It is a great honor and privilege for me to write this tribute to celebrate the Asiwaju of ljesa land, Chief Olayinka Fasuyi, on his 70th birthday. We grew up together in llesa, and I naturally refer to him as Yinka, Lington, or Lingtona, depending on the environment. His unique character and patriotic spirit have become increasingly evident over the past decade.
During this time, the true essence of Asiwaju has emerged. His love for ljesaland knows no bounds, and he has become a leader in the region’s development. He works tirelessly to advance ljesaland. The numerous qualities of the Field Marshall shine through in his God-given role as the grassroots mobilizer in ljesaland.
He dreams of ljesaland, thinks of ljesa land, and acts on ljesaland’s behalf. A caring family man and loving husband to Yeye Asiwaju, Asiwaju Yinka Fasuyi is an exceptional dresser and man of fashion. He is generous to a fault and a proud host to friends and associates at his palatial home in Ibadan.
Faithful to his friends, he loves music and is particularly fond of Ebenezer Obey, the Chief Commander. A philanthropist extraordinaire, Asiwaju never misses his yearly “Celebration of Giving,” where he offers scholarships to hundreds of students in the six local government areas of ljesa land. He does not give to students alone, but he also donates generously to the schools and their teachers and pays for the West African Examination Fees of the students. I witnessed the celebration as Chairman at the Damol Events and Conference Centre, Ilesa, a few years ago.
He has unusual memories and remembers the exact day, hour, and minute. During our first serious official meeting regarding the ljesa land Geriatric Centre in llesa, held in my office at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, I thought he had a recorder with him. I observed him closely at a follow-up meeting in the office of the Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in lle-lfe. It became clear that the recorder was in his brain!
He is a passionate grassroots mobilizer and exceptionally talented fundraiser who utilizes his connections to secure funding. He calls and follows up with numerous reminders until he achieves his goals. Above all, he leads by example, often being the first to contribute and making the most significant contributions. His watchword is transparency and accountability.
He renders an account, giving a detailed analysis of the collections and disbursements. He also sets up a management process that separates approval from procurement and monitoring. No wonder people are comfortable contributing money to any worthy cause he identified or led.
As he turns 70, I join numerous family members, friends, associates, and well-wishers to wish him a happy celebration and many more years of fruitful contributions to the development of Ijesaland, in good health and happiness. It’s not easy to lead, raise money, and initiate various ideas and projects. I pray he can clone himself and train others to absorb his extraordinary abilities and use them to develop Ijesa land.
Signed:
Prof. Folorunso Adewole
Former Minister of Health
Former Vice – Chancelor, University of Ibadan
Former CMD, U.C.H., Ibadan
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