Successful People Man-of-The-Moment: Hon. Akeem Olamilekan Ademolake

Successful People

Man of The Moment

Hon. Akeem Olamilekan Ademolake 

By Charles Segun Adegbite

(First Honoured June 5, 2020; 2nd Time, November 11, 2022)

A seasoned accountant, an international auditor, meticulous administrator, business mogul and a politician with a mission, Hon Ademolake is the Chairman/CEO of SP Spinas International Travels & Tours, who sits atop of other business concerns.

He is a licensed Hajj and Umrah travels operator, a player in the oil and gas sector, and an investor in homes and property business, who is now making all efforts to impact Nigeria positively through his adventures into politics.

From the moment he entered Ogun State politics, people have began to observe the uniqueness in him. Many people see him as an agent of change and have began to look forward to the day he would be given a party ticket as a candidate so that they can vote for him.

Birth, Early Life & Family Background

Born 53 years ago into the family of Chief Adisa Ademolake, a retired soldier, he grew up in a humble family background at their Itoko/Ojuagemo area of Abeokuta, Ogun State. Hon Olamilekan, who is the 5th of his father's 11 children, was nurtured under the tutelage of his mother and elder brother, while his father (a soldier) was always away.

Educational Background

He attended St Michael Primary School, Itoko, Abeokuta. He thereafter went to the famous Baptist Boys High School, Oke Saje, Abeokuta, where great men like late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and many others had their secondary school education.
Realizing that the roots of education, according to Aristotle, are bitter but the fruit is sweet, he embarked on a part-time course at the then Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) Abeokuta, while he was working with the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Transport.
At the polytechnic, he was schooled to become an accountant and consequently got awarded National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy.

Career Development

After his secondary school education he had got employed by the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Transport on August 29, 1989. He worked there for seven years and resigned in July 1996, to develop a career in business and corporate world.
As a man of integrity who is also being driven by vision, he believed in late Chief Obafemi Awolowo's wise sayings that a politician without money is like a farmer that has no cutlass and necessary farm implements.
So he decided to make a lot of money legitimately, which would help him go into politics later in life and change his society positively.
He however, felt that staying in the civil service may not enable him make such money legitimately. And if he does, people might even question the sources because they would believe he had embezzled government money as an accountant.
Consequently, after graduation he resigned from the civil service and ventured into business as a career.
Business Adventures
As a man with an enterprising spirit, he embarked on some business adventures. But he failed; apparently because of lack of necessary or adequate business experience, which most entrepreneurs often face early in life.
"We made attempts on so many businesses but couldn't succeed. So, I said staying at home would not be the best for me. Therefore, I have to travel overseas." He disclosed.
Just as one of the founding fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin put it, "an investment in knowledge pays the best interest"
Realising that he had invested in the acquisition of knowledge of accountancy , which he knew could help him make a headway, he opted for traveling abroad to seek for job there.
Adventure Overseas
With his proficiency in accountancy, he traveled to the Middle East where he became an international auditor. He audited the corporate accounts of many companies.
"When I traveled overseas I found a great level playing field where one can just display his talent. There I was able to succeed in everything I laid my hands upon, with prayers. The kind of tolerance people gave to us there was not the kind we were getting in our home country." He explained.
He began his first auditing job with Hamani Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He later audited Abramahcon Conglomerate in Kuwait and Indonesia.
Today, he is still on auditing job, putting up internal control system reports.
Captain of Industry
Since he returned to Nigeria he has become a key player in the economic sector. With all the experiences gannered, he started his company, SP Spinas International Travels & Tours, in 2013 and registered it in 2014, in Nigeria. So he became a licensed operator for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage services, helping intending pilgrims process their traveling and other pilgrimage needs.
The company also diversified into oil and gas. It thereafter began to invest in real estate. Through these he changed his business status and became a captain of industry.

Business Beliefs
He believes that one has to be very enterprising in everything one does. "You may be making a lot of efforts on certain business ventures, in which you can't achieve your desired results, that shouldn't be the end of life.
"You have to make attempts on something else to make sure you move on. You have to keep on trying. Don't stay in same spot and remain stagnant. When you keep moving on, with prayers you will succeed" he added.
Enabling Business Environment
His exposure to the corporate world overseas led to his clamour for the need to build a conducive business environment for a meaningful and rapid development of Nigeria.
According to him, "When you consider the economy of this country, you will discover that it wasn't encouraging at all.
The problem of godfatherism and who knows who, doesn't help matters. You can't succeed in Nigeria if you don't know influential people. And that is not the case overseas.
"If you have talent, all you need is to display your talents in those countries, and with prayers you will achieve your goals. And that's exactly what happened in my case". He said.
Let's Do It Now
Looking at the ease of doing businesses in civilized nations of the world, this accountant turned politician believes that with good governance in Nigeria, "we can achieve that". He believes that if more people who have the fear of God and sound knowledge of business like him are allowed to govern the country, the ongoing reforms in Nigeria will be sustained and improved on. Through this, he believes Nigeria will become a great industrialized nation.

His Political Ideology
He believes there are a lot of political parasites in politics today, who have little or nothing to offer, but are clamouring for power to enable them get what they want, for their selfish gains.
"They will claim to have solutions to our problems when in the actual sense what they are planning is to loot our treasury dry and create additional problems they can not solve. They will claim they know everything, whereas they know nothing" he observed.
His political ideology means making relentless service to humanity with the fear of God. He said: "I think anyone who wants to govern or lead in this's country must have the fear of God in you first, because governance goes along distribution of wealth and provision of resources among the people. If you don't have the fear of God how are you going to distribute them in an equatable manner? And that is the problem we are just having." He explained.
He noted that his concerns were about boosting the economy, increasing the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and equatable distribution of such wealth or resources among the citizenry, by providing all the necessary amenities with enabling environment for business to succeed and level playing fields for everyone to display their talents.
These are the reasons for his adventure into politics.
His Political Experience

(R-L) Hon Ademolake with his Media Adviser, Mr. Abiodun H.O.Muibi

In 2015 he obtained form to contest for House of Assembly under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but he was asked to sacrifice his ambition for another party member, and he did. In 2019 he obtained the form again and vied for the House of Representatives in Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of the state. Again the party leadership asked him to forgo the ticket just to appease a party stalwart who was on the verge of tearing apart the party if the ticket was not given to his own candidate.

Of course, in the interest of the party and respect for party leadership, he sacrificed his ambition again, so that internal crisis would not give the opposition party victory over them in the then coming elections.

These double denials after he had spent a lot, however didn’t discourage him from remaining loyal and committed to the party.

His Life Principles

To this man, "You have to be truthful and honest with everybody you are dealing with, in every situation you find yourself. Be prayerful and you will get a way out of the situation". He said.
According to him, everyone who wants to become a leader "must be loyal to the superior ones, honest to your subordinates and prayerful, you will achieve a lot because the combination of all these things help a lot. It will help you make a successful journey in life." He said.
These, he disclosed, were some of the life principles he developed early in life under the tutelage of his mother and immediate elder brother, Engr. Kayode Ajibola Ademolake, who is currently the Permanent Secretary for the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructures.

Spiritual Perspectives

He believes in the power of prayers and the need to obey God's words and his commandments.

"Prayer does so many things and wonders in our lives.Some people don't know this truth, and are carried away when answers to their prayers are delayed or not gotten."

Do we obey the laws of God? Do we obey His commandments? Are you faithful to him ? Do you do what He has asked you to do ? Do you fast? Do you help the needy ones?" These are some of the questions he said one should always ask himself or herself.

"What is essential is our faithfulness to him. We pray to God and beg him on all things we need. And we beg him to give us long life. We pray for His mercy and blessings all the time."

He pointed out.

His Social Credos

You have to build yourself up to have a strong social status and get to where you are supposed to be. When you build yourself up, you won't struggle to belong to any social club. 

You will have a committee of friends who will either want to form a social club with you or invite you to be part of their social clubs.

Political Idols

If there are two political idols in Nigeria which he cherishes a lot, they are: National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigeria Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. And at the international scene, he said, 

"I have former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They are my political idols".

Marital /Family Life

He is happily married to his lovely wife. And the union is blessed with children; among whom is a Captain (ship captain).

In view of the above facts about the life principle, approach to politics and his business beliefs,

Alh. Akeem Olamilekan Ademolake, is our

Successful People Man-Of-The-Moment