Olori Olusola Adedoyin-Alao’s Passion for Humanity

Olori Olusola Adedoyin-Alao, the beautiful daughter of billionaire businessman, Chief Samuel Adedoyin, has tasted the seriocomic side of life, almost in equal measures.

When the former Managing Director of City Express Bank was hovering between life and death, having been battling cancer, no one, including her doctors, believed she could survive it. One of the best doctors in Europe predicted in 2006 that she had just four days to live. She was expectedly traumatised, but she held on to her faith in God. Miraculously, she survived the ailment.

Shortly afterwards, her career was threatened when City Express Bank failed to survive the new regulations of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). But the graduate of Marketing/Accounting from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia did not despair, as she kept her head up and moved on.

While she went through all this, she learnt a great lesson about life, which has now drawn her even closer to her Creator. She believes so much in the deathless quotes of Roy T. Bennett that ‘’Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.’’

In fact, many have benefitted from her magnanimity.

She has saved so many from the jaws of the dreaded cancer through her foundation, MariaSam Foundation, which she founded shortly after her own bitter encounter.

Since the foundation was established, she has been spending her hard-earned money for the treatment of cancer patients, except occasionally when she gets corporate sponsorship and donations from well-meaning individuals.
Speaking with journalists recently, she disclosed that it had been tough for her, but that her love for humanity had taken a better part of her. She also revealed that the government had not supported her in any way since she started.

According to her, “The government is not forthcoming in too many things. If the government is not forthcoming in feeding its people, which is an everyday essential, or on electricity, water that you need to survive, isn’t it a bit strange expecting them to be forthcoming when it comes to cancer treatment?

“Every house in Nigeria is a factory. You are basically providing everything you need. Why would you be expecting them to be forthcoming when it comes to medicals?”

Nevertheless, if for anything else, she is happy that she is having the best in her marriage to Oba Francis Olushola Alao, the Olugbon of ile’gbon Kingdom in Oyo State.

The marriage has just been blessed with a set of twins (two boys). Why this is news is that she was blessed with bundles of joy at 59!