Former Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Civil Service, Chief Tunde Fanimokun, has said the key to the prosperity of Nigeria is in the embrace of entrepreneurship, saying with it, poverty can also be reduced to the barest minimum. He said this at the ground breaking ceremony of a N3.5 billion Folawiyo Entrepreneurship Centre he is donating to the Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, Lagos. The centre is in honour of the late Chief Alhaji Wahab Folawiyo, the first Baba Adini of Nigeria, who employed Fanimokun as a director in his business group 40 years ago. “There is this saying that there is no end to prosperity and it means poverty could be wiped out but when you prosper to a level, you can still climb higher, the ladder of prosperity. This applies to individuals, states and corporate entities. How do we achieve this, you may ask? The key to that is in entrepreneurship. And we have to do it with diligence, integrity and forthrightness.
“I was for 16 years in the service of the Lagos State government and rose to the position of a permanent secretary and served in various ministries and offices during the tenure of Alhaji Lateef Jakande. People can bear witness to what the administration achieved in a little over four years. When the military came in 1984, and they started the probe of the administration and were after some people they felt were close to Baba Jakande, I left at the age of 40 and Baba Folawiyo took me as a director. What I learned from him as an entrepreneur, cannot be quantified. With the virtue of selflessness gained from Baba Jakande and the spirit of philanthropy from Baba Folawiyo, I applied myself to the task that I didn’t know that Chief Folawiyo wrote in his will that they should make me a director in his company for life,” he said.
Fanimokun urged the youth to know that success doesn’t come easy and cheap, and to apply themselves diligently to whatever callings they are into. He advised that entrepreneurship as a course should be taken seriously in our institutions, and lauded the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo for introducing it in tertiary institutions then. Speaking at the event, Mr Tunde Folawiyo, said Fanimokun was the architect of the diversification of the business of the Folawiyo Group. “Chief Fanimokun impacted my life positively. He joined my father’s company 40 years ago when I came back from the NYSC scheme. I learnt a lot from him and our family is grateful to him. He didn’t tell us he is doing something like this to honour our father. He doesn’t play to the gallery, ” he stated.
In his speech, the Rector of YABATECH, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, said the gesture by Chief Fanimokun was in line with the desire of his administration to leave a legacy of excellence. “Today, we are witnessing history again. We celebrate the ground breaking of a new facility, generously endowed by a true visionary – Chief Tunde Fanimokun. His philosophy of philanthropy, entrepreneurship and good governance serves as an inspiration to all. The proposed Folawiyo Entrepreneurship Centre will be more than just an academic building. It will be a vibrant hub, symbolising our commitment to excellence, progress, and nurturing future generations of successful entrepreneurs who will contribute to our nation’s development.”
