PROFILE :Senator Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi

 Full Profile Of Oyo State Governor 

Born to the renowned Ajimobi family of Ibadan on the 16^th of December ,1949

Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi had his elementary education at st . Patrick ,Abebi ,ICC primary school ,Aperin and later attended Lagelu Grammar shool for his secondary education .Whilst in Lagelu Grammar school ,Abiola was very active in sports ,athletics and school curriculum .

He was the table tennis captain,football captain and the game prefect .In athletic , he was the second fastest student manning the 1^st leg for relay race and number two in 100and 200 meters race .As a result of his all-rounder image ,he was nicknamed ARCHIPELAGO.

He completed his secondary school education in flying colors .He later preceded to the United State of America where he attended the state University New York ,in Buffalo, New York and the Governor’s State University ,Park Forest, IIinose.He graduated with B.SC(Honors) in Business Administration and Finance .He also obtained his Masters of Science (MBA) degree in Operation  Research and Marketing .

As a result of his academic credentials and excellent performance at the New York Insurance examination ,he was engaged as the 1^st Nigerian state certified underwriter by Equitable Life Assurance Corporation, which was the 2^nd largest Insurance company in America . Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi returned to Nigeria in 1977 and joined a Management and Industrial consulting firm as a Senior Consultant .

He thereafter worked briefly with Modulor Group as the Finance and Admin  Controller before joining  Nestle Foods PLC  as the Operation Controller and later as Marketing  Controller .In 1979 Abiola joined National Oil and Chemical Marketing Company as the Consumer product Manager .He was the youngest Manager to occupy such a sensitive position .

His performance quickly earned him promotion to the level of Divisional Manager within one and a half years .Thus becoming the youngest Divisional Manager to be appointed. For his star performance ,strategic business application , helicopter views and visibility in the company he was promoted quickly again above his peers to head a newly created corporate credit division reporting directly to the Managing Director .His successful performance made the division a Cynosure of all eye s in the company .As a top  flyer in the company and based on his problem solving ability he was deployed to Ibadan Business District  as the Area  Manager to ensure the repositioning of the entire company activity in the area .

In 1987 ,based on a worldwide international strategic positioning of the lubricant business desired by Shell International oil company , Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi was appointed the lubricant Manager, the most important product portfolio of the company . Having completed the strategic repositioning of the lubricant department, Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi was moved to manage another  troubled business arm-the aviation department.

In 1993 , Abiola Ajimobi has had successful and broad exposure in virtually all the marketing  arms of the company and obviously destined for the top . As part of the grooming programs he was posted on international assignment to Shell International storage company of Togo , serving the whole West Africa as Chief Executive .He also was the operation Director of Shell Marketing Company  in Togo covering some West Africa countries.

He returned to Nigeria in 1995and was appointed in 1996 as oil sales  Manager .In 1998 he was appointed to the board of the company as Executive Director –Marketing , a position he held before his appointment on February 2001 , as the Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of the national oil and Chemical Marketing company . As Managing Director he substantially improved the profitability of the company and the shareholder fortune. In 2003 he voluntarily retires after 26 years of meritorious service in the oil industry.

In his successful professional career spanning a period of over three decade , Abiola Ajimobi was smart , brilliant ,quick witted , and positively impacted on the business and people he interacted with .

In 2003 he became a senator of the Republic of Nigeria .He was a principle officer as the Deputy Minority leader of the senate.

During his senate days, precisely in 2005, he established the first and the largest FREE VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER ,in Oyo state , offering training In computer engineering ,computer operation , telephone  engineering , fashion designing , hair dressing , tie and dye  etc. The center has turned out over 15,000 student to date that have gained employment In banks and many  industries in Nigeria . The center has been recognize and certified both as a partner and training center by the ITF of Federal Government.

In 2007 he contested and believed to have won the Gubernatorial election under the umbrella of ANPP but like most of his peers in the opposition parties he was denied his mandate. As characteristic of him , he leave everything to God but never gives up his desire to serve “Those who are too traditional cannot be transitional and those  who cannot embrace change cannot be in charge .Leadership is not about being nice, it is about being right and being strong”

Senator Abiola Ajimobi has been strong in spite of all opposing circumstance, no wonder his achievements have been phenomenal.

Some of them are:

• Restoration of peace which had eluded the state owing to frequent bloodletting. Before his advent, Oyo State was constantly in a state of war.
• Rehabilitation/ Reconstruction of over 400 roads across the state.
• Construction of about 10 major bridges demolished by the flood of August 2011, chief among which is the multi-million naira Bodija/Secretariat bridge.
• Dualization of major roads across the state which include Ibadan interchange-Challenge-New Garage road; Onireke-Jericho-Dugbe-Aleshinloye roads as well as entry roads to major towns of zone in the state like Oyo, Ogbomoso and Iseyin.

Recently contracts for the dualisation of some other major roads within Ibadan metropolis was awarded.

These include: Idi-Ape – Akobo, Eleyele/Ologuneru – Ido, Oke-Adu – Iwo roads expansion etc.

• Construction of bridges and road repairs across the 33 Local Governments in the state.
• Construction of a flyover at the Mokola roundabout in Ibadan, the first of such by any civilian governor since the creation of the state in 1976.
• Payment of arrears of 142% increase to pensioners.
• Payment of 13 months salary to workers in the state since 2011.
• Provision of ten 56-seater buses for free transport service for workers and students.
• Provision of one hundred 56-seater buses for inter and intra-city transport shuttle for citizens of the state.
• Procurement of 320 tractors for farmers in the state, the largest by any government ever, not only in Oyo State but Nigeria as a whole.
• Provision of drugs to hospitals worth million naira.
• Promotion of over 1,500 teachers in within two years of his administration.
• 100% upward review of teachers car and housing loans.
• Renovation of 1,600 schools and provision of 67,000 pieces of furniture for schools.
• Upgrading of satellite campuses of the Polytechnic Ibadan in Saki and Eruwa to full-fledged Polytechnics so as to open more opportunities of tertiary education to our children.
• Reduction of tuition fees paid by students in tertiary institutions by 50%.
• Distribution of over 1,000 units of tricycles to members of the Amalgamated Commercial Motocycle Operators and Rider Association ( ACCOMORAN) to improve public transport.
• Construction of major intra and inter-city motor parks within Ibadan metropolis, chief among which are the Temidire and Podo motor parks.
• Inauguration of the Joint Secuirity Patrol Squard comprising the police, the army, navy and civil Defence corps code-name OPERATION BURST for the maintenance of law and order.
• Establishment of the Technical University of Oyo State.

These and many more achievements have been recorded during the tenure of Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Perhaps a landmark achievement is his victory in the 2015 elections making him the first Governor in Oyo State to win two consecutive governorship elections.

His journey so far and these landmark achievements have been humbly supported by his MASTER PIECE OF NATURE of over 37 years, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi and his lovely children.

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