A standstill salute to a man full of grey hair who shuttles between boisterous Lagos and idyllic Ile-Ife to give his heart to the education of children, so they could become better citizens, holding the banner of a great country in the making.
Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, peeps into his life.
At 80, he has lived 10 years longer than the generic Biblical prescription of 70 (Psalm 90:10) at which man may end traversing the earth for bread and butter, as well as for solitude with God, his Creator.
And he intends to live longer, to the chorus of well wishers, who recall that his father lived over 100 years.
He is one of the last men still standing from the riotous First Republic. He survived operation wetie in the South West. Plotters of the first military coup had nothing on him. Plotters of the subsequent ones did not come near him.
He has lived through the truncated Second Republic to the thriving new democratic era that has lasted 16 years.
In quietude. Nothing brash. Comfortable – very wealthy – in genuine, old money. But no showing off.
Very few people in his upper crust can pass as a study in humility as Oyekunle Alex-Duduyemi, the Aro/Asiwaju of Ife.
The story of Aro of the world (as he is called by friends and well wishers) is one of resilience, commitment, doggedness – and of course, grass to grace; even if lustrous grass at some level.
Not many knew he traded in pepper and tomato, travelling from Ile-Ife to the North, sometimes in night lorries, before he made money, then made a name in politics, and made even more money in business to become an institution.
A shrewd multi-dimensional personality, industrious with a multi-tasking ability. His life is dedicated to humanity. That makes him to be at peace with himself, and at ease with the world.
He believes, like John Maxwell, that “the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change while the leader adjusts the sails.”
Alex-Duduyemi rose from a humble yet respected lower middle family.
“My growing up was in a simple, not too poor but satisfying, simple, humble, God fearing family. My father, Henry Alex-Duduyemi, was a Chief Sanitary Inspector for Ife, Ilesha, Oshogbo, and all the areas that fell within the zone at his time.
“My mother, Halimat, was a trader majorly in Okro,’’ he recounted to TheNiche.
Urbane and gentle, he is a Barrister at Law of Lincolns Inn, London.
He had a stint in the politics of the First Republic as a cerebral, eloquent politician.
He represented Ife Central Federal Constituency in Parliament and was also Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
He was a member of the Nigerian delegation to the 20th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 1965.
When Alex-Duduyemi left politics after the Army took over power in 1966, he veered into commodity trading and made a fortune; then into construction, oil and gas, and banking.
Today, he sits on numerous boards of reputed companies, cutting across various sectors of human endeavour, local, national, international; as chairman or member.
“We were driven away by the military in 1966 and I thought I should change from regular politicking that I was pressured into. After law and politics, I thought I should go into other things.
“So, after I left politics I went into commodities for export. I was trading in coffee, cocoa, pepper, copper, all sorts of exportable commodities and I enjoyed doing it.
“It transformed me into fisheries and fish trawling as well as into other businesses I enjoy doing today.”
Who encouraged you to take a leap into the political climate in the first place?
“It was my late uncle, Remi Fani-Kayode of blessed memory. He was the leader of the United Nigeria Democratic party (UNDP) in the entire Ife Division at the time. He was the Deputy Premier of Western Nigeria.
“He trained me, he was my mentor, and I lived with him all my life before I went to the United Kingdom to study law.
“As a matter of fact, I chose to study law because I was assured that I would come back into his chambers, which I did honourably and I don’t regret it.”
Alex-Duduyemi translates his love for education into giving scholarships to indigent students without making noise about it.
A love that inspired him to set up the Henry Alex-Duduyemi Memorial College (HAMEC) in Ile-Ife, his home town, on November 24, 1997 in memory of his father.
He set out to give back to his community and to fulfill a lifelong dream.
“I believe in the future of Nigeria. And I know that our destiny lies in the hands of these young ones.
“For their development, I have committed the rest of my life to build well rounded Nigerian youths that are not only going to be leaders of different sectors of the Nigerian economy in the near future, but also function effectively as world citizens.
“This is what HAMEC was founded to deliver.
“At HAMEC, the focus is on the creation of the total child. By this I mean we foster an environment where students attain academic excellence, possess high moral and ethical values, and are conscious of their roles in society, while still protecting the innocence of childhood.
“This is achieved through strong pastoral care and an effective mentoring system. We are extremely proud of our college as it boasts of modern educational facilities which enhance effective teaching and learning.
“Our dedicated workforce, in tandem with the college management, work to achieve our vision of being the school of choice for parents yearning for an all-round education for their wards.”
He was conferred with the traditional title of the Aro/Aare Asiwaju of Ile-Ife in recognition of his contributions to the development of his people and achievements as an entrepreneur.
He is also a recipient of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
Beyond the symbolic well wishes marking his birthday today, there is more that engenders fulfillment, as Alex-Duduyemi has impacted different spectrums of society with positive footprints on the sands of time.
Through his philanthropy he has helped many to rediscover lost destinies and find hope for daily living, and in turn fulfilling his own life philosophy.
“My life philosophy is to be simple, humble, and loving people; trying my best to impact positively on the lives I come across.”
He is a trendy gentleman of good taste, a good listener who chooses the right time to put his point across. Even at 80 he stands out anywhere with elegance and poise.
Alex-Duduyemi optimises every opportunity to equip himself, acquiring academic and work experiences which give him the edge he enjoys today.
He is married to Stella, also a lawyer. Their children are all accomplished in their different fields.
In case you wonder about his type of food and music, he is eclectic; the product of a cosmopolitan life.
“I don’t discriminate against food, when its tasteful I am for it. I don’t hate food at all. As I go round the world whatever I find there I enjoy but I choose the ones I feel I will like.
“Well, for me music is very genetic. I like all sorts of music. I enjoy my Yoruba highlife music more; wherever I go I carry my tapes sometimes to listen to it.”
To him, there is no missing point between today’s Nigeria and when he was younger.
“I don’t think there is a missing point, so far so good. Life then was different from what we have today.
“Then Nigeria was freer, there was no insecurity, there was no threat to life and property, you could go out at any time of the day or night in Nigeria, especially in Lagos. But today it’s different.
“These are the security areas where you can differentiate yesterday from today.”