By Folu Olamiti
When he left his high-flying job at an oil company seven short years after graduation, and plunged into private business, as an entrepreneur, most of his colleagues thought he may have just committed a professional suicide. They thought it was just a matter of time before the man would return to where he started.
That was in 1992. But that was because they never knew the stuff Lington Olayinka Fasuyi, a hard core Ijesaman, was made of. They never knew that as a true son of Ijesaland, a man born and raised in Ilesa, present day Osun State, once he sets his eyes on a target, he sees no obstacles. He sees opportunities where others see stone walls.
Years after taking that decision, Fasuyi has continued to dazzle like a thousand stars in the world of business, management consulting, academics, philanthropy, even culture and tradition where he wears many caps fitted with flowery feathers. Even in religious and social circuits, Fasuyi stands solid like the Rock of Gibraltar. Like the proverbial King of Midas, whatever Fasuyi touches also turns gold. And like the eagle which he chooses as his symbol of strength, he soars to incredible heights in any endeavour he finds himself. His is a profile in courage, can-do spirit and outstanding leadership.
It was perhaps because of his trailblazing attributes that made the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Dr. Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, conferred on him the title of Asiwaju of Ijesaland, and his wife, Olubisi, Yeye Asiwaju of Ijesaland.
For Fasuyi’s distinguished service to humanity and fatherland, the foremost cosmopolitan club in Africa, the Ibadan Recreation Club (founded in 1902), recently inaugurated him as its Patron. This came on the heels of his similar appointment as Patron Ijesa Sports Club, a leading social club in Ijesaland.
Still, that’s not all for Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi, who earned himself the sobriquet, ‘Young Millionaire’ right from his secondary school days and who, today, holds sway as President of the Ibadan Business School. He continues to garner top class awards and honours for his sterling contributions and accomplishments in various spheres of life.
A world class management consultant, Fasuyi is the President/CEO of Management Support Services Group. He is also the Founder of the prestigious Ibadan Business School (IBS), a strategic institution offering training and support for the human capital development needs of Nigeria’s public service and those in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise sectors of the national economy.
Asiwaju Fasuyi, who is also the Balogun of Ijebu-Jesa, plays big in the continental and global business stages where he consults for several multilateral and bilateral organisations. These include the World Bank, African Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), federal ministries, departments and agencies.
He, of course, is also the Founder and Chairman of Asiwaju Yinka Fasuyi Foundation (AYFF), an outfit geared towards assisting the underserved as well as promoting and advancing the socio-economic interests of Ijesaland in his home state of Osun.
An evaluation of his profile and stock of sterling accomplishments easily puts Fasuyi in the class of great men who earned the status ‘Great’ among the three typologies postulated in the old, popular wise saying: “Some men are born great, some achieve greatness while others have greatness thrust upon them.”
However, associates with whom he grew up and went to the same school, particularly Ilesa Grammar School, probably never gave him a wink as a colossus in the making. This is substantially because despite his superb brilliance at school, and charming personality, he maintained a modest profile in his days at Ilesa Grammar School and subsequent institutions of higher learning that he went to acquire more knowledge.
But in the last three decades, the debonair business guru has steadily and tenaciously clawed his way through life to be in the forefront of his professional field and social limelight. What did it for Yinka, as Asiwaju Fasuyi is fondly called, apart from his brilliance, creativity and drive to pursue his vision, is his legendary knack for the pursuit and impartation of knowledge.
But, perhaps, more is his talent in easily making friends with an uncanny charm and affability that have kept attracting more into and widening his circle of influence. I knew him to have grown up with this infectious, friendly smile that has won him a galaxy of cerebral and committed friends over time.
Born in Ilesa, Osun State, on October 25, 1955, the highly urbane gentleman with high sartorial taste obviously inherited the entrepreneurial spirits of his late parents, Chief Jacob Olowookere Fasuyi and his wife, Sijuwola, who were both successful merchants during their lifetime. This was obvious in his daring plunge into the world of business shortly after his education and a stint in paid employment, both in the private and public sectors. This was at a time young graduates preferred the security of salaried employment to the risk of doing business.
Fasuyi began his early education at the Otapete Methodist Primary School, Ilesa (1962 to 1968), from where he moved to Ilesa Grammar School, Ilesa, for his secondary education (1969 to 1973) after which he took a short break to work at different times in the Federal Ministry of Finance Headquarters, Mosaic Building, Lagos; National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) Headquarters; and Federal Ministry of Education.
He later enrolled at the University of Ibadan, where he bagged his first degree in Economics in 1982/83, following up years later with Master’s in Industrial & Labour Relations (MILR) in 1986; Information Science (M.Inf.Sc) in 1994 and Business Administration (MBA) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 1989.
After national youth service at Yelwa Government Secondary School, Yola, Yinka taught at Queens’ College, Onike-Yaba, Lagos between 1984 and 1985 and later joined Total Nigeria PLC in 1985 as a marketing executive where he worked for seven years before voluntarily resigning (a feat that was unprecedented in the company) in 1992.
That same year, Fasuyi established the now famous Pan African management consulting firm named, Supreme Management Training and Consultancy Services Ltd (SMTCS). SMTCS, with the support of its internationally constituted Board of Advisors, began to operate in several countries across the globe.
The company is what has grown and flourished giving birth to the chain of subsidiaries and allied businesses Chief Fasuyi went on to establish following the huge successes it recorded.
Besides his multiple university degrees Fasuyi has equally studied and bagged Executive Certificate in Management from University of Manchester Business School, Manchester UK; Georgetown University Business School, Washington DC. USA; Queens University Business School, Ontario, Canada and International Society for Business Research (ISBR), Tokyo, Japan, among several other academic laurels and distinctions.
He is Fellow of many professional bodies including the Nigerian Institute of Management (F.N.I.M); Institute of Management Consultants (F.I.M.C.); Institute of Information Management (F.I.I.M.); Institute of Training & Development (F.I.T.D.) and a life Member, Nigerian Economic Society.
Among them is the prestigious Ibadan Business School (IBS), Ibadan, set up in 2011 and currently providing training and support for the human capital development requirements in the public service and in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise sectors of the Nigerian economy. The IBS, according to industry experts, is highly rated and enjoys great credibility due to the world-class facilities and programmes on offer. It also has partnership with the World Bank.
For Fasuyi, however, there is no strict boundary between business and social life. In fact, he seems to thrive by the principle that both work and recreation are not mutually exclusive, but reinforce each other. Thus, this trainer’s trainer balances his drive at imparting knowledge and managing his outfits with an active social life which involves engaging in sports, community development projects, tourism and clubbing. Yinka enjoys exploring and experiencing the world for both learning and vacation. In the process, he has visited virtually all major cities across over 60 countries.
Fasuyi is also a former President, Ibadan Recreation Club; aside his membership of several organisations such as Ijesa Forum; Ijesa Felates Club; Ijesa Sports Club; Roots Club of Ijesaland; Ibadan Golf Club and Ibadan Polo Club among others.
As a mark of his distinguished services and contributions to Ibadan Recreation Club (founded in 1902), he was recently inaugurated the Patron of the foremost cosmopolitan club in Africa. This came on the heels of his similar appointment as Patron of the frontline club in Ijesaland, Ijesa Sports Club.
A home boy to the core, Fasuyi was installed the Asiwaju of Ilesa on 22nd October, 2016 and further honoured with the chieftaincy of Balogun of Ijebu-jesa on the 6th of February, 2019 for his numerous contributions to promoting unity, peace, and development in Ijesaland, his native place of birth.
His foundation, AYFF, which he uses as vehicle for this has sponsored the education of no fewer than 650 students in all the six local governments of Ijesaland, to date.
Married to delectable Yeye Asiwaju (Dr.) Bisi Fasuyi, with whom he runs his globally renowned management consulting organisation, the Ilesa-born iconic consultant is blessed with four wonderful children, who are themselves all making their marks in respective fields of endeavour.
Given his antecedents, the recent waves of recognitions can, friends and associates remark, only serve as fresh impetus for the seasoned businessman and knowledge merchant to double his strides to conquering higher heights!
