Otunba Adesanya Yusuf, the Giwa Egbe Bobagunte Akile ljebu is 60. But he does not look his age. He looks refreshingly young.
What's the secret behind it?
How does he feel turning 60?
I feel very elated and thankful to God the All-Knowing & Merciful for giving me the grace to attain the milestone of 60years on planet earth. I consider it as not just grace but exceeding grace.
The trajectory of my life has taught me that integrity, humility and service to the people will submerge all obstacles and challenges that life might throw at you. Be consistent in doing good and give support to people especially the less privileged as much as you can and you will be fulfilled.
He told Citypeople Online a lot about his story. He comes from a rich pedigree in Ijebu ode.Lets tell you more.
Read Asiwaju (Dr) Adetunji Adeleke Oredipe's account
To a Born Leader and Numero Uno at 60
It's my pleasure to join friends, associates and other friends of Otunba Giwa Adesanya Yusuf in wishing him a Happy 60th Birthday. I met Otunba Giwa Adesanya Yusuf on joining the Egbe Bobagunte in his capacity as the Giwa.
He was quick to receive me with open hands and held me by hand through the onboarding exercise with adequate exposure to the historical lane of the Egbe. He was very open and has remained very transparent in our relationship. Our path even crossed further when I moved up the ladder in the Egbe to become the Secretary of Board of Trustee of the Egbe.
Otunba is a man of honour and well-endowed leader in his own right. He has built a reputation and unending passion for building capacity of people around him. He will stop at nothing in offering very useful advice and proffered solutions to issues affecting his followers. He knows the situation of every omo Egbe Bobagunte like the back of his palm.
You can see a match when you engage him in intellectual discussion. I make bold to say that Giwa Adesanya Yusuf is one leader in a million.
Giwa Adesanya Yusuf has earned my respect over the years and I have always enjoyed confiding in him on all issues even outside Egbe Bobagunte matters. He is always there, each time you call on him and that has helped to build and strengthened his relationship with all that encounter him.
What impressed me about Giwa Adesanya Yusuf is that he is brilliant in many respects. Some people are very clever, and you see their approach and methodology and you think, well, if I had all the time to devote to the project maybe I could have done that myself. Then there are people like Giwa, and you see his approach, and you think, there's no way I would have thought of that if I'd spent all my life thinking on that project.
Those of us who had the good fortune to have firsthand relationship with Giwa regard him not only as an exemplary Administrator but as a visionary and trailblazer whose initiatives put the everyone around him on their toes. You do not find this unique attribute with many of his contemporaries in the larger society. Giwa Adesanya Yusuf is just in a world of his own.
My dear Otunba! I wish you the very best on this most landmark and important occasion of your 60th birthday celebration. The interactions we have had have been rewarding for me and my family, and I hope for many more opportunities to relate even closer with you in the future.
I have always found a "pearl" in your words of wisdom. Your relationship ethic and dedication towards betterment of what we do, and share have not gone unrecognized. You were and remain a reference point in my family, social and official life. Your humane disposition is second to none even as a great achiever.
You need to know that there have been a few special people I have come in contact with in my sojourn through life, and knowing them has given me insights into who I am.
I am humbled to have you as one of them. To say that you were, and continue to be, one of the very reliable friends of my life is an understatement of the truth. You were always available and concerned and always willing to share your knowledge and have communicated countless wisdom through your counseling.
I thank you for your brotherliness and your friendship, and I promise to write you another note on your 70th birthday.
Asiwaju (Dr) Adetunji Adeleke Oredipe
Senior Agriculture Economist
World Bank
Friends and family members have also been congratulating him @ 60
Dear Dad,
It's really hard to find the write words to construct the perfect tribute you deserve, it is even harder to express how much you mean to us or quantify the joy you bring into our lives by just being our Dad.
We are all elated and extremely proud of how far God has brought you and we seize this opportunity to remind you of how much we love and respect you daddy.
Your smile, your patience, resilience, optimism, kindness, your support, your free spirit, your love have always been an example to us all. I know I speak for everyone of us, when I say we have learned and are still learning so much from you, along with the immense love, joy and happiness you bring into our lives.
Thank you for being our first love, hero, teacher, father. Thank you for lighting our world with your overwhelming love, you are passionate about everyone and everything, you show us how to appreciate and respect what we have and give thanks regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves, your sense of humor is topnotch and we do not take any of this for granted. You inspire us daily.
So please permit us as we raise our glasses and say a big Cheers to an amazing father. Happy 60th birthday dad. Love from us all. Oluwaseye, Oluwaseun, Damola, Oluwasayo, Oluwatoni, Oluwaseyi & Oluwaseni.
Tribute from Dr Adetunji Oredipe.
Mrs Treasure Olubusola Adesanya-Yusuf's Tribute
A husband, a father, a brother and a friend
Otunba (Giwa) Adesanya Yusuf
@ 60
Oh my God! What can I say in a few words about a man who is my world, my own essence? I definitely have a lot to say about my husband Otunba Adesanya Yusuf but will try to summarise it as best as I can. Life sometimes deals out very hard knocks and when it does you look around for someone to lean on. At a time in my life, when I was at my lowest ebb after the loss of four (4) members of my immediate family, at a time when I definitely was not looking for love, after all, I was self-sufficient and able to provide for my every need I met this handsome man. God did actually have a plan for me, He turned my mourning into dancing and my sorrow into joy, He gave me a shoulder to lean on, a solid pillar for advice, laughter for tears and a hand to hold on to.
He gave me a man who makes me laugh spontaneously; who sees the good in everyone he meets; who provides for my every need even when I am able to do things myself; a man who is a father like no other; a man who is upright, honourable, honest, steadfast and true to his word, a man of integrity and wisdom. He gave me Otunba (Giwa) Adesanya Yusuf
I am truly blessed to be married to Otunba Adesanya Yusuf and I am proud to say he is my best friend. It is indeed an honour. The words “thank you” and “I love you” won’t do justice to the way I feel, so I will end this tribute with a prayer -
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Your Loving Wife,
Treasure Olubusola Adesanya-Yusuf
Otunba "Austin" Adesanya Yusuf has been known to me for over a couple of decades ago, & I appreciate the consistency in his strength of character & sterling leadership qualities.
He combines considerable global exposure with deep rooted understanding of the cultural traditions of the Ijebu Nation.
Giwa Adesanya Yusuf employs the attributes of a good listener to consult widely before taking intellectually guided decisions, then proceed in putting all his energy on personal & leadership tasks that comes his way. Like a great sportsman that he was in his childhood days, he is always magnanimous in victory & takes less favourable results along his strides, in the spirit of sportsmanship, leveraging on it to renew his enthusiasm in readiness for the next available opportunity to perform.
A contented human being without any arrogant frills around him, in spite of his enormous international & local goodwill. He mixes freely without discrimination with the poor & the rich, the young & the old. He is also an ardent believer in the philosophy that investment in human capital yields the best dividends.
It is remarkable that it has pleased God to bless him with a compassionate spouse & loving children striving to make their own marks in different fields of endeavour.
There is no doubt that his age group & the Awujale have observed some of these glaring qualities in him before recruiting him for the prominent roles he plays today.
I consider him *a great friend in good & bad times, A FRIEND FOR ALL SEASONS*.
Olugbenga Odulaja
Lagos Based Legal Pundit & Former S.S.A to the Gov of Osun State.
What sort of a man is Giwa Adesanya Yusuf? Let us give you a peep into his life.
Otunba Adesanya Yusuf a hard working and self-motivated individual dedicated to giving to the very best of his ability, was born in May 1960 to Pa' Abdullaih Kehinde Yusuf (a.K.a Balance Boy) and late Mrs J.A. Yusuf.
His father was the son of late Pa' Yusuf Odeniyi (aliases Baba Mamu, Baba Agosasa, etc on account of his voyage to these places as a Businessman and Cocoa Trader), and late Princess Moriamo Yusuf (aliases Mama Warri, Mama Agosasa, Mama Mamu, and Mama Alaso on account of her textile business in these towns). His late paternal grandfather migrated from Esungbon to found Igboburo along with his other brothers including Shonibare and Lawal, who were all children of Odeniyi. The larger Odeniyi compound (Shonibare-Yusuf-Lawal) occupies a sizeable portion of Igboburo/Ntebo quarters of Ijebu Ode.
On the other hand , his paternal grandmother (late Princess Moriamo Yusuf) was the affectionate daughter of Prince Yeruwa Tunwase of Ishado Quarters. Prince Yeruwa was the son of Oba Adesimbo Tunwase, Arojo j'oye Adele tejiteji, the 49th Awujale. Princess Moriamo's mother was the daughter of Eruobodo of Ntebo Quarters, very close to her husband's expansive compound.
Otunba Adesanya Yusuf attended St Andrews Primary School in Warri from 1965 – 1972 before moving to Ijebu Muslim College, Ijebu Ode in 1973 taking his West African Certificate Exams in 1977.
Otunba Adesanya Yusuf, a keen and brilliant footballer in his days played in goal for his primary, secondary and higher institutions before playing amateur football with NEPA Football club Ijebu-Ode and Abeokuta respectively. He was popularly called "Austin Black" for his dexterity in commanding the goal area in his football playing days. The name “Austin Black” has stuck to him right from his football playing days at Ijebu Muslim College, Ijebu Ode.
Otunba Yusuf went on to study Mass Communication (as one of the pioneer set) at the Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta) followed by various training and management courses in the United Kingdom in Personal Branding & First Impressions, Learning Disabilities and Autism, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, Reporting and Editing as well as Hospitality and Human Resource Management.
He at various times served as Client Services/Media Relations Director in different advertising firms and General Manager at Babwilloms Advertising. He moved on to start his own business, beginning with Pagent Furnishings and Interiors, Pagent Hotel and Suites in Egbeda, Lagos and Double Gee Spice and Grill Cuisine located inside Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu Ode. Double Gee is a top niche restaurant serving Oriental, Continental and Local dishes and has an Outdoor Catering Unit. He is also the Chairman of Officion Corporate Services with interest in Travel Consult, Conferences & Events Management, Public Relations, Advertising & Printing.
Otunba Yusuf is an excellent organiser, administrator, motivator and communicator with superb interpersonal skills. These traits are all evidenced by his role as leader (Giwa) of the Bobagunte (Okunrin) Akile Ijebu since its royal recognition and traditional blessings at the Heritage Hall, Afin Awujale on March 28, 1998 by Alaiyeluwa Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, LLD, DCL, JP, Ogbagba II, Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland. He was installed as Otunba Bobaseilu of Ijebu by the Awujale on November 19th, 2017
Otunba Adesanya Yusuf loves philanthropic works and through this supports the Eruobodo Home for Special Needs Children, GRA, Ijebu Ode. He is also a Patron of RACO Child Care & Rural Initiative Orphanage Home, Itawo (near Odolewu) off Ijebu/Epe Road.
He is married to "Treasure" Olubusola Adesanya-Yusuf and blessed with Children.
His amiable disposition and capacity to motivate people has greatly endeared him to his peers and his community
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