Politics
Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo, The quintessential leader who saw the future ahead
” To be noble is to give to those who have less. It is an issue of service and leadership.”
– American Proverb
“Creator of Opportunities for the Youth”
Sometime around September 2015, I got a call which later became unusual progressive mutation of sorts from one of my big bosses, Sola Fajobi, to liaise with one Lanre Oyegbola as he was about setting up a marketing communications firm for a possible collaboration on a fintech communications project.
After speaking with him on the phone, we made an appointment to meet in his office then at Adenike Ogunye, Magodo. The meeting went well as expected and we moved on with the project but unfortunately, the project was aborted midway which made me go my way.
Then came an email from him with a subject, “New Business that’s sure as money in your pocket” and I began to wonder what this person was up to. I met him and we both agreed on ‘Collaborative Partnership’ which allowed me to operate in my own space without having to be a paid staff, unlike others in his capacity who will tell you to either take up employment with them or the working relationship will cease to exist.
“My word my bound”
Now, Boomerang has carved a niche for itself in the Nigerian advertising space and has since partnered with the fifth largest global advertising network, Havas Media. Havas Media is the media division of the global marketing and communications group, Havas. In December 2019, Boomerang Havas became a recipient of MADCom’s top 50 global advertising agencies’ awards in Dubai; a testimonial of the outstanding achievements made by Lanre and his team in the advertising industry.
With all the fetes achieved, business expansion and addition of more members of staff which ordinarily should have eased me out of working with his company, true to his word and commitment to me, I am still given the Right of Refusal Status in rendering my business with Boomerang Havas. This working relationship is the one thing that has opened my mind to the power of collaboration which many of our industry experts are canvassing for now.
An Inclusive and Detribalize Personality
Lanre as a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG) with all its influence in Christendom especially among the youths, gave me a Muslim an opportunity to work and manage the reputation of one of the biggest churches, a faith-based NGO, and a gospel record label without judging me or my abilities based on my religion, but rather on my competence.
Lanre as a Serial Philanthropist and Ardent Volunteer
He has demonstrated and prepared for what the future holds with some many philanthropic projects.
Just recently, he made a commitment to bring innovative solutions to problems while also addressing the challenges facing our people and at the same time creating wealth. This were the ideas behind the launch of the @mask4allNigerians project where he and his friends of like minds set out to empower 100,000 volunteer tailors and distribute 50,000,000 free face masks across Nigeria. Aside from empowering 80 tailors in Abeokuta North Local Government who have been commissioned and fully paid to deliver the 20,000 face masks that will be distributed across the 16 wards of the local government, he has also commissioned the project in Epe, Alimosho, Agege and Mafoluku in Lagos State.
As a champion of building a future for young people, Lanre founded EMAG Youth Development Foundation in 2009. The foundation provides tuition-based scholarships to indigent students in government-owned tertiary institutions. Currently, it has supported 40 students from their first year to graduation. In a similar manner, he has provided free tutorial classes to over 5,000 students preparing for the UTME and SSCE exams.
As an active student, one of the feats achieved by Lanre and other progressive students was renaming the institution after the winner of the June 12 presidential elections and icon of democracy, Chief M.K.O Abiola. The latter had made significant contributions to the school and Ogun state as a philanthropist, great educationist and outstanding son of Egba land.
Olanrewaju Oyegbola was born into the Sodipo family in Oke Ona, Egba Abeokuta on the 26th of August 1975. He started his primary education in Oke Ona United School and had to be taken to Lagos when his father, the Late Alhaji Abdul-Ganiyu Oyegbola got employed in the then Concord Press owned by the Late Chief M.K.O Abiola.
I join the whole world, corporate, political, temporal and spiritual alike, to stand up together to celebrate this youthful icon of the Marketing Communications profession on the occasion of his two Scores and five years(45th) on the Terra firma. Not only do you seamlessly adapt to address the emerging challenges from the persistent ones that we face in our society today, but you are also always striving to make things better with new approaches and such unfaltering determination.
As an aspiring political leader and a true steward, a loving husband and father, a charming and tactful friend, I just want to thank you for all your amazing efforts over the years as a visionary servant-leader who will represent the aspirations of the people and communities; you are truly a man who puts others first!
Mogaji ‘Tunde writes from Lagos
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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