Kings (Obas), Chiefs and Priests in Yorubaland.
  • Asiwaju of Aramoko Ekiti
  • Maiyegun of Aramoko Ekiti
  • Jagunmolu of Awo Ekiti
  • Sobaloju of Ido Ekiti
A Man of Faith

Christ our cornerstone,
on whom alone we build.

He was a Christian, a member of St Philips Anglican Church, Aramoko Ekiti, and Our Saviour's Church, Lagos, and once served as Diocesan Architect at the Lagos Anglican Diocese.

His faith and his profession were one practice. To design well was, for him, to serve well.

St Philips Anglican Church, Aramoko Ekiti — designed and built by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade
St Philips Anglican Church, Aramoko Ekiti, Ekiti State. Designed and Built by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade.
A Man of Sport

He worked hard.
He played harder.

He swam, played squash, golf, snooker, billiards, cricket and football — and taught his children to play them with him. He sponsored squash rackets tournaments, golf, cricket and swimming development in Nigeria.

He founded the Club Arcade of Nigeria, was an early member of the Ikoyi Club, Ikoyi Golf Club, Ikeja Country Club and was the founder and first President of the Ekiti Golf Club.

Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade playing golf
Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade on the fairway — a lifelong sportsman and founder of the Ekiti Golf Club.
The Family He Built

Five children.
Thirteen grandchildren.
Two great-grandchildren.

He married his late wife, Mrs Olayemi Fola Alade — a princess of the Aladejuyigbe Royal family of Awo Ekiti — in 1961.

The Fola Alade family
The five children of Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola Alade: Arc. Yinka Williams, Barr. Oladipo Fola Alade, Mrs Bisi Soji-Oyawoye, Arc. Kola Fola-Alade, and Dr. Sola Fola-Alade.

Arc. Yinka Williams

First child and daughter; followed her father's path into architecture. She currently heads the Fola-Alade & Associates Architectural Firm, originally set up by her father.

Barrister Oladipo Fola Alade

Second child and first son; Barrister and Solicitor practicing in Nigeria and Ghana (ofclegal.com). President & Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Isaac Fola Alade Foundation.

Mrs. Bisi Soji-Oyawoye

Third child and daughter; sociologist and successful life coach.

Arc. Kola Fola-Alade

Fourth child and son; architect specialized in urban and rural social housing in Nigeria and across Africa. Chairman and CEO of Rapid Africa Projects.

Dr. Sola Fola-Alade

Fifth child and son; medical doctor and pastor. He pastors The Liberty Church, London, UK.

His Mantra
"Remember
Whose Son
Thou Art."

The maxim handed to him by his own father — and the title of his 2005 autobiography. He left it as the inheritance of his children, and of the Foundation that now carries his name.

23 · 11 · 1933 — 18 · 06 · 2021

May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

In Memoriam

A tribute, in his own light.

Tributes from Others

How the nation remembered him.

Continue Exploring

The rest of his life
and legacy.

This biography is the pillar page for the entire archive of Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade's life, works and the Foundation that carries his name. Follow any thread below.

About the Foundation

Mission, vision and our five strategic pillars.

Our Scholarship Program

Scholarships, grants, fellowships and mentorship.

Major Architectural Projects

The buildings, barracks and embassies by Chief (Arc.) Isaac Fola-Alade.

Full Photo Gallery

Portraits, family, monuments and memorial photography.

Legacy & Impact Stories

Stories of lasting impact from his life and work.

Media & Recognition — Awards and Honours

Press coverage, tributes and international honours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the man, the works and the Foundation.

Become a Partner

Sponsor a programme or a scholarship cohort.

Contact the Foundation

Reach the family and the Foundation office.