As Adesola Odeyeyiwa Turns 50

Goke Ilesanmi

The date, June 25 is a symbolically remarkable one that is permanently committed to memory and regularly marked on the calendar for constant visual reminders every year, by thousands of well-wishers for many years now. Why? This is because a magnificent woman of royalty, nobility, and dignity, Adesola Mutiat Odeyeyiwa was born on that day.  

In fact, June 25 this year is a more symbolic and unique one because this amiable woman endowed with a rare heart of gold turned 50, necessitating her induction into the Global Golden Hall of Fame and Age.

Her attainment of this golden-jubilee age of 50 on Tuesday, June 25, calls for special celebration.

The willingness of her teeming well-wishers, family members, friends and business associates across the world to celebrate the milestone with her, stems from the enormous positive impacts this corporate executive has made on humanity as well as her outstanding corporate accomplishments. 

Odeyeyiwa, is by all standards a philanthropic celebrity endowed with multiplicity of laudable trademarks. Despite working all her life to make great societal impacts, this great Humanitarian persistently wears invisible dark glasses of humility to avoid being recognised and applauded. 

What is more, Odeyeyiwa is a highly-industrious, cerebral and versatile entrepreneur with exceptional passion for corporate success. Through her entrepreneurial acumen, strategic ingenuity, effective corporate leadership skills, innovative ideas, wide networking and resilience, she has been able to jointly manage the Repton Group, where she is currently an Executive Director, to attain outstanding corporate success.

For instance, Kazab Heritage Limited, the subsidiary of the Group that deals in cement and iron rod distribution emerged as the 2023 National Largest Distributor of Dangote Cement in Nigeria after having come second consecutively for three years. 

Earlier in 2020, the subsidiary achieved the double feat of respectively emerging as the National Largest Distributor of Lafarge Cement and National Second Largest Distributor of Dangote Cement in Nigeria. It had earlier emerged as the National Largest Distributor of Lafarge Cement in 2017. All these achievements are partly due to the exceptional intelligence and resilience of the industrious Odeyeyiwa.

It is noteworthy that Repton Group, a globally-focused Nigeria-based conglomerate also has other vibrant subsidiaries such as Defrost Ventures Limited, Continental Vision, Kazab Homes and Properties, Ibile Farm and Kazab Oil and Gas.

Odeyeyiwa, a perfect blend of excellence, temperance and diligence has equally singlehandedly established and successfully managed A&T Ventures, a thriving business empire reputable for being the major distributor of Coca-Cola and Seven Up beverages in the South Western part of Nigeria. 

Odeyeyiwa, a woman of exceptional sartorial elegance, is undoubtedly a rare model of towering glamour apart from being impressively compassionate. What a double combination of great qualities! It is 100 per cent certain that Ayi Kwei Armah, the legendary Ghanaian novelist and author of the celebrated satirical novel “The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born,” would not have written the book if he had seen exemplary people of impeccable character like Odeyeyiwa around then. 

Why? This is because the beauty that Armah refers to in his novel is not physical, but moral and compassion.

“The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born” identifies corruption as the bane of a typical African society and reveals moral decadence in every segment of the society. 

In the book, Armah especially beams his analytical searchlight of condemnation on politicians who abuse public office as well as entrepreneurs, housewives, civil servants and others who equally indulge in wicked and corrupt practices.

Given the pervasive nature of corruption, the author concludes that the credible people regarded as “morally beautiful” ones are not yet born. But such people are now physically born with the existence of people like Odeyeyiwa.

A woman of great thirst for formal education, knowledge and persistent self-development, Odeyeyiwa who has attended numerous advanced corporate management programmes, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State and an Ordinary National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Universal College of Technology, also in Ile-Ife, Osun State. 

As this excellent and rare model of integrity, sociability, humility, morality and compassion has successfully climbed the age-ladder to the golden-jubilee floor, our prayer is that God Almighty will spare her life to celebrate diamond jubilee, platinum jubilee, centenary, etc.

Happy birthday Ma, our amiable Odeyeyiwa.