Read Adebola Williams’ Sweet Note to Kola Adesina on His 60th Birthday
A few days within the past, any individual requested me to title the head 5 most influential mentors in my life. Without hesitation, I mentioned Sir Okay as judicious one of them. One trait that all my mentors portion is an admirable work ethic. They prioritise hard work and dedication over privileges, connections, and recognition. Sir Okay, in explicit, sees hard work as the swish measure of one’s persona. His crawl from Shomolu to the boardroom resonates deeply with my possess from Surulere. I enjoy been fortunate to study from his wealth of wisdom.
His work as an govt director at the Sahara Community has helped to residing the multinational conglomerate as a market leader within the fossil and renewable energies alternate. His impact is felt in Nigeria, the place he advises on the boards of several influential companies alongside side the supreme vitality distribution alternate and the supreme thermal plant within the distance, serving thirty million properties and agencies in Nigeria alone. He also believes in files sharing and mechanically accepts alternatives to portion his abilities on vitality-associated points with alternate leaders. Sir Okay has leveraged years of abilities in administration and alternate diplomacy and his Harvard and Wharton levels to wait on governments across Africa devise modern solutions to the continent’s vitality considerations. His contributions to the model of Nigeria’s contemporary financial system are inimitable, and he demonstrates his belief within the functionality of our young abilities by facilitating the employment of 1,000 engineers across diversified functions across his organisations.
As the chair of our company’s board of directors, he demonstrated gorgeous interpersonal abilities and offered uncommon wisdom that helped us push our alternate to new frontiers. He turn out to be continuously readily available for meetings, punctual with responsibilities, readily available to e-book in crisis, nurture in non-public, and promote our cause in public. When I enjoy been at a crossroads these days, I enjoy turned to him for his worthwhile wisdom and his phrases enjoy illuminated my course.
When we began planning his sixtieth birthday, he made it obvious that he wished a minute and solemn occasion. It turn out to be unexpected, especially for a Nigerian man of his standing. Right here, it’s anticipated that at 60, a man ought to get tributes and praises that massage his ego and exaggerate his achievements. But not Sir Okay. He mentioned, “I graceful desire of us to celebrate with pals and family. I desire them and me to enjoy a great time. I desire it to be a fun night time. It’s not about me or my ego. It’s graceful a night time to thank God who has made all of it likely by feasting with pals.” Effectively, he isn’t winning that battle nonetheless that’s his desire and it reveals the more or much less man he’s.
Sir Okay has a diversified present of seeing a seed and the tree it will turn out to be. Many evenings, I enjoy been invited to his dinner desk to ruin bread with young entrepreneurs, tech, finance, oil and gas CEOs, comedians, and musicians; some upcoming, just a few established. He continuously surrounds himself with childhood especially these he can wait on up the ladder.
At his birthday occasion, the play introduced is by a young neighborhood in his church. When we extensively mentioned solutions, we had many teams with a proven song narrative of handing over gorgeous performances. Sir Okay turn out to be emphatic that this neighborhood ought to rating it. He mentioned, “I are looking out to provide them of enterprise”. Trusting his discernment, I inspired the committee to permit them to audition, and if we were unsatisfied, we would enjoy adjustments.
And boy, did they bring! When I watched the rehearsals, this miniature-recognized theatre amazed me, and, as a result of of this enormous man’s belief, they introduced sooner than presidents, captains of alternate and the high and mighty.
One afraid to take centre stage, one not looking out to compete with God, one who graceful needs to be. I enjoy walked into several rooms by his facet the place he insists I’m accorded the an identical honour as he. He is a straightforward man who prefers subtlety to reveals of vitality.
I keep in mind one evening he requested me to return with him to an match the place he wished me to meet a president of a rustic. It turn out to be a closing-minute decision and he hadn’t had the time to scream the organisers. On getting there, there turn out to be a miniature little bit of chaos at the door as a result of of the dearth of prior ask. The organisers pleaded that he be seated even as they made accommodations for me. He thanked them nonetheless refused to switch in. He stood with me until preparations were made to seat me.
This turn out to be a humbling and tutorial abilities for me. A demonstration of the more or much less consideration that has made him a pal to presidents. That you just will most certainly be hard-pressed to search out a photo of him with a world leader wherever on the fetch, apart from for for the uncommon times when legitimate duties necessitate. But Sir Okay is a relied on consultant to many world leaders and captains of alternate as a result of he has earned their believe, proven his skill and shown discretion.
I do know this would possibly perhaps upset Sir Okay, nonetheless I essentially feel the occasion requires that I ruin the strict protection of silence he has about his philanthropy and discuss among the choice ways he has given wait on to his neighborhood. His philanthropy encompasses infrastructural model, humanitarian work, training, rating entry to to healthcare, innovation and mentorship. Sir Okay is a still doer, not alive to on optics, fully impact. Hundreds of us are grateful beneficiaries of his limitless potential for charity.
Sir Kola Adesina is a video display father to his childhood Oluwatimilehn, Oluwagbemisoke and Oluwafamimora, and an exemplary husband to Mosunmola, his associate. His devotion to his family and faith is fully rivalled by his dedication to corporate excellence. Sir Okay would continuously recount, “Be nothing and God the total lot”. He never jokes alongside with his prayers at nightfall nor his vigils at break of day and performs an active role in his church. In contrast to many, he also worships at a neighborhood church and supports all their projects. He believes that God is in each place, nonetheless fancy Elijah, he hears God fully the place there would possibly perhaps be much less noise. With national honours to his title and world recognition, I couldn’t enjoy requested for an even bigger mentor.
As of late, I thank Sir Kola Adesina for giving me unheard of rating entry to to study from his life, for the usage of his candle to gentle mine, and for holding my hand up as I climb the ladder of life. I doff my hat to a frontrunner, a pal, a nation-builder, a mentor, and an exemplary husband and father.
Overjoyed birthday, sir and thanks!
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Written by Adebola Williams to celebrate Kola Adesina
