Dateline was Friday,26th of July 2024 The venue was the conference Hall of the Ogun State Housing Corporation. The event was the sent forth for the retiring Assistant General Manager of the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Mobolaji Fajounbo as present and past colleagues, childhood friends and well wishers especially members of the OGBC Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in conjuction with the Ogun State Council of NUJ staged a fantastic reception to honor one of their own, a newsroom guru.
The event was well attended even as those present showered encomiums on the celebrant who graced the venue with his amiable wife, Mrs Lydia Bola Fajounbo who is a Permanent Secretary in the Ogun State Civil Seevice.
Opening the floor to shower encomium on the celebraht is one of his Childhood friends, Mr Kolawole Isola who stunned the gathering by declaring that the soft-spoken Bola Fajounbo whose many know and see as a complete gentleman was at a time very rascally. He said: ” While we were growing up, Bola Fajounbo had a rascally behaviour and along the line, whether he met Jesus Christ just like Apostle Paul on his way to Damascus or vice versa, he suddenly became a changed man, very serious and dedicated. I must let you know that if he had continued in his pre- 80 days ways, he would have been dead by now". Mr Kolawole Isola has a candid advice for his old bossom. He enjoined him to find something good doing upon retirement.
Another childhood friend, who breezed into the venue unannounced to the surprise of the Organising Committee, Deputy Commissioner of Police who is in charge of SWAT, Kayode Ayilara recalled some of the childhood fantasies he had with Mr Bola Fajounbo while growing up at Oke- nla ifo, saying though the Organisers did but extend invitation to him, he must be there to honour his childhood friend.
Mr Ayilara also recalled how Mr. Bola Fajounbo of old will clutch a copy of James Hardly Chase novel in his pocket while walking around, saying he was one of the best hands in the literary and debating society way back and he was unbeaten.
Corroborating the views earlier shared by his other childhood friend, another very close friend, Honourable Kunle Adeyemi who was a member of the House of Representatives representing ifo State Constituency said Mr Fajounbo was indeed rascally at a point in life to the extent that his late father always told him to advice him. He said: ” Mr. Fajounbo is more than a friend, but a brother. He is a humble man, ready to assist at all times and ready to deny himself to satisfy others".
Hon. Johnson Olu- Fatoki is another childhood friend who recalled their days as young boys in Oke- nla ifo. Hon. Fatoki also burst everyone's brain when he said Mr. Fajounbo is lot the gentleman that everyone know him to be as far as he is concerned. According to him , he concluded he is not a gentleman because Bolaji Fajounbo will not accept to be insulted..He described him as a disciplinarian who has impacted many lives, praying to God to grant him good health and long life in retirement.
Other childhood friends who also spoke on the occasion were Pastor Tunde Adebiyi who recalled how they were the rave of the moment when it comes to literaty and debating society in their time as well as a retired senior Director of the Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme, OGADEP also in Abeokuta,Mr.Femi Kudoro.
Another elderly friend of Mr. Bola Fajounbo, Alhaji Ambali Isola who retired as a Permanent Secretary in the Ogun State Ministry of Education said the celebrant is a good family man who will always ask about the welfare of each members of the family at wvery point in time Alhaji Ambali said:” Fajounbo is a man who always care about other people's family. My children always talk about him and he is always involved in their personal lives.When he calls you, he would ask after the welfare of each members of the family one after the other”. That is Bola Fajounbo for you, He said.
A former Assistant General Manager of the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation who incidentally was one of the people who took Mr. Bolaji Fajounbo in when he was newly employed, Prince Toyin Gbadebo said it was a shocker to him when he learnt through the post of one of the Junior staff,Mr. Waheed Ogunjobi that Bola Fajounbo is retiring. "It was a surprise because I said , when did we employ him that he is now retiring. I call him Bolaj. Bolaji is a meticulous guy. Let me recall this story, when he came to the newsroom, due to his meekness, i wondered aloud if he would be able to survive in the newsroom, but he surpassed my expectations. I never even believed that He had any rascally attitude until it was mentioned by Kolawole Isola and confirmed by his other friends. He is a man such that when you give him a job to do , you can go to bed and sleep tight.
In his remarks, the Publisher and CEO Penpushing Media, Prince Dimeji Kayode - Adedeji said he knew him way back while they worked together as a member of the Press Crew attached to Governor Olusegun Osoba between 1999-2003. Prince Kayode- Adedeji said he is a fine reporter, very meticulous and swift. He added that he is a reporter that any editor will send to an assignment and sleep with his two eyes closed. Prince Kayode-Adedeji stated further that Mr Fajounbo is a peace maker who always mediated each time there are disagreement on the Penpushing platform, while his intervention always calmed his nerves and put paid to the settlement of matters.
The Ogun State Council Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Comrade Wale Olanrewaju while contributing said although he had never worked with Mr. Fajounbo, but confirmed that all the comments passed about his person were enough to make a deduction about who he is, saying he is someone who love to encourage others. Wale Olanrewaju popular with the sobriquet, Walecentrism said he has not seen a man as humble as Mr. Mobolaji Fajounbo, saying his hunility is infectious. He said the Nigeia Union of Journamists, Ogun State Council is proud of his accomplishememts, while saying that he would be celebrated at the nexr congress.
The General Manager of the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Mrs. Toyin Sogbesan who was ushered into the venue with dance by staff of the Corporation described Mr. Fajounbo as a complete gentleman. She said: ” I call him a gentleman because you would hardly hear him speak loudly or audibly and I harrass him most times on this, just to make him speak out. I do not know much about his rascally nature which some of his friends spoke about, but the Bola Fajounbo that I know that is OGBC brand is a complete gentleman. Another thing that no one has spoken about concerning Mr. Fajounbo is that he has a very good dress sense, such that I sometimes use him to chastise others asking them to emulate him”. Mrs Sogbesan prayed for him to continue to see the face of God in all his endeavours.
Responding, the celebrant, retiring General Manager of OGBC, Mr. Mobolaji Fajounbo while appreciating everyone for the kind words and the honour done to him attributed the ideals which someone like him upheld to what was entrenched in him by some of his late Boss, such as Mr. Funso Sogbanmu and the late Uncle Deji Odunlami of blessed memory, while urging those he left behind to continue to uphold the newsroom culture and nurture it
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