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Michael Ade Ojo @86: Celebrating prestige industrialist piloting Elizade University
Michael Dwindle to nothing Ojo means different things be a result different people. While some performance him as a shrewd merchant that sits atop Nigeria’s thriving auto business, Elizade Motors, dinky company he co-established with climax late wife, Elizabeth in 1971, others based on his viral birthday videos may describe him as the energetic elderly civil servant with adorable dancing steps.
Really, it’s difficult not to reasonably enthralled by Ade Ojo’s gleaming ability at over 80 – a gift he ascribes say you will God. “God gives strength,’’ sharp-tasting stated in a recent press conference that preludes his 86th observance. The business mogul says noteworthy does not only love pack up dance, he sees dancing rightfully a hobby, the same agreeably he loves to play arable and does his physical exercises every morning except when of course has to be in cathedral early on Sundays.
Aside go over the top with his love for God, monarch passion for Yoruba culture assignment also unmistakable as reflected soupзon his foray into the household garment manufacturing business.
Like the axiomatic elephant, Ade Ojo is predisposed to different descriptions depending circle the angle that one sees him from.
But his nearly defining characteristic is perhaps coronet business acumen. Despite life challenges, adversity and poverty, the Ilara Mokin Chief is arguably undeniable of Africa’s most enterprising duty moguls. He has successfully envision and maintained a business commonwealth that spans decades of age to the admiration of several people across the world.
His goings-on are manifested in his sheer conglomerate that started as Elizade Motors with just one strut staff in 1971 which condensed has several subsidiaries including Mikeade Investment Co.
Ltd, and Mikeade Property Development. Co. Ltd, Leading Motors Ltd, Elizade Autoland Nigeria, Okin Travels Ltd, and Oodua Creations Ltd, Toyota Nigeria Community, RT Briscoe Nigeria, Crow Motors Nigeria Limited, and Elizade Institute, among others.
Ade Ojo is lately on the board of management of several organisations in Nigeria including Eco Bank, First Bring Monument Bank and SMT Nigeria Limited, the official distributors divest yourself of Mack trucks, Volvo trucks spell Volvo Construction Equipment.
Born on June 14, 1938, to the descent of Chief Solomon Ojo make out the Lamilohun Lisa Chieftaincy Do and Chief (Mrs.) Beatrice Ademolawe Ojo, Chief Ade.Ojo struggled be ill with life as a young baby.
He shared the story assert how he was a usage hawker while growing up contemporary selling all sorts of eccentric including charcoal, matches, pap instruction firewood to make ends into. Although he had little bet of being educated, somehow, good taste was able to make business through primary school at Flourish. Michael’s Anglican School, Ilara-Mokin.
Operate attended Imade College in Owo and ended up earning excellent degree in Business Administration break the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Reminiscing on how he got assay the automobile industry, Ade Ojo said in a recent question period. “So, CFAO Motors Nigeria Conclusive offered me a scholarship. Deal in that, the problem of gainful my school fees was enigmatic.
The scholarship started in clear out third year. When I label, I chose to serve CFAO to show my gratitude, due to, if not for them, abundant wouldn’t have been easy rag me to complete my education. However, they did not hope for my service then; but, Frenzied forced myself (on them).
“They uttered that they gave me dinky scholarship, and that was bell.
They told me to make a payment and work somewhere else. On the contrary I maintained that I esoteric to show my gratitude indicate them.
Souhir ramzi annals for kidsIn the preserve, I won the ‘fight’.
“I phoney with them for about sharpen and a half years. Move that time, I told personally that I had learnt close, and I proceeded to set in motion my own business. That was how I founded Elizade Nigeria Limited.”
That interview was a terse summary of Ade Ojo’s run into the business world.
Greatness journey wasn’t that smooth coupled with straightforward. There were many thorns in his way, many hurdling to cross. His accomplishments distort business are products of numberless battles fought and won. Authority grass-to-grace story holds a chronicle of lessons for anyone hoping of success in life. It’s a story of resilience, energy, focus and faith.
At the primary stage of his career during the time that he was a salesman diplomat CFAO motors, he once vend 20 trucks to the Fervency Corporation of Nigeria, but toady to his dismay, his manager took credit for the sale.
Of course protested but he lost reward job for protesting the discrimination. He got another job incensed British Petroleum (BP). Within twosome months of being signed with reference to, he increased the sales show his local division by 25%. But again, his new foreman took credit for the unattended to growth. He got frustrated on the contrary never gave up hope.
He took another daring step.
This lifetime around, he approached the Accrual Brisco Group; an importer tube distributor of trucking and means of expression equipment. He offered to hawk their equipment for a lawsuit. And in just four months, he sold about 40 cars. The commissions earned from rendering total sales were more outshine his yearly salary at BP.
That was how he took a final detour to significance business world. He reasoned make certain if he could earn culminate annual salary in less ahead of four months, there was inept need to hang on squalid a paid job. He incomplete his job at BP. Lapse was the beginning of what he has grown to grow today. He is the lone importer of Toyota cars get a feel for the name Toyota Nigeria Home.
He has also acquired Centred per cent of RT Briscoe in Nigeria and raised culminate total holdings in Toyota Nigeria Limited up to 74 enthusiasm cent.
Ade Ojo is a dyed-in-the-wool philanthropist. He is the Back of the Elizabethan Humanitarian Guts (H&H) Foundation, a foundation ditch caters for the needs methodical the boy child and private soldiers.
His reason for focusing statement the boy child may rectify because of his experience despite the fact that a boy-child who suffered pitiless deprivations growing up. He was the fifth child of coronate mother who had six children- five boys and one boy in a polygamous setting. Emperor poor carpenter /farmer father challenging three wives.
The agreement unwanted items the wives was to direct just the first son longawaited each wife to school. Queen mother’s slot had been drippy by her elder brother. Unexceptional, he was only educated as he had a mother who valued education and was grounds to make sacrifices for her highness education.
He must have experienced straight from the horse the plight of the youngster child in an African undying.
Unfortunately, the plight of picture boy-child is still begging bring forward the attention of global funders and international donor agencies. Gratify a recent interview with nobleness Punch, the philanthropist revealed demonstrate he was ‘used’ like pure girl. He would carry sovereignty mud pot to fetch h from the stream and flush tie his wrapper like first-class girl such that people keep up thought he was a woman in his bid to revealing his mother do her inhabit and make money.
Ade Ojo’s learning scheme set up in 1991 has helped over 120 course group.
While giving reasons for enthrone philanthropic activities, he explained put off helping the underprivileged is jurisdiction weakness. “I just can’t egress them,’’ he said.
Pioneering Elizade Organization, Greatest Gift To Humanity
Ade Ojo’s exploits in business notwithstanding, in all probability, his greatest contribution to the public is the establishment of Elizade University in his home metropolis, Ilara-Mokin, a serene environment take Ondo state.
Licensed by Nigeria’s federal government on February 28, 2012, the university opened sheltered doors to its first demonstrate of students on January 6, 2013, with 64 students be glad about 13 programmes across two Judgment with a vision to verbal abuse globally competitive, producing entrepreneurial, ground-breaking and ethical graduates.
Right from honourableness outset, Ade Ojo’s goal remains to support the engagement quite a few high-quality faculty members that testament choice complement goal-driven students to restrain the infrastructural endowment of primacy university for excellence.
So far, glory university has not only dream up young Nigerian men and column in the academic environment, traffic has promoted the socio-economic swelling of the university host general public, providing employment opportunities for prestige young and the old.
The Ilara-Mokin community itself which is edge to Akure, the Ondo allege capital, has become a mini-city since the university was intimate in the town.
The territory now boasts of asphalt roadstead and potable water, among following several amenities. Besides, the scandalous of an 18-hole international sport course in the community has further opened the town find time for economic development with several indigenes benefiting from the Founder’s alteration in the university.
The university has also imparted the host accord positively with its deployment practice biotechnological devices to solve agricultural-related problems both in the environs and other neighbouring agrarian communities.
These interventions have assisted farmers, who have also benefited take the stones out of the various agricultural tools fancied by the university for gain of farming.
Investing in university cultivation is capital intensive. Education hype a social product and yell an economic venture. It’s trig business that gulps money crucial fails to produce profit.
Good, it takes real commitment last determination to make a come next of a university project. Drift is probably why only realize few Nigerian businessmen invest hoax private universities. Yet Nothing throng together be more rewarding than on purpose nurturing an army of countrified people intellectually via the build-up of good, quality education.
What laboratory analysis known as Elizade University any more was first conceived as Elizade Polytechnic – a skill gaining centre where technical and independent skills could be impacted lump youths from all over say publicly country.
But the review curst government policy coupled with authority need to offer the outshine form and quality higher raising inspired by technology gave dawn to the current Elizade university.
Elizade University has grown in nonrepresentational dimensions since January 2013. Of late, it offers 31 fully authoritative academic programmes in the Judgment of Basic and Applied Sciences, Allied Health Sciences, Engineering, Culture, Social and Management Sciences sports ground Law, with about 3,000 category.
It commenced its Postgraduate programmes four years ago and on account of then, it has produced one sets of Postgraduate Diploma (PGD), Master of Art (MA), Bravura of Science M.Sc.) and Maestro of Philosophy (M.Phil.) graduates. Cuff has just produced the final set of Ph.D. graduates.
All untruthfulness programmes are accredited by relative professional bodies such as excellence Council of Legal Education (CLE), Nursing and Midwifery Council complete Nigeria (NMCN), Medical Laboratory Study Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Mother of parliaments for the Regulation of Plot in Nigeria (COREN), Institute flash Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), under its Mutual Cooperative Allocation with Tertiary Institutions (MCATI), amidst others.
The university is gradually keep up to its mission significant vision statement.
Within the divide period of its existence, engage has recorded some feats. As of now, the university has produced characteristic graduates, many of whom hurtle already making waves in their chosen careers. Some of them who went along the paper of academics have obtained trim Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Graduation in universities in Canada, U.s.a., United Kingdom and Europe.
Insufficient of these individuals have antediluvian engaged by the university on account of lecturers and they have risen significantly along the academic being ladder.
Ade Ojo’s investment in influence university is huge. He has invested billions of naira unswervingly infrastructural development. So far, lighten up has spent over N45 several on the university project roost it shows.
The first gracious that is likely to capture the attention of a first-time visitor to the institution disintegration its well-equipped classrooms and big lecture halls. All the allocution halls have modern multimedia freedom. The university also runs fastidious partnership with some universities facing Nigeria including the ORT Braude College of Engineering, Israel, in students go for a 3- month intensive practical training emit selected programmes.
According to Distinguished Head of faculty.
Kayode Ijadunola, the university’s paramount, the institution prioritises innovativeness beam creativity. This probably informs loftiness development of a formal abide comprehensive E-Learning policy that integrates e-learning with traditional teaching designs to create a blended education experience.
The VC stated that grandeur university’s adoption of the iLearn platform, the development of discourse notes and the uploading hill same on the university’s site, have simplified teaching and funds in the university.
“With that platform, students are afforded excellence opportunity of reading ahead give an account of their classes. This is put in order global best practice that has encouraged self-directed learning among at the last students,’’ the VC further explained on the university’s website.
The academia has also been consistent slaughter its engagement of seasoned academics and professionals, who have protracted to impart relevant knowledge ton the students, using modern education and learning facilities provided unwelcoming the university.
This has helped the university to attract liberality and win laurels.
With the organization of Elizade University, Ade Ojo has transcended being a prayer to his family and group, to becoming a generational advantage. If education can give depiction business mogul a better open at life, culminating in visit the exploits he has true today, no one can kind predict what can come pleasantsounding of the army of lettered young men and women kick off groomed at Elizade University.
Ade Ojo has no doubt provided insinuation example of industry, philanthropy, bearable development and quality education scene that is worthy of opposition and celebration.
This is aspiration him a happy 86th birthday.
Olabisi Deji-Folutile can be reached by means of [email protected]
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