•OSUN Accord Party Governorship Candidate, AKIN OGUNBIYI
Over the last few months, as Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi intensifies his campaign to be the next governor of Osun State, Ogunbiyi who is the Osun Accord Party candidate has been telling the Osun people that one of the things that will work in his favour is his pedigree and upbringing as an Omoluabi.
“I
Akin Ogunbiyi is one man whose personal, professional and entrepreneurial
odyssey is a compelling study in rising from rags to riches; grass to grace, and Obscurity to Stardom.
Born
in the ancient city of Ile-Ogbo, Osun State to a family of peasant farmers, I
had my early education at AUD Primary School, in Ile-Ogbo, my hometown. There,
I had my first experience of life’s challenges, having to cope with lack and
the burden of chasing a dream.
A
typical village boy, I had nothing but my God-given intellectual abilities,
foresight and a big dream burning intensely within. I. nevertheless, kept my
focus on the goal of excellence and greatness.
Like
Gold in its raw state, I was refined by life’s scourge; yet remained resolute
on my mission; and fought against all odds and setbacks to emerge as a colossus to
be reckoned with globally.
“My
insatiable quest for knowledge motivated me to proceed to the famous University
of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, Osun State, where I bagged a
degree in Agricultural Economics.
My
un-diminishing educational quest inspired me to further sharpen and expand my
business acumen at Lagos Business School, Lagos, Nigeria. I also attended the
International Graduate School of Management, University of Navarra (IESE)
Barcelona, Spain, Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; while I
did full courses on Leadership at Said Business Scholl, University of Oxford,
United Kingdom, and Yale School of Management.
From
the above-named iconic institutions, I came out with the following academic
qualifications: BSE. (Hons) Agricultural Economics, 1986; Executive Masters in
Business Administration, 1997; The Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership
Programme, 2011; and Global Leadership Certificate, Yale School of Management,
2017.
As
for professional qualifications, I am an Associate Member, Chartered Insurance
Institute, London (ACII); and a Chartered Insurance Practitioner, CIP.
Arising
from the above, I am a Member, Chartered Insurance Institute, London; Member,
Insurance Institute of Nigeria; Member, Risk Management Society of Nigeria;
Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Directors Nigeria; and Fellow, West Africa
Insurance Institute, Banjul, Gambia.
As
an astute believer in continuous self-development, I have, in addition to all
of the above, attended numerous courses and seminars in Nigeria and across the
world; while I have several essays and publications on varying subjects and
published in various mediums and platforms to my credit.
My
career development in Insurance, for instance, started during my undergraduate
studies when I ventured into Agricultural Insurance as my choice of
specialization. After graduation, I was employed in 1988 by the National
Insurance Corporation of Nigeria, NICON, as a Research & Planning Officer.
While there, I worked in various strategic capacities, including the training
of Chief Executives of insurance companies from sister African countries.
As
an entrepreneurial risk-taker and risk manager, I gave up an impressive and
promising career at NICON Insurance to go into Insurance Consultancy, a
business which was unexplored and without a precedent of success in Nigeria at
the time.
I
then joined Finance and Insurance Expert Limited, a firm of Insurance, Finance,
Environmental and Management consultants as a pioneer Managing Partner/Chief
Executive Officer in 1992.
Significantly,
I ventured into business at the age of 29; and at age 31, I started Mutual
Benefits Assurance Plc, a pan-African organization on 2nd October 1995. This
organization has, over the years, evolved into a conglomerate consisting of
nine companies with diverse interests in various sectors of the Nigerian
economy, especially, Insurance, Real Estate, Oil & Gas, Transportation,
Agriculture
and Finance, through investments, strategic alliances, and partnerships, with
over 5,000 staff and marketing executives in its employment.
Today,
after 27 years in the Insurance industry, MUTUAL Benefits has become a leading
brand in Nigeria with branches in virtually all the nooks and crannies of the
country and also in other African countries, especially Liberia and the Niger
Republic.
As
a business icon and manager, I have successfully built businesses from scratch
into a conglomerate that has been a beacon of hope to other aspiring
entrepreneurs.”
“I
follow in the footsteps of my role model, mentor and former Chairman of our
company, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, late Chief Aret Adams, former Group
Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, who
once said, “I am a leader of men and women. I am not rich. My wealth is in the
lives of the people that I have touched” That man really touched lives. I am a
product of Aret Adams. And, I am glad that, as we speak, there are a number of
people that will be proud to say, too, “I am a product of Akin Oqunbiyi” That
really satisfies me.
Apart
from the numerous Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR initiatives of my Group
of Companies, I have, over the years extended my philanthropic gestures to
numerous individuals, families and communities through my Foundation which I
established for that purpose. In particular, the foundation supported over a
hundred scholarship awards and sponsorship of students in secondary, and tertiary
professional education. Of these scholarship awards, there were 10 (ten)
graduates of the West Africa College of Insurance, Banjul, Gambia; 50 (fifty)
graduates from Chartered Institute of Insurance Management, Lagos, Nigeria; a postgraduate
study leading up to the award of Ph. D in Architecture from the University of
Leeds, United Kingdom, among many others.
I
am both humbled and proud to say that in my entire professional and
entrepreneurial growth trajectory, certain qualities have defined my
personality brand essence and promise. These are value creation and delivery,
rooted in distinction, humility, excellence and humanity.
My
foray into politics has witnessed no less; and under my leadership, Osun and
its great people can only enjoy more of those qualities in me.
It
would interest you to note that to the glory of God, and for all the above and
many more, I am NOT a ‘Prophet without Honours’: I have bagged numerous awards,
recognitions and commendations from many local and international institutions,
all of which keep inspiring me to keep aspiring to do more.
Having
taken a very deep look at the continuing evolution of our darling state since
its creation in 1991; having watched the different fortunes which have befallen
the State in the hands of various Chief Executives in its 30 years of
existence; having been seriously concerned about the less than satisfying pace
of the state’s development; its not so sterling stand in the comity of States
in the Nigerian federation; Having been grievously disturbed by the crushing
burden of debt and the state of arrested development to which Osun State has
been subjected in recent years; Having realistically considered how yet far
away from the dreams of the founding fathers Osun State still remains; and with
due consideration to the unimaginable human capital and natural resources our
dear state is endowed with; with due regard for the can-do spirit of our
people, both at home and in the diaspora; Being very mindful of how easy it is
for our people and our potentials to be mobilized, once a visionary and
exemplary leader, who knows the way, shows the way and leads the way as soon as
he gets in the saddle; With a very clear vision; and one sole aim of putting
all that I am and all that I have into creating values across all spheres of
our lives as a State with and for our people across the length and breadth of
the State and beyond; thus lifting Osun State from its current state to the
mountaintop of development (a modern and industrialized State) - all to the
glory of God and to the eternal joy and pride of our people, both now and in
the generations to come; I stepped on to the political turf of our state and of
our country by joining politics in 2017 under the People’s Democratic Party,
PDP to contest for the governorship seat of Osun State. I was “polliticked” out.
Undeterred;
Determined, and Inspired by my inner convictions and the clarion call of all
those who mean well for the State, I am stepping forward, again, for this
cause: to see Osun State fulfil its manifest destiny; become a beacon and pride of the people; and of this nation, with the echoes of its unprecedentedly
accelerated development ricocheting across Africa and the globe; and into
coming generations.
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