Babalola Oyesanmi’s social support scheme, an altruism with no strings attached.
By Steve Ovirih.
Egineer Babalola Oyesanmi is no doubt a thorough bred Ikale son and a full blooded Erinje gift to the world . He typifies the fine concept of philanthropy as he has shown over the years through his gesture of reaching out to help the downtrodden that for some people, giving is an inborn trait.
A year ago to be specific, the Minnesota based , University of Benin trained Petroleum Engineer came up with the idea of awarding one million Naira offer of assistance to any Ikale based young entrepreneur who was able to come out with a proposal on how to improve his or her business concern and by so doing supporting others willing to learn such business , hence making gains thereof while making the prospective learners acquire the skills of the business alongside the ease of doing it. His brain child, Robert Florence Oyesanmi Foundation became the front through which this huge fund assistance was granted. The idea was to make a millionaire emerge every year through the foundation, thereby prospecting to produce ten millionaires with strong business acumen in ten years.
It is of note that Engr.Oyesanmi has been providing community development inclined assistance to the people of Ikaleland beyond this ‘ producing an annual millionaire scheme.’ The son of the Proprietor of the first ever Private School in Okitipupa, Esther Kawe Group of Schools, at different times had provided street solar light to different streets in the Local Government Area, while helping a good number of students in the payment of their tuition; of course the percentage of those who have benefitted from the tuition payment outreach are brilliant students but whose indigent status could have affected their educational pursuit but for the Babalola Oyesanmi’s rare gesture of philanthropy.
Enter year 2024 and his foundation decided to up the ante of philanthropy by increasing the number of the ‘ annual millionaires ‘ from one to two.
While engaging thepolity.net in an exclusive media chat, the easy going, soft spoken man of large heart gave his reason for making two business oriented Ondo South persons millionaires rather than one. He said applicants for the scheme who applied online were quite many and all of them with brilliant ideas, noting that it took a lot of painstaking scrutiny to eventually streamline them to four applicants eventually. He added that for the four finalists, a panel was set up which included many stakeholders within the Oyesanmi family.
He said the committee had a one-to-one exchange with all the finalists, while questions were asked not just about their certification, business orientation, prospects for the future and particularly how others can benefit from their largess if they eventually won.
Engr.Oyesanmi noted that at that point, he felt two out of the four applicants would emerge as this will quicken the idea of making more young people more self driven to give back to the society.
In the 2024 edition of the Robert Florence Oyesanmi Foundation’s one million Naira cash grant the two winners were Mrs. Moyinoluwa Ogunowo, a fashion designer and Mr.Iroaye Ayodeji, a laundry expert as each went home with a grant of one million Naira each.
The urbane philanthropist, when asked if he had a political motive for offering such huge support reiterated that he did not have any of such thought in mind. He said it is important to assist if such fund is available and it is the best thing to do because the assistance one renders to the people who are serious minded will go a long way in pulling people out of the trenches. Engr.Oyesanmi added that Dr. Ogunboye who got the one million Naira offer in 2023 has added in no small means to his business, stressing that the way society grows is to lift people up and he is not doing all these things having any motive in mind.
When Prodded further that if those feeling the plethora of assistance from the stable of Robert Florence Oyesanmi Foundation should ask him to show interest in politics, would he decline their plea, he noted, “My brother, it is not as if such pleading and insinuation have not been coming, but truth is the foundation is not reaching out because of any of such motive like politics aforethought.
” See, I learnt this act from my daddy. Those who knew him can tell you. He was a generous man who was always ready to hel p. When my dad left May Flower, Ikene where he thought for years, he came home to establish Esther Kawe. It will surprise you to know that he would reach out to a lot of our uncles and asked them to bring their children to the school tuition free. He was doing this as his own contribution to their future and those who benefitted then are better off today. So, that’s the spirit: giving back genuinely to the society and bettering the lot of others from the kindness of God that I myself have benefitted from,” Egnr.Babalola Oyesanmi stated.
