Boss Picks

Oba Titus Martins Tadeniawo Adesoji Aderemi: Remembering a Quintessential Yoruba Monarch 40 Years After

Published

4 years ago

July 2, 2020

Eric

By Hon Femi Kehinde

Some people demand honour from their fellowmen, and sometimes, by sundry devices, succeed in forcing and enforcing it. Others, who are very rare in their breed and number, command honour: they evoke it, they deserve it; and they do so because of their profound, worthy and abiding contributions to the welfare and happiness of their fellowmen, and the greatness of their fatherland. Oba Adesoji Aderemi, who became the Oni of Ife in 1930, is one of such men.

At that time, 50 years ago, the only reputation Ile-Ife had was that it is the cradle of the Yoruba people. But within 10 years of this rule, Aderemi had transformed Ile-Ife, by Nigerian standards, into a modern town, a virile business centre and a haven for the acquisition of secondary education, which was a very rare facility in those days.

As a natural ruler, Oba Adesoji Aderemi can be described as a “radical traditionalist” and furthermore,
through out his time, his “sole concern at all times was the welfare of his dear people in Ile-Ife and Nigeria.”

This was the beautiful eulogy delivered by Chief Obafemi Awolowo at an open air memorial service for the late Ooni Adesoji Aderemi, at Enuwa Square in Ile-Ife on Saturday, July 11 1980.
This eulogy aptly and succinctly, described the life and times of Ooni Adesoji Aderemi.

It is a settled historical fact, that Ile-Ife is the cradle of the Yorubas. We may not believe the myth of Ile-Ife as the origin of human race, but we cannot deny the historical root of Yoruba people as a whole in Ile-Ife.

Adesoji Aderemi, dominated the landscape of the Yoruba nation, for an uninterrupted period of about 50 years, until his demise on the 3rd of July, 1980.
He was a member of the Oshinkola ruling house of Ife. He succeeded Ooni Ademiluyi Ajagun, who died on the 24th of June 1930. Adesoji was the first literate Ooni.

It is an interesting historical fact, that Adesoji Aderemi was destined for the royal stool of Ooni right from birth.
He was born on the 15th of November 1889, every inch a king, to the family of Osundeyi Gbadebo and Adekunbi Itiola, his 19th and last wife and a native of Ipetumodu. On the day of Adesoji’s birth, his father, Prince Gbadebo Osundeyi had just arrived from a war expedition and as a gifted seer, Prince Osundeyi carried the baby into his laps, gazed intently into his face and was happy at what he saw.

He instructed Adekunbi to search for red beads, which they presented this special baby, pronouncing him an Ooni, a future Ooni, who is however, an ancestor Ooni, who had come back through their family.
Prince Osundeyi named this unusual baby, who took his first steps at seven (7) months and started walking, Tadeniawo Ayinla Adesoji Aderemi.

As a restless spirit, everything about Aderemi was quick and fast. He started schooling in January 1900 at the St. Phillips School, Iyekere, Ile-Ife.

He left school in 1906, became a pupil teacher in 1907, and immediately registered with an overseas correspondence school, for private tuition, backed up with private lessons from the late Bishop A. B Akinyele, to whom he paid visits at Ibadan. He joined the Nigerian Railway corporarion in 1909 in the construction section and worked in various other departments as station Manager at Port-Harcourt, Iwo, Ile-Ogbo, Offa, Ibadan and several other places in the Western Region from 1919 to 1921, when he resigned from the railway corporation having saved some money to set up his own business. Adesoji Aderemi came into instant success when he started a Motor Transport business as well as a trade in produce-buying and general merchandise.

After a brief tutelage with John Holt of Nigeria, he became an agent for UAC and later a Factor for John Holt Ventures, Mc lever and OLGeyser.

He traded in three cash crops; cocoa, cotton and palm kernel, which he brought from Iwo, Ede, Ipetumodu, Gbongan, Ile-Ogbo and Ibadan. He hoarded these produce while speculating an upturn in prices. He was reported to have made so much money as a result of the upturn in prices that he threw a party for the people of Ile-Ogbo, where he was living at the time to show his joy.

He started his transport business with a fleet of lorries, ferrying people and goods to and from many places around the country including Onitsha and Kafanchan.

He became so financially successful that, he was nicknamed “Atobatele” (already famed as king) by his contemporaries and the people of Ile-Ife and also ‘Ooni Ola’ (Tomorrow’s King). Adesoji bought his first car in 1920 and by 1930, he had used three cars which included an open roof car. His fame and popularity was a pain in the neck of the then reigning monarch, Ooni Ademiluyi Ajagun, that he was charged with impersonation and large flamboyant display of wealth at the upper palace court of the Ooni. He was fined 25 pounds. It is a funny coincidence and instructive that this sum of 25 pounds which he paid as fine was returned to him by the Ife Local Council on his ascension to the throne in 1930.

It is important to note that the Rev. Josiah Stanley Adegun Adejumo was Adesoji’s mentor, teacher guardian in primary school. Rev. Adejumo was vicar of the St. Phillips Anglican Church, and also doubled as the Headmaster of the St. Philips Primary School, Iyekere, Ile-Ife.
Rev. Adejumo was to Ile-Ife, an early pathfinder.

As an interesting coronary, Alaayeluwa Okunade Sijuwade II, born on the 1st of January 1930, to Prince Adereti Olubuse and grandson of Oba Adelekan Sijuwade Olobuse I, who was the first Ooni ever to travel out of his domain, succeeded him on the 6th of December,1980.

At the invitation of the colonial governor, Ooni Adelekan Olubuse I, visited Lagos in 1903 to give his ruling, whether the Oba Elepe of Epe was entitled to wear a beaded crown. That unprecedented journey to Lagos, according to the government gazette, caused a stir in Yoruba land. As a mark of respect to the Ooni, all Obas and princes momentarily vacated their thrones throughout the period of the Ooni’s sojourn in Lagos. When the Ooni finally arrived in Lagos, transported in his hammock, under a flutter of colourful, gigantic royal umbrella with his retinue of courtiers in toe, he was a sight to behold. And when he finally gave his verdict, presumably through an interpreter, he had his back to the colonial governor since no mortal, not even the representative of the English monarch could behold his face.

Oba Adesoji Aderemi upon ascension to the throne in 1930 began his modernist policies for the growth and development of Ife land and the Yoruba nation. He founded Oduduwa College on the 22nd of January, 1932 at Ajamapo, Ile-Ife.

On the 19th of December, 1931, Rev. M. S Cole, an Anglican priest, was on his way to Lagos from Ilesha from where he had gone to conduct a feasibility study sponsored by the Ilesha indegenes and elites in Lagos, as to the desirability of a secondary school in Ilesha.

On his way back to Lagos, he stopped over at IleIfe to see his friend – Rev. J. S. A Adejumo.

Rev. Cole was well received By Adejumo, and in the evening of that day, he took him to the Palace of the Ooni for traditional salute and felicitations.
Cole told the Ooni the essence of his visit to Ilesha and his intention to establish a secondary school on Ilesha soil, on the sponsorship of Ilesha indegenes in Lagos.

The Ooni, quite impressed by these proposals rather asked Rev. M. S. Cole to stay in Ile Ife and establish a secondary school for him. On the 22nd of January 1932, the Oduduwa College, under the proprietorship of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi and with M. S Cole as its first principal was established at Ajamapo, Ile Ife.

The first Ile Ife graduate in 1946, who had just returned from Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, with a B.A Degree of Dunelm, and whose mother was Ooni’s classmate in primary school, also became a principal of Oduduwa College in 1946.

The Oduduwa College became the first privately owned college in Nigeria followed by the Aggreh Memorial college established by Dr. Alvan Ikoku in 1934.

In 1935, the Ooni aided the installation of the Ife water works at Mokuro Ile-Ife. Adesoji Aderemi also brought telephone services to Ile-Ife in 1938, when telephone services were hitherto unknown, and built an official residence for the Ooni.

In 1943, the colonial government had acquired a site, and built structures for a proposed military barracks in Ile-Ife.

The men of Ile-Ife resented this move, on the ground that soldiers would begin to acquire their wives. The Ooni took this protest to the colonial officers, who immediately abandoned the moves and left the structure unoccupied. The military Barrack was eventually relocated to Ede.

In 1944, the Seventh day Adventist mission were also desirous of establishing a mission hospital in Ile-Ife and the Ooni allocated these abandoned structures, meant for the soldiers to the Seventh day Adventist mission, and thus in 1944, the Seventh Day Adventist mission hospital in Ile-Ife was established.

I’m 1948, he inaugurated the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, and in the same year, he visited England and served as a delegate at the African Conference in London, held at the Lancaster House.

He had earlier in 1947, established a news paper – New times of Nigeria as publisher, and chief Obafemi Awolowo, as the managing editor.

This newspaper was the precursor of the Nigerian Tribune that was established in 1948 with about 12 investors –
Oba Adesoji Aderemi.
Obafemi Awolowo
HID Awolowo
R. A Jagun
G. F Ojuntalayo
Johnson Omisore
M. S Sowole
J. O Longe.
A. I Aina
J. F Aina and
A. A Okunsanya Awoyemi

Oba Adesoji Aderemi and HID Awolowo had the largest share holdings of 1000 pounds each, with Obafemi Awolowo, had a share holding of 500 Pounds.

In 1953, Adesoji Aderemi was appointed a Minister without portfolio in the Nigerian House of Representatives.
On June 2, 1953, Ooni Adesoji Aderemi attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and was shortly thereafter conferred with the title of the Knight of the British Empire (KBE.)

In 1953, Anthony Enahoro, a Minister of the Parliament had moved a motion for the independence of Nigeria in 1956.

The Western Region had 4 Federal Ministers-
Ooni Adesoji Aderemi
Chief S. L Akintola
Chief Bode Thomas
Chief Author Prest.
whilst the Eastern region had three ministers-
Okoi Arikpo
Emi Njoku
A. C Nwapa

The North had four federal ministers-
Usman Nagogo, the Emir of Kastina
Alhaji Tafawa Balewa
Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim.
Alhaji Mohammadu Ribadu
The southern Cameron was represented by Dr Endelley.

But before the defiance, doggedness and perseverance of Adesoji Aderemi and Oba Ladapo Ademola, the Alake of Egbaland, the Governor-General, Sir John McPherson, who had resisted the listing of the independent motion on the order paper, caved in.

The motion was subsequently debated and defeated and Adesoji Aderemi had to tender his letter of resignation from the cabinet to Sir John McPherson, the governor general.

His colleagues from the western region followed suit to create a constitutional lock jam. In 1954, Adesoji was appointed the president of the western region by the House of Chiefs.

He climaxed this by becoming the first African Governor of the Western Region in July 1960, succeeding the former British Colonial Governor, Olola Sir John Rankine.

He was the first to hold such a post in the entire British Colonial Africa. He functioned effectively in the office as Ooni and Governor, with vigour, grace, panache, dexterity and humaneness as a true symbol of the royal stool of Oduduwa. He was in office till May 29, 1962. Oba Adesoji Aderemi used his position of influence to advocate that the proposed University of Western Region be sited at Ile-Ife in 1962, in recognition of the ancestral status of Ile-Ife as the religious and cultural matrix of the Yorubas. The University started from the current Ibadan North Campus of the present Ibadan Polytechnic and finally moved to Ile-Ife in 1967, which was to Aderemi, the fulfillment of a long cherished dream. Adesoji Aderemi and the people of Ile-Ife donated about 130, 000 Acres of land for the new University. He built a magnificient mansion; the Atobatele Lodge before he ascended the throne of Ooni in 1930. This lodge was later occupied by Barclays Bank.

Adesoji, being a man of deep foresight, built the Popular Glass House at Iremo Road, Ile-Ife, as his own family compound, which his family of several wives and over sixty children relocated to upon his passage from the royal stool of the Ooni of Ife in July 1980.

Oba Adesoji Aderemi lost his first son-magistrate Adedapo Aderemi on the 16th of October 1963. Obafemi Awolowo had also lost his first son, Segun Awolowo, on the 10th of July, 1963. Prince Adedapo Aderemi had in September 1963 celebrated his father’s 33 year anniversary on the throne, with a big party.

The death of Prince Adedapo Aderemi prompted the Ooni Adesoji Aderemi to write his will. His will was written in 1964 by the legal titan, Chief Rotimi Williams.
Unfortunately, Chief Fedrick Rotimi Alade Williams did not leave a will, despite a slim family of a wife and four children.
The will listed about 11 surviving wives and 64 children, with tremendous assets.

These surviving children who had been trail blazers in various fields of human endeavor are keeping afloat, his fondest memories and legacies.

May the soul of this rare breed of a monarch and quintessential father of the Yoruba nation continually find peaceful repose with the Lord.

Hon Femi Kehinde, legal practitioner and former Member, House of Representatives, National Assembly Abuja, represented Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State between 1999 and 2003.

Boss Picks

Massad Boulos: Inside Story of SCOA Nigeria CEO

Published

4 days ago

December 16, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Rising to the pinnacle of one’s career is not a mean feat. Becoming the chief executive officer of any organization, let alone a multinational firm, or by implication, a multi-dimensional company, is an achievement worth celebrating. It is even more legendary when the subject is internationally connected and has enduring links with notable figures, especially America’s President-elect, Donald John Trump, and is thriving without an iota scandal. Mr. Massad Boulos, the Chief Executive Officer of SCOA Nigeria, is that one person.

Born a Lebanese in 1971 to a Greek Orthodox family in Kfaraakka, Koura, Boulos has over the years, while growing, and through career trajectory, acquired three more national identities including American, French and Nigerian. These have projected to the category of international personalities, looked upon as fostering world peace and coexistence.

His name, which translates to Paul to the Apostle, in Arabic, betrays his religious inclination, but his close-knitted relationship with Arab Muslims and other Muslims of the world further cements his open minded attitude towards humanity even as he categorically and vigorously campaigned for Former President Trump, who is today the President-Elect, awaiting the coming of January 20 to become the 46th President of the United of America.

While the campaign and election lasted, Boulos prized himself as Trump’s ‘envoy’ to Arab and Muslim Americans, shuttling through the states of Michigan, Arizona and Florida to convince them that Trump is a better candidate, capable of bringing the Israeli/Hamas war to a sudden end. His efforts paid off as Trump won the election with a landslide.

“Our community in Arizona is so big and so important, we can make a difference. We can make sure we get that margin,” he was quoted as saying by Washington Post in August.

He has been a solid ally of Trump since 2018 when his son began to date Trump’s daughter, Tiffany. Both got married in 2022, and in December 2024, Trump, who described him as an ‘accomplished lawyer’, named him his Middle East advisor.

Going down memorylane, The Washington Post in September, captured the origin as follows: “The war, which began 11 months ago after Hamas-led militants carried out a stunning cross-border attack on Israel, has reduced much of Gaza to rubble. The Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 dragged back into Gaza as hostages, according to the Israeli government.

“But months of negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have failed to deliver a cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Meanwhile, fewer than half the hostages have returned to Israel alive, while the war has given rise to starvation and disease throughout the enclave.”

A product of a political hegemony as his father and grandfather were prominent politicians, funding the Free Patriotic Front, Boulos however, chose the path of his father-in-law, Michel Zouhair Fadoul, who came into his life much later in existence, and became a truck seller; a profession he committed his very all, and rose to become the Head of its Nigeria axis. That is the SCOA Nigeria; a prolific truck manufacturing and marketing firm.

He however, had political stint as an ally of Michel Aoun’s FPM and represented it in Nigeria, where his business is domiciled.

It was reported that in 2009, the FPM shortlisted him, though by 2018, he was supporting Frangieh’s Marada. Consequently, hia appointment by Trump defines hia capacity to shuttle between both ideological prism, and bring harnessing in Middle East politics.

He said of the Israeli massacre and the subsequent and ongoing war, “Those massacres would not have happened if there was a strong president at the White House. The entire war wouldn’t have happened.

But Trump’s “clear and unequivocal position on this is that he is totally and absolutely against this war… And he’s totally and absolutely against the killing of civilians.”

The Trump Vance team captured his person as follows in a press statement by the Spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, while defending him over an avalanche of ‘fake’ information:

“The truth is Mr. Boulos is a highly respected businessman who has proudly served as the CEO of some of his family’s group of companies based in West Africa for more than 27 years and his family has employed tens of thousands of people around the globe.”

The statement further allocated the following achievements to Boulos:

• Mr. Boulos has degrees in both business and law.
• SCOA Nigeria PLC, a member of the FADOUL Group, is a well-known conglomerate that exclusively represents numerous global brands for decades.
• SCOA and the other family group companies have been very successful in the Nigerian market providing high-end products and specialized services to the largest companies in the country.
• SCOA is also part of the Fadoul Group, which is one of the largest privately-owned family businesses in West and Central Africa with a presence in 10 different countries since its founding in 1966.
• The FADOUL Group employs more than 20,000 hardworking people
• The Boulos and Fadoul family companies have developed into a family group with over $1 Billion USD in value and hundreds of millions in assets.

Soundly educated, Boulos, who moved to Texas as a teenager graduated from University of Houston-Downtown in 1993 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He moved to Nigeria to work for SCOA at the completion of his education.

Today, he is a notable shareholding authority in the conglomerate. Boulos, as a matter of principle, will say much about his Enterprises because he “made a practice of not commenting on his businesses”. He allows entities to make their own various conjectures.

A man of peace and saddled with the responsibility of keeping all and aundry qith arms length, Boulos reportedly has ‘links with Christian politicians and parties in Lebanon, including Suleiman Frangieh and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) both of which are Christian allies of Hezbollah, but maintained talks with opposition parties like the Lebanese Forces, says Wikipedia.

It was therefore, easy to portray Trump as supportive of “global peace” in the 2014 election campaigns.

As a positive identity and credential, Boulos has acted as an intermediary between the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas and Trump.

Boulos is married to Sarah Fadoul Boulos, who was born in Burkina Faso in 1986? She lived in Houston, Texas, and was a student at Houston Baptist University until 1996, then moved to Lagos, Nigeria. She is a dance instructor, who in 2005 founded the aspirationally named Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria as a tiny studio in her garage.

More recently, she has been a franchisee of Creative Education International (CrEd) Lagos Island. As at 2020, she worked at La Pointe Delicatessen, in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Together they have four children. While one of their son, Michael, is married to Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, another son, Fares, is an actor.

Though he would be holding an important position for the American government come January 2025 when the administration of Trump is inaugurated, Boulos, who has undeniable roots in Lebanon had said his time like during the electioneering will be split.between South Florida and Nigeria, where he oversees his family’s billion-dollar conglomerate, SCOA Nigeria.

Boulos is a longtime proponent of the Grand Old Party (GOP), another name for the Republican Party, His support therefore, for Trump is rooted in both politics and family, and so believes in the Trump Vance Transition Team verdict that, “President Trump wants peace and prosperity for all people.

“President Trump will once again deliver peace through strength to rebuild and expand the peace coalition he built in his first term to create long-term safety and security for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.”

The count begins therefore, on January 25 as Trump resumes office.

However, the management of SCOA in a statement titled “Celebrating the Legacy of Massad Boulos Leadership at SCOA Nigeria”, to further project his image, and prove fake narratives wrong, noted as follows:

Recent media criticisms questioning the breadth of experience and business acumen of Mr. Massad Boulos, the incoming Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle East Affairs to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, are not only misguided but also dismissive of the remarkable track record of both the man and the companies he has been instrumental in nurturing.

For instance, SCOA Nigeria PLC, where Mr. Boulos serves as Managing Director/CEO, is far from being just another company. It is a formidable force in Nigeria’s industrial and economic landscape. With roots spanning over four decades, it holds the distinction of being the first European automotive assembly plant in Nigeria.

In the 1970’s, SCOA Nigeria PLC made a name for itself by assembling Peugeot 404 and then 504 pickup trucks at its assembly plant at Apapa, Lagos and service center at its Lapal House facility on Lagos Island. Today, the company continues this proud legacy, assembling, distributing, and marketing M.A.N trucks and buses, power generators, tractors, agricultural equipment, industrial equipment and other heavy-duty construction and mining machinery critical to Nigeria’s key sectors.

SCOA Nigeria PLC’s clients include some of the most prominent and respected names in Nigeria’s construction industry, such as Julius Berger—widely regarded as the nation’s leading construction firm—Lafarge Africa PLC, a major cement producer, the Chagoury Group, renowned for developing the prestigious Banana Island, a premier residential enclave in Lagos, the DANGOTE Group, and many others.

Beyond trucks, SCOA Nigeria PLC is a trusted supplier of concrete, road construction and mining equipment, partnering with leading infrastructure companies to drive Nigeria’s development. For example, Julius Berger relies heavily on SCOA’s equipment for large-scale projects, including the 376km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway and the 43.6km Lagos-Shagamu stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano Highway.

Similarly, Hi-Tech Construction, currently working on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road network, depends significantly on SCOA PLC for the machinery and technology required to execute these ambitious projects, aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade across Nigeria’s southern, central, and northern regions.
Similarly,SCOA PLC has also been instrumental in the development of Eko Atlantic City, a groundbreaking urban project built on reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean. This visionary initiative, designed to address Lagos’s urbanization challenges and promote sustainable development, has been made possible in part by state-of-the-art machinery supplied by SCOA. Notably, Eko Atlantic City is set to host the United States Embassy, projected to be the largest of its kind globally upon completion, further underscoring the strategic importance of this landmark project.

In fact, SCOA Nigeria PLC’s impact extends beyond Nigeria’s shores. As a member of the FADOUL Group – one of the largest and most successful family-owned businesses in Africa – its influence spans across West and Central Africa. The FADOUL Group, established in 1966, operates numerous successful enterprises, employs over 20,000 people, and is valued at over $1 billion, with hundreds of millions of USD in assets. This legacy highlights the scale and scope of the operations under Mr. Boulos’s leadership.

Contrary to unfounded claims in certain media outlets, the suggestion that Mr. Boulos is not a billionaire is both baseless and misleading. As President-elect Donald Trump rightly described, Mr. Massad Boulos is a “deal-maker,” a characterization grounded in fact. His proven ability to negotiate and execute complex international transactions has facilitated significant partnerships between Nigerian, German, and French businesses, delivering substantial value and mutual benefit.
As a Non-Executive Independent Director of SCOA Nigeria PLC since 2012, I have witnessed firsthand Mr. Boulos’s instrumental role in driving the company’s success. His ability to navigate the complexities of international commerce, exemplified by the supply of a significant fleet of trucks to Lafarge Africa through a tripartite arrangement between a logistics firm, GPC and Union bank plc, has earned him widespread recognition and respect.

Mr. Boulos’s leadership has not only been vital to SCOA PLC’s achievements but also to the broader international business successes of the FADOUL Group. This is precisely the kind of experience and strategic vision he brings to his new role as Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle East Affairs to President-elect Trump.

As noted in a press release by Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman, attempts to smear Mr. Boulos’s reputation are part of a broader effort by opposition elements to undermine President-elect Trump’s nominees. The truth remains that Mr. Boulos played a pivotal role in mobilizing the Arab-American and Middle Eastern-American vote, contributing significantly to the Trump-Vance victory—an achievement that underscores his political and organizational acumen.

Efforts to denigrate Mr. Boulos’s qualifications and achievements are not only futile but also a disservice to the facts. Mr. Boulos’s expertise and accomplishments are well-suited for his new role, where he will undoubtedly deliver impactful results on behalf of President-elect Trump and the United States.

Boss Picks

Celebrating a Man of Outstanding Excellence, Ademola Adeleke

Published

3 weeks ago

November 30, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

“Since I assumed office, I have devoted myself majorly to delivering on our five-point agenda. I deploy my network locally and nationally in support of our noble projects and programmes for Osun. I am elated that our contributions are being noticed” – Governor Adeleke

In May 2024, two historical events took place to further cement the tag of ‘Performing Governor’, for which the Governor of Osun State, Asiwaju (Senator) Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, is known, and justifiably so. They include the conferment of the Asiwaju of Edeland title on him by his community, represented by the Timi of Ędę, HRH Oba Adesola Munirudeen Lawal (Laminisa 1), as well as the best governor of the year award conferred in him by the Vanguard Newspaper.

The prestigious Asiwaju title was previously held by Governor Adeleke’s elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke, who passed away on April 23, 2017.

Today, two years into his administration as the Number One Citizen of Osun State, Governor Adeleke has proved all doubting Thomases wrong, and lifted the state from comatose to prominence with verifiable, welfaristic and people-oriented projects that speak for themselves.

Recall that while stating the reasons behind his award as the Governor of the year, the General Editor, Vanguard Newspaper, Mr Jide Ajani, has said the governor’s attention to Infrastructural development of the state, has been topnotch, with special emphasis to his approval of infra upgrades of several tertiary institutions in the state.

The governor, in his humility, dedicated the award to the entire people of Osun State.

“We watched the video with the Vice Chancellor listing several approvals and even with the Governor asking the University to look into what other areas of intervention the state should act on. That video excites our curiosity and we proceeded to investigate further by leveraging on our team on ground here in Osun as well as a team from the headquarters.

“We discovered what the Vice Chancellor said in the video was a tip of the iceberg. Osun is indeed a huge construction site. You have continued to complete abandoned projects. You have completed many inherited projects from your predecessors

“We have your records on roads, bridges, water, school and health center upgrades among others. We read your multi-billion naira infrastructure plan and its ongoing implementation. You did not play politics with the development of your state.

“It is the totality of your passion for development that convinced the judges to confer the award on you. It is our hope that this recognition will spur you to an even greater push to deliver on your governance agenda”, Ajani had said.

In response, the Governor acknowledged as follows:

“Since I assumed office, I have devoted myself majorly to delivering on our five point agenda. I deploy my network locally and nationally in support of our noble projects and programmes for Osun. I am elated that our contributions are being noticed.

“I dedicate this award to the good people of Osun state. They made our positive records a reality. We have the unconditional support and love of our people in our push to take Osun to greater heights. I will personally attend the conferment in Lagos.

“Our government is forging ahead with our systematic physical and stomach infrastructure agenda. We are working on a new airport, an inland beach resort, cocoa sector revival, upgrade of the free trade zone for agro-industrialisation, robust climate change agenda and digital economy programme. We are on a mission to place Osun on the path of sustainable development”, the Governor told the visiting delegation.

THE MAN, ADEMOLA JACKSON ADELEKE

Born of the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun State on May 13, 1960, Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State before he was privileged to relocate to Old Oyo State to continue his education at Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire.

Adeleke was born Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke to a Muslim father and Nnena Esther Adeleke, an Igbo Christian mother. Like him, Adeleke’s father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was a Senator and the Balogun of Ede land in Osun State. His father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was also the leader of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

On completion of his primary education, he moved on to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede to begin his post primary schooling. In the later years however, he attended Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, where he completed his secondary school education and subsequently relocated to the United States of America, joining his two older brothers, who were also studying there.

In the United States, he joined Jacksonville State University, Alabama, and studied Criminal Justice, with minor in Political Science.

To prove doubting Thomases, who wiped up controversies around his educational qualification, wrong, he went back to school and got enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2021.

A businessman and administrator of no mean repute, Adeleke was the humble Group Executive Director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016, where his credible performances shot the company to enviable heights; a height it is still enjoying till date.

It is imperative to note that before he joined Pacific Holdings Limited, Senator Adeleke worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor from 1985 to 1989. His dexterity to work earned him a progression in career, and he berthed as Vice President at Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company. His meritorious stewardship lasted a period of five years, from 1990 to 1994.

Not a few has described Adeleke as the philanthropic capital of Ede, as his influence in aiding the less privileged and downtrodden remains top notch. He is a voracious believer in community development, and has not spared any expense to see that his community receives global influence.

Politically, Adeleke is a beacon of light and hard nut to crack, having remained an albatross to opposing powers and a reference point to ideal administration.

Shortly after he lost his brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017, he contested the Osun West 2017 Senatorial by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the Peoples Democratic Party, where he decamped to from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Having emerged senator, Adeleke’s political influence waxed stronger, an on July 23, 2018, he emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes. Efforts made to deprive him of the mandate was twated by the courts.

Adeleke’s lawyer in his defense claims his secondary school hasn’t come out to deny his testimonial asking the court to dismiss the Case. The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke’s forgery.

Adeleke ran for Osun state governorship election under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) while Adeleke was leading, and a rerun slated on September 27, 2018. The candidate of the APC Oyetola was declared winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result describing the election as a “coup”.

Much as on March 22, 2019, the tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election, the Supreme Court later affirmed Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the 2018 Osun State governorship election on Friday, July 5, 2019

Popularly known as the Dancing Senator because of his penchant to joyfully react to the sounds of music, Adeleke is uncle to one of Nigeria’s popular musicians, Davido.

Governor Adeleke is married to an equally successful businesswoman and a self-made boss. They are blessed with three children who are all entertainers. They are B-Red and Shina Rambo and a daughter, Nike Adeleke. He is the uncle of one Nigeria’s primus inter pares in entertainment, Davido.

As expected, Adeleke is moving Osun State to the greatest of heights as he promised, and many who know him agree that there are still very many more in the offing.

ADELEKE’S EXTRAORDINARY EASE OF DOING BUSINESS STRATEGY

The governor has shared good news on the ease of doing business in the state as follows:

In continuation of our administration’s effort to improve the state economy and encourage the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), we have completed the harmonization of multiple taxes and levies collected by different government departments, agencies, and ministries across all business sectors of the state economy including the informal sectors into a single bill. This Harmonized Bill curates all levies, which businesses are expected to pay on an annual basis as a single bill.

This initiative is to promote ease of doing business by ensuring seamless and convenient payment of levies and taxes due to individuals and businesses across the state in equal or unequal tranches and ensure the issuance of Harmonized Bill Certificate upon completion of payment of the total amount.

I hereby note to all business owners in Osun state both in formal and informal sectors that the official online payment channels for the state is pay.irs.os.gov.ng; POS machines in Tax stations across the state; commercial banks across Nigeria; and Money Transfer Services for those outside Nigeria.

In addition, we have also completed the deployment of Automation System for improved service delivery on payment of rent and lease on government properties; processing of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in 45 days; Electronic Affidavit System; Electronic State of Origin and Local Government Area of Origin portal; Mobile tax stations; Online Tax payment system etc.

ADMINSTRATION’S ACHIEVEMENTS AS SHARED ON NEW YEAR DAY

The governor declared as follows:

The good people of Osun state at home and abroad.

I greet you warmly with best wishes of a prosperous and blessed new year. I convey my intimate prayers that the new year will bring us new opportunities, progress and advancement as a state and in our individual lives.

I extend new year greetings to the elders of Osun state; to our royal fathers; to our religious leaders; to the young and the old; to professional elite, to artisans, to students and to womenfolk. Accept my sincere appreciation for your support before my election and for the last one year of my governorship of our dear state. I am humbled by your prayers and mass backing for our administration.

I remain firmly focused on the Five Point Agenda under which you, Osun people, elected us into office. We reaffirm our faith in the principles guiding the five point agenda which are transparency and accountability, open government, localisation, responsive leadership and attunement to citizens’ aspirations.

On the strength of the above, our government devised wholesale approach to governance such as:

●Dismantling bobby traps planted by our predecessor,
●Blocking leakages in public finance, ●Addressing the corruption and revenue diversion in the solid mineral sector,
● Restoring local government administration for grassroot development
● Embarking on mass water project provision
● Executing 91 kilometers of road construction
● Implementing free medical surgeries with over 50,000 beneficiaries;
● Total renovation of 31 schools
● Launching sport sector reforms
● Reviving the major commercial and industrial projects of the state
● Pushing for implementation of agric processing zone in Osun state;
● re-professionalisation of the public service;
● Strong attention to workers’ welfare;
● Tapping into tourism, entertainment and cultural potentials of the state;
● Ramping up efforts for a cargo and commercial airport for Osun state, among others.

Our administration achieved a lot by ensuring belt tightening, reducing cost of governance and denying ourselves many perquisites of office. As a Governor, my official expenditures are covered through the approval process rather than security votes, thereby assuring transparency and accountability.

As of today, our administration is struggling to purchase official vehicles for the state cabinet because the officials of the previous government bolted away with state vehicles. So our cabinet and other top officials have been using their private cars since we appointed them into office. Also, we are still working to renovate the official quarters vandalized by the officials of previous governments. Many of our top officials still operate from their private houses.

Despite the above handicap, our team is determined to continue to deliver on our electoral promises. I am glad to report with gratitude to God that we have remained responsive to the will and aspirations of our people. We get positive feedback and we are satisfied with our high approval ratings.

We are challenged to do more. We are prepared to make corrections where necessary as much as we will remain uncompromising when it comes to anti-corruption drive, transparency and accountability as well due process. As I always affirm, our tenure is married to rule of law and fear of God…

Adeleke is busy creating an Eldorado out of what remained of Osun State barely two years after he took over the driving seat.

Boss Picks

When Governor Adeleke Became Asiwaju of Edeland

Published

3 weeks ago

November 30, 2024

Eric

By Governor’s Office

OFFICIAL PROFILE OF GOVERNOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE, THE NEW ASIWAJU OF EDELAND

Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, the Executive Governor of Osun state and the new Asiwaju of Edeland is a pan Nigerian by birth, by philosophy and by worldview. Born at Enugu as a son of independence on 13th May, 1960, the new Ede frontliner widely acknowledged as the Olosun of Osun is a tactical politician, a businessman, show business activist and a humanist within philanthropism. The ever lively, urbane scion of the Adeleke family of Ede North Local Government is an innovative entrepreneur, a grassroot political figure and a strong advocate of good governance, then as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and now as the Governor of Osun State.

From his childhood, the Asiwaju is a man of complex character, a young man with multiplicity of talents and an adult with widely praised open heart, strong will and constancy of adaptation to ideas and innovations. From his secondary education at Ede Muslim Grammar School to his sojourn to the United States and tertiary education at the Jacksonville State University, Alabama where he majored in criminal justice, the Ede frontliner demonstrated deep business interest, unconventional approach and a rare mastery of intricacies of politics, business and social life.

Despite hailing from a well to do family, the Asiwaju was in the United States and Nigeria, a man in search of opportunities for self growth and advancement. His passion for self development and business prosperity occasioned his joining the Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor between 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company where he served as Vice President from 1990 to 1994.

A suave businessman and administrator, he served as a Director of Guiness Nigeria Limited between 1992- 1999 where he contributed immensely to the expansion of the multinational company. He was later appointed Group Executive Director of Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016. Senator Adeleke is also an acclaimed creative Industry entrepreneur and mentor. As a talented creative figure, he mentored world rated ace musicians while his family members and children are leading stars in the global music industry.

As a man ever restless in pursuit of self growth and opportunities, the Asiwaju again opted to restart his educational sojourn which he suspended because of business and entrepreneurial preoccupations. In 2019 after he was rigged out of a governorship election he clearly won, Governor Adeleke, in a can do spirit, re-enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2021.

All along and considering his family background, the frontliner was for years both a political servant and leader, learning the rope from his father (Senator Ayoola Adeleke) , a second republic progressive Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his brother, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, the First Executive Governor of Osun State. His business teeth were sharpened by his brother, the global business mogul, Dr Adedeji Adeleke while his political potency was strengthened by his sister, the Yeyeluwa of Edeland, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Adeleke- Sanni. The celebrant of today was eventually elected the President of the Adeleke dynasty, representing the sons and daughters of the great Adeleke family at home and abroad.

Having been thus fortified by his innate personality, his family background and his multifaceted experience, his political participation predated 1991 but he took the front seat in 2017 when he was elected with a landslide victory as a Senator for Osun West Senatorial District in 2017. His popularity reached a peak when he won the Osun 2018 governorship election before the open rigging and manipulation that was globally condemned.

As a man of steel character, the frontliner took the gauntlet again in 2022 and beat the incumbent to reclaim the stolen mandate of 2018. Imole as the Governor is popularly known has since been delivering on good governance, winning applause and praises from far and near.

In December 2023, he was honoured with a doctorate degree by the Valley View University, Accra, Ghana. The Vice Chancellor lauded the Governor’s multi-million naira education scholarship as a Senator, his sterling records on workers welfare as a Governor, his performance on infrastructure upgrades and his commitment to due process, rule of law and fear of God.

He has received several awards including the Governor of the Year Award by Champion newspapers in 2023, Sahel Standard Man of the Year in 2022, Vanguard Newspaper Governor of the Year on Infrastructure and a host of other recognition. The frontliner serves on several national governmental committees including being the representative of the South West on the National Minimum Wage Committee.

The new Asiwaju of Edeland is a strong family man, an avid sport lover, a man of God and a David of our time with incessant passion for praise singing and adulation of God Almighty.

Courtesy: Governor’s Office, 2024.