Profile
Oluremi Comfort Sonaiya is a Nigerian politician, educator, writer and a professor of French language. She was the only female presidential candidate in the 2015 Presidential elections, representing the KOWA political party. She is a woman with a large heart, supporting several church and parachurch organisations, including the Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical students (NIFES), the Nigeria Bible Translation Trust, Calvary Ministry, Great Commission Movement of Nigeria, etc. She has been a bible study teacher in her church for many years and is on the international faculty of Haggai Institute, Hawaii, USA, where she lectures on Stewardship.
Personal Life
Born on March 2nd, 1955 in Ibadan, Remi Sonaiya is married to Babafunso Sonaiya, they are blessed with two grown children and two grandsons. Apart from English and Yoruba, she also speaks French and German (as well as some smatterings of Portuguese). She loves to sing, cook, write, and travel.
Education
| S/N | Qualification | Schools Attended | Date |
| 1. | Primary education | St. Luke’s Demonstration School, Ibadan, | 1961 |
| 2 | Secondary education | St. Anne’s School, also in Ibadan, | 1987 |
| 3 | B.A French | French, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) | 1977 |
| 4 | M. A. in French Literature | Cornell University, USA | |
| 5 | Master’s degree, Linguistics | University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) | 1984, |
| 6 | PhD studies in Linguistics | Cornell University | 1988 |
Work History
| S/N | Position | Workplace | Date |
| 1. | Assistant Lecturer. | Department of Foreign Languages of the Obafemi Awolowo University |
Political History
National Public Relations Officer, KOWA Party.
KOWA Party Presidential elections candidate for the 2015.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
- She believes that leaders should not play to the gallery but should be sincere in their dealings with the people from whom he notes power is derived in the first place.
Awards & Honours
Recipient of American Association of University Women Award (USA)
Recipient of various international research grants and fellowships, including the French Government Grant for Advanced Researchers and the German Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship;
– First Nigerian to be appointed as the Ambassador Scientist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a position she occupied from 2008 to 2014.
Project
As an Educator and Writer, she has published several books which include
Culture and Identity on Stage: Social-political Concerns and Enactments in Contemporary African Performing Arts(2001),
Language Matters: Exploring the Dimensions of Multilingualism (2007),
A Trust to Earn – Reflections on Life and Leadership in Nigeria (2010),
Igniting Consciousness – Nigeria and Other Riddles (2013); and
Daybreak Nigeria – This Nation Must Rise! (2014).