Who could believe that a young man whose father died when he was eight years old, who celebrated his 10th birthday at a bus garage in Lagos (Iyana Ipaja to be precise) selling iced water to support his mother, whose identity was stolen when he relocated to UK and who was ridiculed when he started out as a speaker is now a multiple award winner with 160 awards, an iconic global brand, a renowned international motivational speaker, human capital development expert, business transformation strategist, leadership trainer, business mentor, executive coach, award winning event host, bestselling author, a key person of influence, board member, HR leader, community champion, philanthropist and most importantly a devoted Christian, husband of a beautiful wife and father of awesome children. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in my eyes. I return all the glory to God. I am grateful for the Lord’s grace upon my life because I am a product of grace. I am grateful for who I have become. I am happy the way my life has turned out. Most people did not believe that I would turned out like this. I know my mother would be very proud of me that her toil in me did not end up in vain. I feel great and fulfilled seeing the results in people and organisations that I have helped transform right in front of my eyes as they have choices and new strategies to help them live a more fulfilling and empowered life and become who they had always wanted to be. I am happy that I have been able to restore belief and confidence to many who have lost it, vision to those who can no longer see and cure many people of possibility blindness. I am enjoying the products of my dream and vision. Every day I think of the many people that I meet through my writing, speaking engagement, workshops and social medium forums and their stories of how I have impacted their leaves positively. I am very thankful for the many opportunities that I have to make a difference in people’s lives. I am also thankful for the grace the Lord has given me to create awareness and raise funds for many charities since 2006 through running many marathons, skydiving, walking 100 km from London to Brighton and feeding the homeless through Dayo Olomu Foundation. The greatest lesson/s that life has taught me is that to be successful you must have trust God, have strong faith, have your own vision and define your goals. You must be hungry to achieve your dreams and a strong desire to succeed and back that desire with action. You must have absolute belief in yourself that you have what it takes to be successful and when setbacks or tragedies occur, do not give up; instead see them as opportunities for growth because success thrives on adversity. As the saying goes, “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.” Nothing worth gaining is gained without difficulty”. I must also add that you keep the right company and continue to build, expand and sustain a network of people who can support you to reach your goal. You must run your own race. It doesn’t matter what other people say about you. What is important is what you say to yourself. Be comfortable in your own skin. Be true to you. That’s a key source of happiness. I am not in completion with anyone but myself. My goal is to improve myself continuously. You must think big, start small and act now. The person determined to achieve maximum success learns the principle that progress is made one step at a time. A house is built a brick at a time. Every big accomplishment is a series of little accomplishments. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. However, completing a journey of a thousand miles requires only that you keep walking in the right direction!” My story isn’t unique – many others have realised their dreams just as I have. But it does go to show that you can achieve whatever you want to if you have a strong desire to succeed and backed that desire with action and self-belief. My story is all about turning dreams into reality. A speaker once said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” When I get to the end of my life, I want to know that my life counted for something, that long after I have left this world, somehow my impact lives on. I want to know that I have done all that I could to make this world a better place, by positively enhancing the lives of those around me and helping thousands, if not millions, to become who they desire to be and achieve what they thought was impossible. I want to know that I gave everything my best shot. I want it to be on record that I maximised my potential and stretched myself to the limit. Most importantly I want to know that I serve God and that I am a good husband and father who made a positive difference in the world. Finally, I think it will be nice if we can all do our little bit to make a difference and to use the catchphrase of Steve Jobs, “put a dent in the universe”. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” (Desmond Tutu). Hence I dedicated my 55th birthday by running the marathon in one week to raise funds and create awareness for Prostate Cancer. I want to thank for the supported me by donating generously. You can still support me by donating at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dayoolomuat55 I am thankful to God for making it possible for me to witness this day. And the Lord who has started a great thing in me will see it to completion. He will never leave me nor forsake me as I move from success to significance.
The Group Chief Executive, Oando Group, Mr. Adewale Tinubu, CON, has felicitated the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, on his 80th birthday.
The oil mogul, in a message made available today, Thursday September 14, 2023 congratulated the revered and respected monarch, who is also the Chairman of Oando Group, on the milestone.
Tinubu wrote: “I felicitate the Chairman of Oando, His Royal Majesty, the Alake of Egbaland, on his landmark 80th birthday.
Kabiyesi, your leadership and wisdom have been a beacon of inspiration to us all, and we, who have been privileged to know and work with you, have been positively impacted by you.
“80 years is truly a blessing from God, and I wish you good health, and many more years of impactful leadership.
“May your reign be blessed with continued success and your legacy forever etched in history. Kabiyesi o.”
‘’Of all the gifts that life has to offer, a loving mother is the greatest of them all’’ so says a popular quote.
To say that Oando boss, Wale Tinubu and his siblings were blessed with a loving mother is like stating the obvious, their mother, Chief (Mrs.) Bintu-Fatima Tinubu, the Iyalode of Lagos is a one a million whose love and care has guide them to who they are today.
Her love is sweeter than flower of love.
To appreciate the loving, selfless and hardworking mother, her children Wale, Shola, Iyabo, Kunle, Jide and Olu yesterday gathered the world when the celebrated the woman as she clocked 80 in a blaze of glory.
For the children, the attainment of the ripe age of 80 is worth celebrating, particularly in a country, where death is so cheap.
It was a great moment for the Edo State-born businesswoman as her families, friends and business associates gathered to share her gladsome moment with her.
The birthday party is no doubt would be described as a blowout, lively, sparkling, fun, exciting, and enjoyable, it is simply the best so far in the year 2023.
Trust the Tinubus, they are detribalised Nigerians whose circle of friends cuts across the various Nigerian tribes that they has built over the years.
They showcased their hospitality side as they hosted Who- is-who in high society, including captains of industry, monarchs, politicians, socialites and celebrities, yesterday Sunday, July 2nd 2023 at the Grand Ballroom, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
It was indeed a night for the high-networth, high profile and highflying eminent personalities.
It was obvious that they have a commanding sense of hospitality. It was upscale and finest in all ramifications.
From the catering to the ushering, no stone was left unturned. Ushers were brought in to perform different tasks; from assigning seats to guests to taking their meal requests and even ensuring that the place was immaculate and clean.
The hall was colourfully decorated with balloons and other aesthetic materials to give it a regal look. The foods were incredibly rich, flavoursome and magically moreish.
Premium and top-quality drinks only meant for the elites flowed like an endless river. Indeed, the gaily guests had no reason to complain as everything was well taken care of.
There was no dull moment as Vintage Band was there to serenade the gaily dressed guests.
The party go to its peak with the King of Juju music, King Sunny Ade that proved that he is still on top of his game as he livened up the atmosphere with his world class beat while guests danced until their legs could no longer carry them.
Some of the guests at the birthday bash include, the governor of Lagos; Babajide Sanwoolu with his wife, Ibijoke Sanwoolu, Ogun State governor; Dapo Abiodun, Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, Senator Gbenga Daniel with his wife, Yeye Funke Daniel Senator Ibikunle Amosun with his wife, Funsho Amosun, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Tony Elumelu, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Hajia Bola Shagaya, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki with his wife, Toyin Saraki, Babagana Kingigbe, Folly Coker, Wale Edun, Mo Abudu, Founder and Coordinator of Tinubu Support Group; Hon. Aminu Suleiman, Segun Awolowo, Hajia Abbah Folawiyo, Yomi Awobokun, Among several other eminent personalities.
From midnight, even as Jubril Adewale Tinubu, CON, Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc, chose to put his mobile phone on silent mode, its screen flashed continuously and aroused him from his beautiful sleep, as it was bombarded with calls and text messages from family members, friends , business associates et al.
Interestingly, the undisguised expressions of love by his loved ones from that dead of night and through the rest of the day have become like an annual ritual of sorts that they perform whenever the oil guru marks his birthday.
On his part, the University of Liverpool- trained lawyer has so much to thank God for, as he turned 56 today, Monday, June 26.
A reliable source told us that Tinubu, who began his career with his family law firm, K.O. Tinubu and Co., in 1990 and later co-founded Ocean and Oil Group in 1994, is celebrating the birthday surrounded by his family at his residence in London.
Also, the occasion affords Tinubu, fondly called The King of African Oil, to thanked God for the rare grace to have lived an eventful life thus far and for another great opportunity to reflective on his earthly sojourn so far, and pray for greater blessings in the coming years.
It was also gathered that he would use the occasion to put smiles on the faces of the needy around him in his characteristic magnanimity and sense of fellow-feeling.
This may not be surprising to those who know him too well, as he had used the occasions of his birthday in the past to act as the Angel of hope to the disadvantaged members of the society.
Just like his name, Jubril, he has been an angel to many whose paths have crossed with his on many occasions. He has lent support and been a shoulder to lean on for numerous less-privileged and the poor. He is indeed a bellwether in the acts of generosity to others. He sees sharing love with them as a sacred devotion.
The man who today is Africa’s pride in oil and gas is usually driven by an abiding quest to change the lives of his people for the better.