CHIEF EMMANUEL OLATUNJI ADESOYE
At a time when Environmental Studies
was still a barren landscape to be navigated, the young Adesoye had studied
Architecture at the Yaba Technical College in Lagos and emerged a prize winner.
In 1959, he was at Nigerian
College of Arts, Science and Technology in Enugu and later the South East Essex
College of Arts, Science and Technology, United Kingdom between 1961 and 1963
to read Quantity Surveying.
In prosecuting his educational
pursuits, Adesoye's exceptional brilliance and tenacity of purpose stood him
well All his post-tertiary engagements were either on scholarship or based on
study leave under the Northern Nigerian Government.
Given an unending quest to excel,
it was not surprising that a bag full of professional certificates were to be
drawn into Adesoye's kitty.
Significantly, he became an Associate
of the Royal Institution of Chartered Quantity Surveyors and Associate of the
Institute of Quantity Surveyors, London in 1965 making him the first Northern
Nigerian student to qualify as a professional Quantity Surveyor and the second
in the whole of Nigeria! Today, the Asiwaju of Offa is a distinguished Fellow
of the Royal Institute of Chartered Quantity Surveyors, Fellow of the Institute
of Quantity Surveyors, London (1968) and Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of
Quantity Surveyors (1985).
If his academic and professional
background had prepared him well for his future attainments, his record of
public service had grounded in the resilience for a prosperous career. Rising
swiftly through the ranks upon leaving secondary school and joining the
Northern Region Ministry of Works as Assistant Technical Officer in training,
Adesoye became the Head of the Quantity Surveying Department.
Although, he left GOVERNMENT service in 1968, he
had represented the Northern region in various capacities in a career that has
witnessed many epochal moments. He represented the Northern region of Nigeria
at the World Bank Educational Development Projects Programme in the Preparation
of Procedure and Implementation Guides.
The leading industrialist also served
in Interim Common Services Agencies of Nigeria (ICSA) In Kaduna as Chief Quantity
Surveyor, Acting Chief Architect where he was mainly responsible for World Bank
projects and German Hospital Development projects across the Northern States of
the federation.
Apart from being a member of the
Board of Governors of Kaduna Polytechnic between 1979 and 1982, he was a member
of Board of Kwara State Housing Corporation (1976-1979) even as he represented
the Federal Government on export promotion which toured the West Africa sub-region
in 1980.
He was still to serve the Federal
Government on the Nigeria Study Group on Maintenance of Public Utilities in
1984 and as chairman of the Expert Committee set up by the Federal Ministry of
Commerce and Industries on Nigeria Machine Tools, Osogbo in 1985.
A man of many parts, Adesoye was
a member of the Kwara State Industrial Development Fund in 1985. Chairman of
Afribank Limited between 1987 and 1989 and member/Vice-Chairman of the Kwara
State government Think Thank on industrialization since 1997.
As one of Nigeria's most foremost
industrialists, Adesoye sits atop Adesoye Holdings Limited, a group with
octopoidal tentacles spread across diverse commercial interests across Nigeria.
They include Noble Breweries Limited, Vulcan Gases Kaduna, Okin Bottling Company Limited, Kaduna, Optus Furniture Limited, Kaduna; Okin Biscuits Limited, Offa; Okin Foam, Offa; Babanla Agro Allied Industries, Babanla, Kwara state; Labande Cereals Limited. Offa; Interlates Printing and Packaging Limited, Lagos; Omicron International Limited, Lagos; and Okin Express which is a transport Company running shuttle trips between Offa and Kaduna daily.
Adesoye also in 1986 founded Adeoye
and Partners. A multidisciplinary firm of Quantity Surveyors, architects and engineers
with vast interests across the federation.
He is also the founder and proprietor
of Adesoye College, easily Nigeria's equivalent of the elite Eton in the United
Kingdom.
As one of Offa's most prominent
sons, Adesoye's record of community service is impeccable. Today, his companies
in Offa and elsewhere employs thousands of people, many of whom are Offa
indigenes while his philanthropic endeavors have seen him donating an expensive
Hall to Federal Polytechnic, Offa and tarring of strategic roads in the community.
If he has been rewarded with the title
of Maye of Offa (1979), Baba Isale of Odo-Owa (1995) and Asiwaju of Offa (2001)
they are certainly well deserved.
But recognition for this remarkable Offa son goes beyond the confines of Offa Community. He has a merit award by the Kwara State government for contribution to educational and industrial sector in 1987. award of the OON in 2000, fellowship of Federal Polytechnic Offa and Award of Excellence of Service to Humanity.
