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By: Tayo Mabeweje.
Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, a gentlemanly blue blood from a rich background is a personality imbued with natural attitudes of kindness, openness and welfarism. He has been recognised as a bright political star reputed for promptness and excellence.
When, he threw his hat into the ring in the race for governorship of the Gateway State, the idea, according to him was borne out of his genuine desire to impact positively on the lives of the people of Ogun State, empower the underprivileged and improve the lot of the citizenry.
OBA, a sobriquet that has come to be identified with Otunba Bimbo Ashiru also accentuates his regal background and noble upbringing as an amiable and very influential personality from both maternal and paternal ancestral lineages exhibiting royalty in his deeds while maintaining the levelheadedness of a thoroughbred.
Fifth in the family of six, Otunba Abimbola’s father, late Pa Simeon Adeyemi Ashiru, was a distinguished Ijebu statesman while his mother, Princess Moradeun Ashiru, a highly successful and exceptional entrepreneur hailed from the Fidipote Royal family of Ijebu Ode and the ruling House of Owu-Ikija Ijebu.
Young Bimbo attended Baptist Day School, Ereko, Ijebu Ode for his primary education and Adeola Odutola College also in Ijebu Ode for the secondary school education.
He later studied at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin where he bagged the Higher National Diploma in Marketing, Purchasing & Supply in 1988. He also holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Management from the Strategic Management Centre affiliated to the Ogun State University, (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) in Year 2000.
Brilliant, audacious and burning with zeal, Otunba Ashiru started off his banking career with the then Chattered Bank Plc. (now Stanbic IBTC Bank) as Credit & Marketing Analyst in September, 1989.
In over two decades as a professional banker, he had a very successful banking career demonstrating a full grasp of his duties and responsibilities having worked in various banking institutions in management capacities such as Head; Private Banking Unit, Branch Manager, Head; Institution of Professional Banking, Regional Coordinator, Country Director; Personal and Business Banking, Director; Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Investment until his last appointment as the Group Head; Public Sector of the IBTC Bank Plc.
When he took over as the head of Consumer Banking of the then IBTC now Stanbic Bank in 1998, as an experienced and shrewd manager of men and materials, he grew its Asset Base from N485 million to N3.5 billion within a year.
It is also to his credit that the Asset Base of the bank’s Lagos Mainland region from N5 billion was moved to about N15 billion within 18 months, as the Regional Manager.
As Country Director, Branch Network and Distribution, he brought the asset base of the branch network from about N75 billion to over N100 billion in one year and moved the Service delivery rating of the bank from 9th to 3rd position among Nigerian Banks, as documented by KPMG.
While in the banking industry, he attended many professional courses both locally and internationally which firmly prepared and fortified him for various duties and responsibilities.
In July, 2011, he was appointed as the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Ogun State to direct the affairs of the Ministry.
His tenure orchestrated the process of industrialization of Ogun State by creating an investor-friendly environment for potential investors, organising and managing the growth and development of MSMEs in Ogun State, interfacing with the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investments on behalf of the State and acting as the Chief Marketing Officer of the State.
Within a space of three months into his appointment, the glory days of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and that of Ogun State was brought back as he led the team that revamped the Ogun State Business environment, taking Ogun State from the 34th position in 2008 and 2010 to the premier position in 2014, according to World Bank/DFID Doing Business in Nigeria 2014 report making Ogun State the most industrialised State in the nation.
Under his stewardship, the business environment of the state developed with the establishment over 180 new companies with investment between $200 million and $2 billion birthing in Ogun State. Also, about 230 other companies investing between $100 million and $200 million equally identified with Ogun State while 216 others have invested between $50million and $100 million, with those investing under $50 million in excess of 200 new companies.
This subsequently placed Ogun State in first position in Nigeria, according to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. Not only this, approximately 75% of Foreign Direct Investment into the country between 2011 and 2016 came into Ogun State cumulating in the increase of Internally Generated Revenue to 1,279.84%.
He was also rated among the Top Ten Commissioners in the South West Region of Nigeria.
These sterling qualities of loyalty, humility, valour, assiduity, moral leadership which stand him out as an exemplary model prompted the Ijebu-Remo Agenda, a political pressure group comprising distinguished community leaders and notable politicians to endorse him as the Ogun East consensus governorship aspirant in 2019 general election.
This development made him resign his appointment to focus on his governorship ambition under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Moving round the State with his consultation team he met with all stakeholders including elder statesmen, political leaders, monarchs, professionals, artisans, women, youth, students and indeed all indigenes and residents in the State. The enthusiasm and excitement with which he was received at all these meetings was very encouraging and overwhelming as people see in him, someone who had offered himself to contest the governorship election out of genuine desire to consolidate on the achievements of the present administration and employ the experience he has garnered over the years in both private and public sectors in taking Ogun State to greater heights.
With the governorship primaries done with, unobtrusive and unassuming, Otunba Ashiru never saw the gubernatorial aspiration as a do-or-die affair as he took every pace and stage as they come and moving on. To corroborate this, he once posited: “I offered myself for service to humanity believing that I can make a strong and positive impact on the lives of the people”.
But he believes in the fact that governance is not only about making just any choice but a credible one. It is not about creed, clan or vocation but resourcefulness, sincerity, industry and benevolence. On his future political plans, he had since kept all at suspense: “I will announce my next political move when the time is ripe”, he submitted.
He had also served the nation and Ogun State in various capacities. He is a member of the Technical and Communications Committees, Nigerian Economic Summit 2011;member of Ogun State Transition Work Group (TWG) for Otunba Gbenga Daniel Governor Elect in 2003, member of Gateway Games 2006 Commission, member of Ogun State Transition Work Group (TWG) for Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Governor Elect in 2011.
On the professional front, he is a Fellow of Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria, Fellow, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria and Associate Member of London Institute of Purchasing and Supply (LIPS 1983).
In the religion circle, he is a member of the Greater Chapter of the Lagos West Dioceses of the Cathedral.
On the social front, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru is a member of Metropolitan Club, Ikoyi Club 1939, Ijebu Renaissance Club and a member of the Ijebu Heritage Group.
Among his many awards were: “Best Commissioner of the Year Award” by Nigerian NewsDirect in 2015, Effizie Magazine, FBN Excellence Award 2013 and Ogun Heritage Award 2018 for increasing Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and drastically reducing poverty and unemployment figures in Ogun State.
On account of his dedication and assiduity, he was appointed as the representative of the Awujale of Ijebu land on the Ogun State Task Force for Poverty Alleviation. In recognition of his selfless service to the society and having excelled as a proud and service imbued son of Ijebu land with proven capabilities in his career and politics, Otunba Bimbola Ashiru was conferred with the Royal title of Otunba Adeona Fusigboye in December, 2006 by His Royal Majesty the Awujale of Ijebu land and Paramount Ruler of Ijebu land, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona CFR.
Undoubtedly, his string of high performance in banking and politics had proven to be testimonies of his outstanding professional and great leadership qualities. His stellar performance in banking, management and politics has endeared him to a huge number of admirers cutting across various strata of society who recognised him as a potential political leader with great and endearing attributes.
Apart from his rich background, courage, innovativeness, vibrancy, discipline, intellectualism and innate ardour of service, Otunba Ashiru, a dedicated family man, is happily married to Olukemi Ashiru, a lawyer and they are blessed with children.
Happy birthday Otunba Bimbo Ashiru the quintessential strategist and Otunba Adeona Fusigboye of Ijebu land.
Tayo Mabeweje, A Media Consultant writes from Ijebu Ode.
