Oyin Adeyemi: The Grind Beneath The Glitter
 |
People
Oyindamola Lami Adeyemi, the founder and Group Managing Director of Still Earth Group, and chairperson of Tirex Petroleum and Energy, had an epiphany about her future quite early in life with the realisation that she could not bear to serve another man for too long or play underling to any man or woman. Ms. Adeyemi who is also the founder of Still Earth Capital Partners Limited, conceived her dreams almost as the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals, the supreme creation of an era, conceived with passion by unknown artists, writes Lanre Alfred
Like anxious teenagers waiting for their bar mitzvah, many Nigerians, near and far-flung, are eager to know who Oyindamola Adeyemi is. This palpable and pervasive anxiety is expected because of the self-effacing and self-deprecating nature of this cheerful and relentless giver. Unlike many of her peers, her rise to eminence was as much a product of unrelenting will and her astounding ability to pirouette herself from obscurity to entrepreneurial acclaim by the bootstraps. As far as business ideas and innovations are concerned, Adeyemi turns nothing down, except the collar of her shirt. From construction to oil and gas, real estate and finance, het imprimatur stares you boldly in the face.
Yes, Oyindamola deftly maneuvered through the labyrinth of disappointments and despair characteristic of this period in a man’s life; more astonishingly, she survived it.
With visages of failure constantly flashing at her through her rear view, she navigated through the folds and challenges of enterprise with unusual tact and wisdom.
Through her journey, mirth and hopefulness, were never absent from her heart and her face. Some people, one imagines, may be naturally dauntless and buoyant of heart, but with her, good spirits always seemed, far more admirably, to be the product of a strict program of self-improvement in her youth — she believed, like most truly modest women, in the absolute virtue of self-improvement — which had wrought deep, essential changes in a nature inclined by birth to the darker view and gloominess that cropped up elsewhere in the manhood circuit.
Oyindamola Adeyemi understands that her possession of entrepreneurial success is a divine award gifted to glorify her work as a top business woman; she also understands that she must commit her enterprise and hard earned resources with noble intent, to the alleviation of the agony and sweat of the human spirit, not for self-glorification and least of all for profit, but to create out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before: love, peace, compassion and hope in the hearts of the underprivileged and impoverished.
Thus she committed to find a dedication for her money, devoting it to commensurate needs with the purpose and significance of its origin. She laboured through commerce’s brutish straits, burnishing her spunk with ethical realism; eventually, she emerged as one of the keenest juggernauts in the downstream oil sector and the most perceptive visionary.
Indeed, her march to grow her enterprise, she got too busy to engage in sloth. Naturally, she attracted the best to herself. She had no room for failure. She sought to actualise her Nigerian dream through daunting odds. As she adds another year to her enchanting life on March 19, the pert, blue flame of joy burns through her pretty frame; brightening her world and burnishing her persona with irrepressible shine. Oyin is beside herself with joy for being privileged to witness yet another glorious addition to her inspiring days.
Beautiful in an exotic, utterly understated way, Oyin exudes vigor, drama, fortitude, and happiness. Very early in life, she attained entrepreneurial acclaim for her inspiring exploits in the business world—you could be forgiven for imagining that she was shepherded by a savvy, tireless innate alter ego to get to her current height.
For the past decade and more, she has worked hard to attain her current status and, therefore, is far removed from the contemporary alpha female stereotype that glorifies flamboyance, self-aggrandizement and narcissism above substance. Importantly, Oyin is acutely aware that she orbits a universe that has not always made space for women and, thus, has fearlessly taken up a conspicuous space for herself. Now, the power and pull of her entrepreneurial attainments are making space for a new generation of young women who are willing to interrogate their fears and achieve greatness. And it is not hard to see why.
In an era when both the mainstream and new media commit the systemic looting of accolades, heaping it on undeserving social symbols and demagogues, Oyindamola attracts recognition by dint of her good works.
It is, therefore, understandable that the media would focus on her while shunning its tendency to embrace and promote nuanced, complex, midwifery properties for menace and subjugation. Her cool, humble demeanor even while she performs great feats that could make any money-bag swoon with pride, continually endears her to global media, civil societies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are often beneficiaries of her philanthropy.
In the din of interminable acclaim and deafening applause that welcomes her arrival to the metropolitan oasis of high society courtesy her sterling achievements in the business world, she will not rest on her oars. Her unflagging spirit continually spurs her to seek and attain landmark feats in business and even outside the business sector.
Unlike many a businessman who would rather expend his hard-earned money on guilty pleasures, Oyindamola devotes her time and money to the betterment of lives, particularly that of poor, disadvantaged folk. So doing, she establishes and perpetuates a rare culture of philanthropy that pleases and astounds many a recipient of her humanitarianism even as you read.
She was never brought up to savour bluster by finding pleasure in what is so commonly condemned neither was she given to pessimism at an early age. She chooses only to see the sunny spokes behind the darkest pall. No doubt, it has been a concatenation of successes for Still Earth, a factor she hinged on the company’s passion to achieve set goals and objectives. In the past decade, the company’s clientele base has become an eloquent testimony of how prolific and professional it has been. Still Earth has a portfolio of completed projects and satisfied clients that are in both the public and private sectors and many high net-worth individuals amongst others.
According to her, the successes recorded so far boil down to the team and the corporate values and culture that are upheld at Still Earth Limited. Also, she added, “We have in place a board of directors comprising veterans who are passionate about Still Earth Limited. They always bring their experience and expertise to bear. Our management team is peopled by technocrats whose professionalism can compete with global standards. I think I have been lucky with having the right people with me all the way. Our clients have also been a part of our huge success. Most of the state governors we work with award us contracts based on their determination to improve the welfare of the people in the state and also to improve their standards of living.”
Oyindamola rides the storms, bolstered by a tenacious spirit and mulish resolve to excel and arrive with her dreams intact, on pliant coasts. Today, that unyielding spirit of this beautiful woman has paid off. It has seen her through the teething and oft tumultuous stages of the cut-throat world of global commerce till she emerged unhurt and stronger in spirit and resolve like a champ.
A patriotic yet realistic believer in Nigeria and her people and potentials, Oyin could just as well sit back and be satisfied with her multi-billion naira construction company but her matchless, can-do spirit has seen her continually ideating and innovating. She has recently diversified into the finance sector with the establishment of Still Earth Capital Finance, a multi-faceted financial services company offering tailored financial services and solutions to individuals, companies and the public sector.
The Victoria-Island, Lagos-based company provides a diversified range of financial services including Consumer Finance, Commercial and SME Finance, Corporate Finance and Financial Advisory and Wealth Management Services. Its mission statement is to provide outstanding services to its clients through the use of technology and leverage its principal officers’ significant experience and track record covering investment banking, commercial banking, project and infrastructure finance, business strategy and transformation in meeting its wide range of clients’ needs.
One major area that Still Earth has also thrived in is its workforce. Oyin has marshaled her team well by activating and directing the positive energy of her people to achieve excellent results. She has continued to invest in qualified talents and thus leads a workforce of trained and tested individuals helping to achieve her different companies’ objectives, one of which is, “To work together as a team to achieve success on every project for our clients, through the professionalism, diligence and hard work that we profess and promote.”
As a young adult, Adeyemi subscribed to the belief that a man’s reach should always exceed his grasp. She believes in reaching for the moon, knowing that if her grasp misses its cusp; her hands may land on the stars. Starting as an entrepreneur, she strove to make things work. Fortunately, things began to look up for her and she became a reference point in her chosen career.
However, her ascent the steep slope of entrepreneurial success and acclaim didn’t lay out in flat miles. It was replete with rigours and daunting challenges. But Oyindamola towered above all odds to become a successful magnate with vested interests in the global oil and real estate sectors.
Her success is attributable to hard, valuable lessons that she learnt very early in life. As a teen, Adeyemi gleaned priceless pearls of wisdom from her parents. Among other things, she learnt that there was no wisdom in waiting to see asters bloom on barren land. She understood that foresight in moving out of her comfort zone in search of greener pasture. Guided by the priceless wisdom of the aged, she left home to seek her fortune elsewhere – she knew perfectly well that only an oyster remains forever at the old homestead.
Born to a Yoruba father from Owo, Ondo State and a Hausa/Fulani mum from Gombe State, a racial diversity that has proved advantageous in an ethnocentric society as Nigeria’s, Oyin possesses a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Political Economy and Governance.
As she adds a year on March 19, there is no doubt that she has so much to thank God for and leap and spin in excitement and exultation.
