Egbeyemi: Community leader and politician at 75

Ekiti State Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi will be 75 tomorrow. His media aide, ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA, extols the virtues of the lawyer, politician and Ado-Ekiti chief, and his achievements in public life.

Ekiti State Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi, has the full cause to thank God Almighty as he clocks the age of 75 on Wednesday, 8th May, 2019.

His emergence as the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on a joint ticket with the then governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, ahead of the July 14, 2018 governorship election did not come to many as a surprise.

This was because Egbeyemi has paid his due as a loyal party man, administrator, statesman and grassroots politician.

Since he became a politician in the late 70s, Egbeyemi had always been among his people rendering assistance to them2 in political and legal circles.

Having served as a school administrator and teacher earlier in his public life, he had succeeded in moulding the future of thousands of students that passed though him and whom drank from his fountain of wisdom and erudition.

Becoming a lawyer further gave him a broader platform to defend the defenceless, used the law to reform the society and also mentored young lawyers many of whom had become senior members of the Bar and the Bench today.

Egbeyemi, though an authority in land and chieftaincy cases, which fetched him fortune, he also handled cases pro bono (free of charge) for indigent and less privileged members of the society.

It was with this spirit that he opted for politics where he had also made his mark with great impact in all the three arms of government: the judiciary (which he served as a minister in the temple of justice), the legislature (as a member of the House of Assembly) and the executive (at various times as local government chairman, commissioner and now as deputy governor).

An eternal legacy bequeathed to the generations unborn was the popular Bisi Market, which was built during his tenure as Ado Ekiti local government chairman.

He did not name the market after himself, but the locals themselves named the market after him in appreciation of his vision, wisdom and service Crowning his political career with emergence as the deputy governor was by Providence and appreciation of loyalty to the progressives camp in Ekiti State.

Receiving a delegation of the Majority Obas of Ekiti Land (MOBEL), an association of Grade B and Grade C traditional rulers, recently in his office, Egbeyemi said his ascension to the state number two office was made possible by God.

He acknowledged the fact that it came at a time he least expected such an exalted office after being considered in the past but was not given the opportunity to occupy the office.

As a loyal deputy to Fayemi, Egbeyemi had used every opportunity to enunciate on the vision and dream of his boss for a greater and more prosperous Ekiti.

Despite being a septuagenarian, Egbeyemi is a workaholic who handles state duties with precision and dispatch, gives timelines and expects results.

Traditional rulers, community leaders and members of the public who had interacted while handling chieftaincy affairs, land disputes and other matters officially delegated to him attested to his maturity and wisdom in handling such sensitive matters.

While mediating in disputes brought to his office, it has been widely acknowledged that Egbeyemi gives fair hearing to all parties and uses instrumentality of the law and other statute books in arriving at a just conclusion.

With just about six months spent in office, Egbeyemi has brought his experience as a lawyer of almost 40 years to bear in saving some monarchs from untimely dethronement and restoring peace to troubled communities.

Egbeyemi was born on 8th May, 1944 in Ado-Ekiti to the family of Late Pa Michael Egbeyemi Alade and Late Madam Tinubu Egbeyemi.

He attended St. Saviour’s Primary School, Ado-Ekiti from 1952 to 1957; Holy Trinity Anglican School Ilawe-Ekiti (1958) and Baptist School, Ado-Ekiti (1959).

He later attended Harding Memorial Secondary Modern School where he obtained his Modern School Certificate in 1962. In 1963 he learnt typing and shorthand at a private institute in Ado-Ekiti.

He studied privately while he was a Laboratory Assistant at Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti, 1965, and when he was a Bursar at Notre Dame Grammar School Usi-Ekiti from 1969 to 1972, he passed his West Africa School Certificate Examination as a private student and both GCE ‘O’ Level and Advanced Level Examinations.

He later proceeded to the University of Lagos College of Education where he read Biology and Physical Education and passed with Distinction in Physical Education.

He taught Biology briefly at St. Mary’s School, Ikole-Ekiti in 1975 before he was transferred to the new Divisional Teachers’ College Oye-Ekiti as the pioneer Physical Education Tutor between 1975 and 1977.

He read Law at the University of Ife (Now Obafemi Awolowo University) from 1977-1980 and was at the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos between 1980-1981 where he obtained his Barrister at Law Certificate and was called to the Bar in 1981 as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi right from his youth has always been a leader. He was Health Prefect in his Primary School and at the Modern Secondary School in 1962.

He was President of the Physical Education Students Association of the

University of Lagos College of Education, Akoka, Lagos (1974-1975).

Egbeyemi was also President of the Law Students Association, University of Ife, 1978-1979 session.

He is married to Chief (Mrs) Margaret Olufunke Egbeyemi and the marriage is blessed with children.

Egbeyemi has come a long way in politics and had the privilege of serving as the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) Youth Leader in Ekiti between 1978 and 1983.

During the 1983 general elections, he was elected honourable member of the Ondo State House of Assembly and was in office between October and December of that year until the military takeover of 31st December of that year.

During the General Ibrahim Babangida transition programme, Egbeyemi was elected as Executive Chairman, Ado Ekiti Local Government and was in office between 1991 and 1993.

He was Leader of United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) in Ado Ekiti Local Government between 1996 and 1997.

Egbeyemi won election into the House of Representatives in 1998 but the election was cancelled by the General Sani Abacha regime.

The Ekiti Deputy Governor was a founding member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) when the Fourth Republic was birthed in 1999.

He had the privilege of serving under the first civilian Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo as the Commissioner for Education between 1999 and 2002.

The Federal Government acknowledged his contribution to the education sector by appointing him as Member, Governing Council, Natinal Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna where he served from 2001-2002.

Egbeyemi was redeployed by Governor Adebayo to the Ministry of Justice where he served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice between 2002 and 2003.

He was foundation member, Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ado Ekiti Local Government.

Egbeyemi was Director/Member representing Ekiti State on the board of Odua Investment Limited between 2010 and 2014.

The Deputy Governor is also a businessman with investment in property, farming, hospitality and a thriving law chamber.

His publications include “Teaching Physical Education” and “Physical Education Tests.”

Awards garnered by Egbeyemi are Best Chairman of all Local Governments in Ondo State (1992), Fellow of Nigerian Youth Organisation, Best Commissioner in Ekiti State (2000), Omoluabi Ekiti State (2000), Merit

Award of the Federation of Ekiti Students Union (2002), Jstice of Peace by Ekiti State Government (2002) just to mention a few.

He also acquired chieftaincy titles in 14 towns across Ekiti and Ondo States including the prestigious traditional title of Otunba of Ado Ekiti.

• Ogunmola is Special Assistant (Media) to the Deputy Governor, Ekiti State.