How the First Asiwaju of Ijesaland Turned Diaspora Engagement into a Strategic Development Initiative, Supporting Major Community Projects
The deliberate networking and mobilisation of Ijesas in the Diaspora for the development of their ancestral homeland has emerged as another significant milestone in the 10-year stewardship of the First Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi.
The initiative reflects Fasuyi's conviction that the development of Ijesaland should not depend exclusively on the contributions of people living at home. Rather, Ijesas across Europe, the United States, Canada and other parts of the world could become active partners in advancing the social, economic and infrastructural development of their homeland.
For Fasuyi, however, the story goes beyond mobilising financial contributions. It begins with recognising the Diaspora as an untapped development resource, conceiving a strategy to connect that resource to community needs and building relationships capable of translating goodwill into practical results.
Conceiving a Global Development Network
The foundation of the initiative was the recognition that Ijesas living abroad possessed more than the capacity to send money to their families. They also had professional expertise, business relationships, international exposure, technical knowledge and networks that could create opportunities for their homeland.
Fasuyi therefore pursued an approach that encouraged Ijesas in the Diaspora to move beyond individual remittances and participate more directly in structured community development.
This was a deliberate shift in perspective: instead of viewing geographical distance as a barrier to participation, the strategy sought to make Ijesaland's development a shared responsibility of its people, wherever they resided.
The conceptualisation phase is important in establishing the origin of the initiative. Before contributions could be solicited, relationships strengthened or projects supported, there had to be a vision of how the Diaspora could become an organised partner in homeland development.
That vision provided the basis for the subsequent networking, engagement and mobilisation efforts associated with Fasuyi's stewardship.
2019: Taking the Message to the Diaspora
A significant expression of this strategy emerged in 2019, when Fasuyi participated in Diaspora-related events and symposia, including the Ijesa National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, which brought together members of Egbe Omo Obokun from North America and Canada.
His participation provided an opportunity to engage Ijesas abroad on unity, peace and structured community development, encouraging them to identify with initiatives designed to advance Ijesaland.
The outreach complemented his community engagement at home, including development and unity initiatives involving traditional rulers in Ifewara in January 2019 and Ijebu-Jesa in November 2019.
The approach connected two important dimensions of development: promoting unity among communities within Ijesaland and strengthening the relationship between people at home and those living abroad.
Through personal engagement and international networking, Fasuyi encouraged Diaspora associations and individual Ijesas to see themselves as stakeholders in the future of their homeland.
From Networking to Practical Support
The value of Diaspora engagement became particularly visible in support for major community projects, including the Ultra-Modern Palace of the Owa Obokun Adimula and the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre.
According to the stewardship account, Ijesas abroad responded significantly to these initiatives, demonstrating the potential of sustained relationships between the homeland and its people overseas.
One notable contribution involved the coordination of the shipment of three large containers of medical consumables and equipment by Ijesa compatriots in the Diaspora.
The supplies helped equip the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre, while surplus materials were distributed across the six local government areas of Ijesaland.
This intervention illustrates how international connections could be translated into practical community benefits. The contribution was not limited to financial support; it also involved sourcing and delivering medical materials that strengthened healthcare provision beyond a single facility.
The experience reinforced the wider purpose of the Diaspora strategy: connecting available resources, expertise and goodwill to identified development needs at home.
Leadership by Example: Building Personal Commitment
Mobilising people across international boundaries requires more than making appeals. It requires relationships, credibility and a demonstrated willingness to contribute to the cause being promoted.
Fasuyi's leadership philosophy emphasises personal commitment, visible participation and leading from the front. His stewardship documentation states that he consistently makes his own contribution first and, in many cases, serves as the highest donor to projects and programmes.
Applied to Diaspora engagement, this principle helped give the development message a personal dimension. Rather than asking Ijesas abroad to support initiatives from a distance, the approach placed their participation within a broader collective effort to advance Ijesaland.
The emphasis was on shared responsibility: people could contribute according to their capacity, whether through financial resources, professional expertise, technical assistance, business contacts or other useful relationships.
Vision: Beyond Family Remittances
The long-term vision was to build a development network that could extend beyond individual appeals and particular projects.
Fasuyi's approach recognised that Ijesas abroad could help open doors to professional partnerships, international opportunities and technical resources unavailable through financial contributions alone.
This wider understanding of Diaspora participation subsequently became part of the philosophy behind the Ijesaland Development Fund (IDF), providing a framework for broader involvement in the development of Ijesaland.
The objective was to strengthen the connection between people overseas and the needs of their homeland, making it easier for their resources and capabilities to contribute to organised development.
Integrity and Transparency: Strengthening Trust
Trust is essential to any development network involving contributors who may live thousands of kilometres away from the communities they seek to support.
Fasuyi's stated leadership philosophy places emphasis on integrity, credibility, consistency and commitment to collective interests. These principles are particularly relevant when people are being encouraged to support projects whose implementation they may not witness personally.
Transparency also plays an important role. Communication, consultation and stakeholder engagement help contributors understand the purpose of initiatives and remain connected to the development process.
The stewardship record emphasises purposeful spending and reporting, noting that ICDA project funds are subject to general-house approval before disbursement or expenditure.
These principles provide a framework for building confidence and encouraging continued participation. Diaspora engagement becomes more sustainable when contributors can identify with the objectives of a project and have confidence in the stewardship of resources.
Accountability: Connecting Contributions to Results
The fifth principle, accountability, connects mobilisation to development outcomes.
Fasuyi's leadership philosophy emphasises responsibility for resources, commitments, decisions and results. His stewardship documentation further states that projects under his leadership are regularly audited, with auditor reports published on the ICDA platform.
For Diaspora contributors, accountability is important because support is more likely to endure when resources are linked to defined community needs and responsible project management.
The medical supplies delivered to the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre and the wider distribution of surplus materials across the six local government areas illustrate the practical value of connecting international support to identifiable community needs.
The broader challenge remains ensuring that the relationships built through networking continue to produce useful contributions to Ijesaland's development.
October 2025: A Diaspora Homage
VIDEO: DIASPORA PARTICIPATION IN ASIWAJU FASUYI'S PRE-BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONThe strength of the relationship between Fasuyi and Ijesas abroad was also reflected in October 2025, when members of the Diaspora travelled from Europe and the United States to participate in a pre-birthday celebration marking his 70th birthday at the Gold City Event Centre.
The gathering, as described in the stewardship account, provided an occasion for Diaspora participants to acknowledge his leadership and the development efforts associated with his tenure.
Beyond the celebration itself, the occasion reflected the personal connections cultivated over the years between Fasuyi and Ijesas living abroad.
Such relationships are relevant to the long-term sustainability of community development because they help preserve a sense of belonging and shared responsibility across geographical boundaries.
Building a Global Ijesa Development Community
The Diaspora networking initiative represents a broader understanding of who participates in the development of Ijesaland.
It recognises that the homeland's development resources are not confined to its geographical boundaries. They also exist among its people abroad, whose financial contributions, professional knowledge, technical abilities, business relationships and international networks can support progress at home.
As one of the 25 milestones in Fasuyi's decade-long stewardship, the initiative demonstrates a progression from identifying the Diaspora's development potential to conceiving a strategy, building relationships, mobilising support and connecting contributions to community projects.
The five leadership principles underpinning the approach remain central to its purpose: leadership by example encourages participation; vision identifies opportunities beyond immediate needs; integrity builds confidence; transparency strengthens collective ownership; and accountability connects contributions to results.
The defining achievement is not simply that Ijesas abroad were mobilised to contribute. It is that Diaspora engagement was pursued as a deliberate development strategy, recognising overseas Ijesas as partners in the future of their homeland.
By strengthening these connections, Fasuyi sought to bridge geographical distance with collective responsibility and to expand the circle of people actively involved in building a more prosperous Ijesaland.
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