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Opinion: Tony Elumelu: God’s Gift To Africa by Ehi Braimah
Published
3 years agoon
By
Editor
A great mind such as Tony Elumelu, founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF); Chairman of UBA, Africa’s Global Bank, and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, an African investment conglomerate, amongst several other interests, needs little or no introduction.
He is God’s gift to Nigeria, and then Africa. But Elumelu’s larger than life image obviously transcends the boundaries of Africa, making him a global citizen. The focus of this essay will be more about his amazing philanthropy and burning desire to create enduring prosperity and social wealth in Africa by empowering entrepreneurs and enhancing competitiveness of the private sector.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) which is the philanthropic arm of Heirs Holdings was launched 10 years ago. Since then, TEF has created a legacy of impact and transformational changes in different sectors across Africa including a new strategic approach to philanthropy by leveraging influence and impact. It reminds one of the vision of Rotary which is similar to that of TEF. Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves.
TEF is funded by an annual grant from Heirs Holdings and supported by the group’s investee companies. In the first five years of its existence, the Foundation spent over N2 billion in furtherance of its mission. TEF has also supported the philanthropic goals of other institutions and not-for-profit organisations working in and for Africa.
Upon inception, the four key focus areas of the Foundation were: supporting entrepreneurship; enhancing competitiveness; policy intervention and leadership development. These strategic goals have continued to propel TEF to break new grounds with significant outcomes but the flagship project is the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEF Entrepreneurship Programme) which was launched on January 1, 2015. The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme represents the vision of Elumelu to empower a new generation of African entrepreneurs by supporting the business goals of at least 10,000 entrepreneurs across Africa over a 10 year period with the aim of creating over one million jobs and $10 billion in additional revenue for the continent.
When the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme was launched, President Muhammadu Buhari was obviously very proud of Elumelu. In his view, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme was essentially a proudly Nigerian project although it has footprints all over Africa. President Buhari was effusive in his praise of Elumelu for his vision for Africa. “I’m pleased to see that efforts like this aimed at promoting self-help and creating jobs and opportunities for Africa’s youths are gaining ground,” President Buhari remarked. “This demonstrates that the work of re-building our country (as well as the wider continent) is one all patriots and stakeholders must actively engage in. I’m proud that Nigeria (and a Nigerian) is taking the lead in the effort to promote self-worth, encourage entrepreneurship, create jobs, build and promote networks for intra-African trade, business collaboration and investment,” the President added. This was clearly a major endorsement for the Tony Elumelu Foundation, coming five years before the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) was launched by the African Union to lower trade and investment barriers between African countries.
It shows Elumelu is a visionary and he was creating a future for Africa when he founded TEF in 2010. Innovation is critical to creating the future. Brian Halligan is an American executive who co-founded HubSpot, an inbound marketing and sales software company. He is also an author and this is what he said about innovation: “Imagine the future and fill in the gaps.” A lot of innovation is required in different sectors of the economy and that is what Elumelu is doing in his transformational journey by using private capital to create wealth in Africa through broad based partnerships with governments, companies, individuals and philanthropies across the globe.
The TEF founder and UBA Chairman, says entrepreneurship is the most effective way to establish true prosperity and he has continued to expand this vision to touch lives by providing seed money for young African entrepreneurs. But more importantly, the TEF founder wants a paradigm shift from the existing narrative whereby Africa depends largely on aids from multi-lateral institutions; it is not sustainable and it confers on Africa a weaker negotiating position in international trade. For example, see the damage from COVID-19 pandemic on the economies of African countries – it just shows how vulnerable the continent is; we do not have buffers to mitigate serious economic headwinds.
According to Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), COVID-19 could cost Africa’s GDP loss of between $22.1 billion and $88.3 billion in the worst case scenario. Economic recession is already here with us, and as African countries look up to the financial capitals of the world for debt forbearance, not forgiveness, Africa’s total public debt will be over $2 trillion in 2020, Adesina further stated. According to data available in the TEF Impact Report, this is the same Africa that has an annual GDP of about $2 trillion, comparable to India or Russia. Twelve African economies are growing at 6% per annum and have been doing so for six years. Every year, $72 billion is invested in infrastructure projects across Africa and by 2030, it is estimated that Africa’s agriculture sector could generate $1 trillion annually.
For Africa to rise above this constant challenge, the solution lies with African entrepreneurs creating a value driven and robust economy that is sustainable. This was precisely why Elumelu created the economic philosophy known as Africapitalism with the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme serving to catalyse the vision. He is not saying that aid is bad per se, but we should stop complaining and get our priorities right. The young entrepreneurs of Africa can become economic disruptors once they are empowered, thereby changing the story from aid to trade and investment.
Since 2015, TEF has been disbursing up to US$10 million yearly in direct seed capital to empower young entrepreneurs across Africa under the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme brand, and this vision will be sustained for 10 years until 2025 (the first cycle) by which time $100 million would have been invested in the project by the Tony Elumelu Foundation. According to Elumelu, Africapitalism is the private sector’s commitment to Africa’s development through long term investment in strategic sectors of the economy that creates economic prosperity and social wealth.
For the private sector to thrive there should be an enabling economic environment in the form of investment-friendly government policies. But setting and implementing policies – different layers of avoidable bureaucracy and red tape can frustrate such policies – takes time. TEF discovered that research was a critical component of the strategy for the private sector to unlock the investment potential in Africa so that entrepreneurship can flourish. To bridge the gap, the Africapitalism Institute was launched during the World Economic Forum in Africa which held May 7 – 9, 2014 in Abuja.
The Institute is an independent non-profit think tank with a mission to broaden and accelerate economic prosperity and social wealth in Africa. To achieve this objective, the private sector must have the capacity to create and multiply local value across Africa. The Institute – which is the research and advocacy arm of the Foundation; call it the “brain box” if you like — provides rigorous research, curate and communicate new ideas (innovation), develop and test the ideas, directly engage key stakeholders and advocate for public policies and business practices that will unlock investment opportunities in Africa.
Make no mistake about it, the investment potential in Africa that Elumelu refers to is huge. As noted by Dr Strive Masiyiwa, another African business leader and investor from Zimbabwe in his Facebook post, Africans in the diaspora contribute significantly to the wealth of African countries. “According to official statistics,” Masiyiwa wrote in his insightful FB post, “Africans in the diaspora send home about $65 billion per year. If this represents 10% of their income, then their total income is about $650 billion.” This is a lot of money which is more than the total income of all the 200 million people living in Nigeria — our GDP is about $550 billion. The data indicates that about 25 million Nigerians form part of the African Diaspora nation (about 60 million Africans belong to this community) and they remit about $26 billion back home annually – almost 40% of our oil revenue before COVID-19 pandemic hit us below the belt.
An African Development Bank (AfDB) 2018 report indicated that Africans in the diaspora send home about $82 billion a year which Masiyiwa also cited in his FB post. After Egypt which remitted about $29 billion, Nigeria came second with annual remittances by our brothers and sisters in the diaspora amounting to $26 billion, according to the report. These are funds transferred to family and friends but most of it is not invested; even then, the annual remittances are more than what comes into Africa as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In 2018, FDI into Africa was about $46 billion compared to $82 billion remitted by Africans in the diaspora.
Masiyiwa who has spent most of his adult life as an African Diasporan – over 32 years actually; even now, he’s based in London, UK – is very passionate, just like Elumelu, for Africa to explode with growth and development in different sectors. He believes that there are several business opportunities in the continent, adding that Africa’s entrepreneurship climate is progressively improving. However, he explained in his five-step guide to Africans in the diaspora wishing to invest in Africa that they must look before they leap. A Brookings report, according to Masiyiwa, stated that greater innovation and investment from business is essential to meet Africa’s unfulfilled demand for goods and services, close the gap in its infrastructure, create jobs and decrease poverty.
It is evident that Elumelu and Masiyiwa are two African billionaires with single minded determination to change the fortunes of Africa through entrepreneurship. If I understand the way these two phenomenal and innovative African investors are thinking, Africa should not be a poor continent, and this thinking is rooted in the Africapitalism philosophy. According to the IMF Data Mapper World Economic Outlook, the top ten economies in Africa in terms of their economic size by GDP — which varies from time to time — are as follows: Nigeria ($494.83 bn), South Africa ($369.85 bn), Egypt ($353 bn), Algeria ($178.64 bn), Morocco ($124.54 bn), Kenya($109.13 bn), Ethiopia ($103.61 bn), Angola ($88.98 bn), Ghana ($69.76 bn), and Tanzania ($67.24 bn).
After reviewing the Impact Report of the Tony Elumelu Foundation from 2010 – 2015, Elumelu believes strongly that the most transformative changes in Africa will be created by entrepreneurs who have brilliant ideas and exhibit a passion and innovation in solving local problems and creating social wealth. Let me share a personal experience. In 2014, our public relations and marketing management company was honoured alongside 49 other companies at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos by the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Allworld Network on March 22 which is Elumelu’s birthday. That partnership was a pioneering effort to promote some of the fastest growing but unlisted companies in Nigeria in the “Fast Growth 50” or “Nigeria50” awards. The partnership helped to attract new investors, customers, growth partners and talent for the 50 companies through visibility economics by showcasing their efforts and results on an international scale.
I recall that the world renowned professor of competitive strategy, Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School, spoke to us. “Strategy is all about winning in the market place by gaining competitive advantage,” Prof Porter explained in one of the sessions. TEF later published The Success Factor to codify the lessons and successes of Nigeria50 and it featured the career of each company CEO/founder, enumerating the steps they took to build their companies. Over 5,000 copies of the book were distributed in Nigeria to young graduates and entrepreneurs.
Subsequently, I became a mentor of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme from 2015 with the first cohort. Mentors are a vital part of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme which supports entrepreneurs across Africa with $5,000 non-refundable seed capital to build their businesses. They also receive training, mentoring and through peer-to-peer engagement, they build a formidable network and alumni. Once the business is launched, Tony Elumelu entrepreneurs may receive additional funding of $5,000 each as loan or equity.
Over 3,000 mentors from 46 countries around the world have provided guidance and support to the nearly 10,000 entrepreneurs that have been empowered by the Foundation across Africa. In the first year of the highly competitive programme, over 20,000 applications were received from 52 countries and the largest number of applications came from Nigeria (49%), followed by Kenya (17%), and Uganda (4.5%). Since then, the numbers have quadrupled every year and to date, the Foundation has received nearly 600,000 applications for its flagship programme. In response to these numbers, the Foundation launched TEFConnect, its proprietary digital platform for African entrepreneurs, where TEF provides comprehensive capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages for nearly one million African SMEs.
The TEF Entrepreneurship Forum which is the physical convening of these entrepreneurs has hosted African Presidents including President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Uhuru Kenyatta from Kenya, President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda from Uganda, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of Nigeria, amongst others, and it has been recognised around the world for its ambition, size and scale – it is the largest gathering of entrepreneurs in the world each time it is held.
Apart from TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, the Foundation also launched initiatives such as fostering competitiveness (to attract local and foreign investment); impact investing (making money while solving social and environmental problems); Elumelu Professionals Programme (access to world class talents); direct intervention in early stage companies (social technology ventures) through a partnership with Co-Creation Hub (BudgIT and WeCyclers were two of the 20 beneficiaries and they received $5,000 seed capital each) and policy and capacity building (strategic engagement between policy makers and the private sector).
TEF also promotes thought leadership to achieve its goals. In addition, forging quality partnerships and collaborations with relevant organisations and individuals have become an overarching strategy for the Foundation. These partnerships are broad in scope but they are well focused and result-oriented. Some of the outcomes include research, ideation and publications that cover a wide range of socio-economic and investment related topics. Policy makers, thought leaders, journalists and entrepreneurs will find these publications useful.
Elumelu is not alone on this remarkable transformational journey across Africa for the creation of a progressive economic environment. He is ably supported by his lovely wife, Awele, a distinguished medical practitioner in her own right. Awele is a Trustee of TEF and founder of Avon Medical Practice. She also oversees the healthcare investments of Heirs Holdings including Avon HMO, one of Nigeria’s leading health maintenance organisations. The Tony and Awele Elumelu Prize was established to build the next generation of African leaders and entrepreneurs by collaborating with 18 partner institutions across Africa. The awards have been a source of motivation for graduates from African universities who strive to succeed against all odds. Since 2011 when the prize was launched, nearly 140 graduates have received grants for their start-ups.
Elumelu is of Delta State origin. His late dad hailed from Onicha-Ukwu (that is also where Chief Sylvester Moemeke, the advertising veteran of Lintas Advertising fame, comes from) while his mother (the Ada Onicha) is from Onicha-Ugbo, two idyllic towns in Aniocha North local government area of Delta State. By the way, Onicha-Ugbo where Elumelu grew up and had his early education is also popularly known as “Jesus Town”. Maybe Elumelu’s kindness, generosity and humanitarian endeavours have something to do with where he comes from. Naming Onicha-Ugbo “Jesus Town” was clearly not a mistake as it suggests that they are prayerful people and they pray for good things in their hearts.
The Holy Book says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34). The spiritual injunction implies that everything we speak, think or do will attest to what the abundance of our heart brings forth. And in Luke 6:45, we are also reminded that, “The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart.” As we can see, Onicha-Ugbo and Onicha-Ukwu people’s prayers have been answered; it means prayer works — Elumelu is a good man and worthy ambassador of both communities in whom they are well pleased. They love him and they are also proud of him for his spectacular achievements as an accomplished entrepreneur.
If Elumelu were an artist, his canvas would have been broad and colourful; he opted to be a global celebrity and not a local champion. Each stroke of his brush on the canvas would have represented his deep connection with humanity as a father, husband, pan Africanist, visionary, thinker, economist, banker, philosopher, philanthropist and care giver, mentor, goodwill ambassador, patriot, business leader, investor and serial entrepreneur. We definitely need more great men and transformational leaders like Elumelu from Africa to make the world a better place. One more thing: Elumelu should become an honorary Rotarian in view of his excellent services to humanity and the Rotary Club of Lagos in District 9110 would be glad to honour him.
As the Tony Elumelu Foundation marks its 10th anniversary, I have no doubt in my mind that TEF’s impactful service to Africa will be sustained for another cycle of 10 years. I congratulate Elumelu for his vision and exemplary leadership; I also salute the entire team for their outstanding achievements.
- Braimah is a PR and marketing strategist based in Lagos
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A former Chief of Staff, General Oladipo Diya, has died.
The death of the former General was made by a statement signed by Barrister Prince Oyesinmilola Diya, on behalf of theDiya family.
Read the statement…
On behalf of the entire Diya family home and abroad, we announce the passing on to glory of our dear husband, father, grandfather and brother, Lt- General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya (Rtd) GCON, LLB, BL, PSC, FSS, mni.
Our dear daddy passed onto glory in the early hours of 26th March 2023.
Please keep us in your prayers, as we mourn his demise in this period. Further announcements will be made public in due course.
Barrister Prince Oyesinmilola Diya, on behalf of the family.
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Headline
I’ll Never Validate an Illegitimate Outcome of a Flawed Process – Atiku Abubakar
Published
2 days agoon
March 25, 2023By
Eric
By Eric Elezuo
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has denied authoring a fake press statement making the rounds in the media, reiterating that he will never validate am Illegitimate outcome of a Flawed process.
The former Vice President made the clarification in a statement he personally signed, stressing that the so called press release did not emanate from him or his office, adding that his lawyers still have his unflinching mandate to challenge the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
The Waziri Adamawa restated his stand in joining lovers of democracy around the world to condemn the election and completely reject the ‘predetermined outcome’ of the election.
Read the statement below:
I have been notified of a fake press release attributed to me and purportedly giving legitimacy to the widely rigged presidential election of February 25.
The so-called press release did not emanate from me or my office, and it should be treated with repudiation, untrue, and deliberately contrived by those who illegally appropriated the mandate of the Nigerian people.
For the avoidance of any doubt, I wish to state categorically that my lawyers still have my unflinching mandate to challenge the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
I join other lovers of democracy in Nigeria and friends of our great country in the outright rejection of the predetermined outcome of the February 25 election.
I shall continue to challenge the legality of that election, alongside my party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
The decision to challenge the sham election of February 25, the worst election in our democratic history, is not predicated on my personal interest but for the interest of Nigeria and its people. It is aimed at deepening democracy and ensuring that we do not confer legitimacy to an outcome of illegitimacy.
My commitment to the democratic struggle in Nigeria is beyond an election season.
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Headline
Ademola Adeleke Reclaims Governorship Mandate, Dedicates Victory to God, Osun Residents
Published
2 days agoon
March 25, 2023By
Eric
By Eric Elezuo
Everyone who followed the tribunal process and judgment that nullified the July 16, 2022 election of Jackson Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke as governor of Osun State, will agree without equivocation that it was one judgment that will not stand the test of time, as the presented a masked review of high school jokes of an idle moment. This is even as one of the judges, who read the text of the judgment used playful and unserious lyrics of club house to describe the judgment.
The Osun tribunal had annulled Adeleke’s victory and affirmed his rival and predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the authentic winner of the poll after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had returned Adeleke as the winner of the poll.
INEC said Adeleke polled 403,371 votes to defeat then-incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, who got 375,027 votes. But Oyetola and the APC rejected the result of the poll and headed for the tribunal.
In its January 27, 2023 majority verdict, the Justice Tertse Kume-led tribunal annulled Adeleke’s victory and declared Oyetola the winner of the poll. However, a minority judgment by Justice B. Ogbuli affirmed Adeleke as the winner of the poll.
Displeased, Adeleke and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headed for the Court of Appeal.
The much acclaimed irresponsible judgment of the Tribunal brought out the angst of the general public, especially Osun residents and members of the PDP. In one reaction, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, described the majority judgement of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as highly compromised.
Frank in a statement in reaction to the judgement in Abuja, said the verdict fell short of expectations and does not reflect the will of the majority of the people of Osun, who freely elected Senator Adeleke as Governor.
He called on the National Judicial Council to urgently cause a probe of the verdict with a view to restoring Adeleke’s mandate as well as penalizing any of the tribunal members found to have compromised on integrity.
He also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently investigate the judges who wrote the majority judgement and prosecute those found to have based their decision on other considerations rather than the true facts canvassed during the hearing of the case.
He also called on the United States of America to place a visa ban on the Osun tribunal judges found to have used their highly exalted position as arbiters to derail and frustrate the growth of democracy in the country.
He commended the judge who wrote the minority judgement for sticking to the truth and siding with the wishes and aspirations of Osun people that elected Adeleke during the last governorship election.
He however urged the people of Osun to remain calm and law abiding with the certainty that the mandate they freely gave to Adeleke would be retrieved at the appellate court.
He also vowed that Nigerians will not fold their arms and watch any attempt to use the judiciary to again steal Adeleke’s mandate through the backdoor.
On March 13, 2023, however, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, concluded hearing on the appeal, and reserved judgment for March 24. As expected, the appellate court set aside the tribunal judgment that nullified the election of Ademola Adeleke as governor of Osun State on Friday.
In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal, the Appeal court held that the appeal lodged by Adeleke to challenge his sack by the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was meritorious. The court also held that the sum of N500,000 is awarded as a cost against the APC, and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.
During the ruling, the justice resolved that the preponderance of proof that there was over-voting in the elections rested on the petitioner. The court also maintained that “the party alleging non-compliance with the electoral act must prove its case without merely relying on the weakness of the other party.”
The three-man panel thereafter revoked the tribunal’s order which directed that a Certificate of Return be withdrawn from Adeleke and issued to his predecessor and APC candidate, Oyetola.
In his response to the judgment, an elated but highly confident Adeleke dedicated the Appeal Court ruling to God Almighty and the people of Osun State.
He said: “I thank God Almighty and our good people of Osun state. I dedicate this victory to God and my people. This judgement confirmed my earlier position that the judgement of the Tribunal is a miscarriage of Justice. The judiciary has right the wrongs of the lower Court. This has rekindled the confidence of the nation in the integrity of the judiciary as the stabiliser of the judiciary and last hope of the common man.
“I am particularly glad that the Court of Appeal has ruled that BVAS machine and voters register are the primary sources, not the report from the server. This has strengthened our democracy and remove a time bomb which the judgement of the Tribunal had planted for our democracy.
“I appreciate Osun people for standing by me and my party through repeated validation of my governorship mandate at the recent federal and state elections. My party won three straight elections from July 16. 2022 to the March 18, 2023. It was a resounding vote of confidence in my governorship by the people of Osun state. The judiciary has now confirmed the will of the people that I am the validly elected Governor of my state.
“My appreciation goes to the civil servants, artisans, market people, clerics, students, women and youth. Osun people defended the mandate from 2022 to date.
“I commend the judiciary for resisting all pressure. Rule of law is strengthened when judgement affirms the will of the people. On behalf of Osun people and my party, the PDP,, we appreciate the judiciary and the men of conscience on the bar and the bench.
“Let me use this opportunity to extend sincere hands of fellowship to former Governor Oyetola and the APC. Let build the state together. Let unite for the good of our people. The State needs leaders across party lines to join hands for robust and accelerated development of the state.
“As brothers and sisters, we are all requested to start the process of healing. Forget party politics as election is over. All members of the political class in Osun state should join hands with me to take our state to greater height.”
With the validation of his mandate by the Appeal Court, it is obvious that a new dawn has just emerged in the Land of Virtue, formerly known as state of the living spring, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke remains one of the prominent sons of the land, the sixth civilian governor of the state, and the 10th leader the state will produce since inception in 1991. His victory against Adegboyega Oyetola at the July 2022 governorship election remains untainted.
He has one of the most jovial personalities, combined with a mien that is down to earth and thoroughly enterprising. Many call him ever smiling senator; some others call him dancing senator while a whole lot of others call him the incoming governor. Today, the declaration has come to fruition. He is the Senator, who represented Osun West Senatorial district in the Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber between 2015 and 2019. He is Ademola Jackson Adeleke, the fresh governor of the state.
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 finished 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. P
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 but 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, and asked 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.
Senator Adeleke is married to Mrs. Titilola Adeleke, a 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.
Adeleke is expected to take Osun State to the greatest of heights, as he has already proved if his 100 days stewardship scorecard is anything to go by. Those who knows him agree that he can’t fail.
Congratulations, the Governor of Osun State!
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