My special friend, Yinka Fasuyi, is a close and wonderful family friend. We both grew up together at Ilesa, in Osun State. We were classmate at Ilesa Grammar School – 1969/73 set. We were not close friends in those early years. On my part, I was not able to “cope” with his “intense” character, though other friends were able to. I stayed off and maintained a distance.
According to him, during a recent discussion and reflection by both of us, he saw me as “snobbish,” so also always avoid my company even though we had common friends. This “cautious relationship” also extended to our days in the University of Ibadan in the late seventies and early eighties.
However, with maturity and exposure, our friendship “recovered” in the late eighties as we were both settling down into family life in Ibadan. We became “close family” in several ways up till to date.
Yinka has successfully transformed his intense character and behavior at childhood into what is clearly an intelligent, hardworking, resourceful, and consummate personality. He has grown his person, by the grace of God, into an excellent motivator, facilitator of development in his constituent and in Nigeria in general.
I know extraordinarily little about his exploits and achievements in Total Nigeria Plc, where he worked briefly before starting his own Training and Management Business, but I do suspect that he must have made great contributions and learn quite a lot from that International Organization. He was one of the pioneers in Training and Consultancy Business in Ibadan and Oyo State when he started and within a brief time, he grew the outfit – Supreme Management and Consultancy Limited into a “supreme” organization.
The organization and the sister Company – Ibadan Business School, are now the toasts of Governments and Development partners in Nigeria and in Africa. They have received several endorsements and awards for excellent delivery service in expert training and management services.
In the last five years, since becoming the Asiwaju of Ijesaland and “moving” to his hometown, Yinka has devoted the same, if not higher energy, intellect, and resources to champion development of Ijesaland.
The various programs under his leadership of the Yinka Fasuyi Foundation and the Ijesa Community Development Assembly are testimonies of his astute, focused and result oriented character and life.
Yinka is a socialite, and also God fearing. He manages his family life in a unique way and his wife and children, who are remarkably close to my family, give him special joy as they are making great strides in various fields and endeavors.
He is specially favored. As he marks his 70th year milestone, my prayer is that God will continue to strengthen and bless him. His God, and family, children and grandchildren would take pre-eminence above all things going forward.
Happy Birthday – my Asiwaju.
Signed:
Prof. Foluso Okunmadewa.
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