AN ODE TO SAMUEL YEMI AKEJU AT 70
The Quintessential Public Relations Guru and an Entrepreneur of Repute
By, Seye Adetunmbi
Apart from being one of the distinguished Nigerians I wrote about in the corpus, titled Abridged Biographies and Integrated Panegyrics, I could not think of yet another good time to further celebrate oga Yemi than when he joined the septuagenarian club on Saturday August 3, 2024. Most people who are committed to excellence and passionate about their vocation always turn out well and make their mark on the sands of time. One of such distinguished Nigerians is the amiable ojogbon Samuel Akinyemi Akeju, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Interprods and the Chairman of Ideas Communications Limited. He is one person who puts in his best to every honourable venture he gets involved with and today he has recorded many successes in virtually all the activities he got involved with, be it in the business world or the in multi-dimensional social responsibility and charity projects in Nigeria over the years. 
Teenager SYA at Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti in the late 1960s
Samuel Yemi Akeju (SYA) is a native
of Ijare in Ondo-State of Nigeria and was born on August 3rd in 1954.
He attended the famous Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti between 1968 and 1972 and
68/017 is his school number. Thereafter, he studied Marketing and Air
Transport Management at the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics in
the UK in 1976 to qualify as an industry professional. He was
engaged and converted as a Commercial Management Trainee by the Nigeria Airways
in 1977 and successfully undertook a three-year Advanced course in
Commercial Airline Management under the auspices of the IATA, KLM and Nigerian
Airways. He was commissioned an Airline
Manager in 1980. He served Nigeria Airways variously in Nigeria and overseas
and voluntarily retired from the Airline as a Senior Commercial Specialist for
Global Flight Operations in 1986. He is a qualified Member the Chartered Institute
of Transport and Logistics (MCIT). He was elected a member of British Institute of
Management (MBIM), Fellow Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM), amongst
other professional institutions. He attended several Management and
executive courses on Management, Finance, Accounting, banking payment systems
and solutions, currency and security printing at various Institutions,
including the Lagos Business School (LBS) Nigeria, Harvard Business School
(HBS) USA, Currency systems International USA, Institute of Directors UK and Nigeria
and other reputable Institutions across the world.
Subsequent to leaving the national airline as the public relations officer, he established Ideas Communications Limited, an IMC agency and Interprods Limited years later. Over the years he has demonstrated exemptional tested skills in marketing communications, business strategy, project management, new business development, and strategic planning. He is a consummated consultant on banking payment services and integrated transaction solutions to the banking industry in Nigeria and Africa with transformation key projects for most major banks In Nigeria including the Central bank of Nigeria. He served variously as a director and chairman of key companies in the banking, finance, media, logistics and hospitality industries, including First Grant Nigeria Limited a venture capital and investments company, IoD Centre for Corporate Governance and Millennium Harvest Limited, the publishers of Financial Standard newspaper.
SYA at his alma mater, Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti during presentation of books to the students that were donated by the Lagos Chapter of the alumni body in 2013
Another remarkable disposition of SYA is his commendable activities among charity organisations. He is a distinguished Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) of the Rotary International foundation. He has been a charter member of the resourceful Rotary Club of Ogba in Ikeja since 1983, served as the President in 1994 to 1995 and as the Assistant Governor from 1999 to 2002 for Rotary International District 9110 Nigeria. As far back as 1983, he has served as the patron and the counsellor of several prominent youth organisations in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and communities across the nation. Anthony Segun Adebo attested to his resourcefulness in the aspect of his extensive youth development activities in the 1980s and 1990s which include: Mentoring/Sponsorship via KLM Unilag Jaycees attending their 1st World Congress, Montreal, Canada in 1984; Mentoring/ Establishment Rotaract Club of Ogba, Secretariat at your residence; Ogba Rotaract Club European Tours; and Sponsorship of Ogba Rotaract Club to attend NIPSS, Badagry. "It was a tremendous selfless moral, financial, leadership engagement from him to the betterment of Nigerian youth some of whom are now in their 50s and 60s living successful and productive lives home and abroad. It is indeed an ‘Ode to a nightingale’ Samuel Akinyemi Akeju aka Uncle Yemi." Adebo wrote.
SYA with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dr Haroun Al-rashid Adamu during the 2015 NMMA annual event
Yemi Akeju (3rd from right) with other chieftains of NMMA promoters on courtesy visit to Governor Sanwo-Olu in 2022
SYA 2nd from right during the 2022 NMMA Event on 206/11/2022 in Lagos
Towards fostering media excellence in partnership with the society, the inspiration came for him to work hard on the need to establish a platform for the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) in 1990. He is a life member of the Board of Trustees of the Nigeria Media Merit Award Trust, the Nigeria and Africa’s foremost media excellence institution. On July 11, 1992, the maiden NMMA event was held at the Banquet Hall of Eko Hotel. It was an evening of excellence. The 29th anniversary of NMMA was hosted by Kogi-State Government on Saturday 30th of October, 2021 in Lokoja. It was an outstanding outing, kudos to the team of ojogbon Yemi Akeju, the Trustee and the Chief Administrator of NMMA.
SYA 3rd from left with NMMA chieftains with President Buhari
SYA was elected the 14th President/Chairman of the Governing Council of Nigeria Institute of Directors (IoD) in June 2015. Prior to his election, he served excellently as the 2nd and 1st vice-president for four years and as chairman of various committees for over ten years. His tenure recorded many successes in the excellent organisation on their various statutory programmes and periodic events. Under his leadership, federal government partnered with the Institute of Directors Nigeria on the development of entrepreneurship culture and commercial orientation in the Nigerian Federal Civil Service. One of such was the “Strategic Public Sector Leadership Programme” held for federal permanent secretaries, organized by IoD in 2017. The focus of IoD is centred on ways of institutionalising and enforcing the tenets of sound corporate governance in Nigerian business environment.
SYA 4th from left when Babatunde Raji Fashola was hosted in 2015
SYA presented a Distinguished Personality Award of IoD to Mrs Olakunrin in 2021
SYA anchored presentation of Distinguished Personality Award of IoD to Apostle Hayford Alileality Award of IoD to Mrs Olakunrin in 2021
As a
prominent member of Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti Alumni Association, he brought
his wealth of experience in the corporate world to bear deployed his integrated
goodwill for the benefit of his alma mater. This was where I was privileged to
meet oga Yemi Akeju and have been
working closely with him since 2010 on various alumni matters and projects. His
office premises on Sobo Arobiodu Street in Ikeja GRA is the defacto headquarter
of Christ’s School alumni in Lagos.
During a carol service of Christ’s School alumni held at Archbishop Vining Memorial Cathedral Church in2012
SYA during the thanksgiving service for the 80th Anniversary of founding Christ's School held at Archbishop Vining Cathedral, Ikeja, Lagos in 2013
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SYA and Seye Adetunmbi at the Distinguished
Alumni Lecture, delivered by Prof Niyi Osundare at Nigeria Institute of
International Affairs, Victoria-Island in 2016
Members of 1978-80 and 1979-81 HSC sets with Mr & Mrs Yemi Akeju at their maiden
reunion held in his Ikeja GRA premises in 2019
SYA received an Award from the members of 1978-80 and 1979-81 HSC sets of Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti
SYA is a Distinguished
Fellow of IoD Nigeria, the highest status for IoD members in Nigeria. Bagging such an exalted title is a well-deserved honour and
recognition. He is a member of the Lagos Business School Alumni and the
Chief Executive Programme 9, the esteemed Millennium Class of LBS. He also
served on the boards of few federal government agencies including the Federal
Endowment Fund for Arts and Culture, the consultants to the Commonwealth Business
Council, African Union committees etc. To the glory of God SYA is
happily married with Children.
He has been such an inspiration in honourable ways - remarkable generosity, selfless service and mentoring. I am particularly
grateful to him with the way and manner he looks out for my progress and
supports me at every opportunity on all my endeavours. There is no way I could
have written about people in my compendium of honourable people and my mentor and a remarkable
family man won’t feature. I wish him, his amiable wife and children long life
in good health while praying that the grace of God shall continue to be sufficient
for his lovely family in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.
Oga Yemi of Christ's School fame, happy 70th birthday to you sir.
U a gbo, u a to; u a mo o pau l'ori pepepe
U a m'eriki j'obi
Ori i f'ota
Ojojo e i s'ugbin
Ora re a le k'äle l'ase Edumare
Amin
Remain highly blessed and favoured, sir
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