By Funsho Arogundade
To Akogun Damion Olanrewaju Adesuyi, 70 is not just a number but the sum of all one’s experiences, triumphs, and the love shared along the way. The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Havilah Group believes age 70 is really a big one as no one has ever attained it by hurrying but a privilege bestowed on favoured individuals by God’s grace. Some make their living delivering punch lines in packed theatres and a good many more ferret a living from interior plumbing. Adesuyi, however, asserts his niche in library development, archiving, digitization, power solutions, IT infrastructure, and software. One of his companies is also a leading provider of library development in Nigeria’s tertiary and public institutions.
A proud son of Oye Ekiti —where he holds the prestigious title of Akogun Ninu Ogun in recognition of his strategically positive struggle in the siting of the Federal University in the historic town. There’s no gainsaying that Akogun Adesuyi is indeed a great Nigerian, a treasure trove of wisdom with zest for life and beacon of light for everyone around him. He has an indisputable community-based relationship that enables him to use available human resources at the local government, States and national levels to achieve incredible growth in his unrelenting pursuit of defined goals for socio-economic and political impact.
Thus when he clocked the biblical three scores and 10 years on Thursday 18 July, the globally-recognized tycoon decided to celebrate the landmark age by grace. On Saturday 20 July, Akogun Adesuyi commenced the platinum jubilee celebration with a thanksgiving service at Our Saviour’s Church, TBS, Lagos. Few hours later, Adesuyi’s 70th birthday turned into a magnificent fête as the celebration moved to Lagos mainland where glitz and glamour were in abundance. The exquisite Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton Ikeja brimmed with over 1000 elite guests, including political leaders, bureaucrats, royal fathers, corporate titans and magnates from various walks of life.
The reception became an extravagant affair as the entire Balmoral venue was adorned with opulent decorations and soft lighting, large recent and throwback pictures of the celebrant, his adorable wife, Olufunke, children and grandchildren. All these added to the grandeur and set the perfect ambiance for a truly jubilant occasion. Laughter filled the air as stories were shared, creating a delightful atmosphere for all who graced the event.
Adesuyi’s popularity due to his work ethic drew praises from various dignitaries from every corner of the world. His biography, ‘Who Dares Wins’ written by foremost journalist and PR Strategist, Dotun Adekanmbi was later launched at the event. The book exposes the story of Adesuyi’s 70 years as that of a modern day fairy-tale.
Adesuyi, who shone like a new penny, later expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the guests for making his celebration an unforgettable experience.