Prince Olusola Alao is a true son of Olugbon family.
Born over 5 decades ago, the international business
tycoon is well-traveled and has various businesses spread across the world. He
is from the Ajayi Orisafayo ruling house of Orile-Igbon and one of the
contestants to the throne of Olugbon of Orile-Igbon in Surulere Local
Government Area of Oyo State.
The highly-educated and most-influential business
magnate, who can be best regarded and described as the people’s
choice, will definitely take Olugbon to the world stage when he becomes the
traditional ruler of Orile-Igbon.
When he met with Akin Alade, he spoke about some of his
plans for the town alongside others.
Kindly let us into
your background?
I am Prince Olusola Alao, a native of Orile Igbon via Ogbomoso,
a community in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State. I hail from
Akinbola compound; specifically the Ajayi Orisafayo ruling house. I had my
primary and secondary school education in the Northern part of Nigeria before I
proceeded to the University of Liberia where I graduated with a B.sc degree in
Accountancy.
I worked with a firm of Chartered Accountants immediately
after my university education after I which I went into private business and
that’s what I’m involved in till now. I am a member of
the Board of Directors in about seven reputable companies while I am conversant
with telecommunication infrastructure; I established Oyo Towers, a Telecommunications
Infrastructure Company which Oyo State government has about twenty percent
shares in.
Oyo Tower engages in collation so that the government can
have direct billing system for telecommunication companies instead of multiple
taxations. It is a kind of revenue Collection Company and it also ensures that
the telecommunication companies adhere to the rules of building their
infrastructures which will in turn give comfort to the people of Oyo state.
It was established during the regime of Otunba Adebayo
AlaoAkala and when Governor Abiola Ajimobi came, he tried his best to ensure
that the company remains operational.
I am the chairman of the company and we are still in
talks in order to fast track it. So, I am a businessman and I am married and blessed
with children.
Why do you want to
become the Olugbon?
What the late Olugbon achieved inspired me. He did well
by recording very glorious achievements in Orile-Igbon as a first class Oba and
Vice Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas. He united the entire Igbon
communities.
In his time, the police headquarters was established, I’m
aware that the state high court that was built in Orile-Igbon was through his
effort and he also built staff quarters for the court staff, the establishment
of trailer park was also another area of hi achievements among so many others.
He had fought a lot of legal battles in the cause of
recording all these achievements.
But with my influence and affluence in the society today,
I can build up from where he stopped.
Is there any tie between
Orile-Igbon and Ogbomosho?
In fact, there is no difference between Orile-Igbon and Ogbomoso
in the sense that you cannot talk about Orile-Igbon without Ogbomosho and
vice-versa. The two communities are inter-related one way or the other. So, we
are one and I’m ready to work with everybody within the community to develop
the place and make it a successful business zone.
Orile-Igbon used to be a successful business community
during the old Oyo Empire.
So, how can that
glory come back to its former status and become even greater than the old
status?
I have the plan of bringing back the lost glory of
Orile-Igbon as the next Oba. In fact, I have an investment team already lined
up as I have surveyed the environment very well. There are foreign investors
that are willing to come and invest over hundreds of millions of dollars. I
will also go round the globe to make sure that the people of Orile-Igbon in the
diaspora come together to do something in Orile-Igbon.
One of my prayer points is that when I become the monarch,
I will ensure that our zone gets state headquarters whenever Oyo State is
divided into two by God’s grace.
These are my intentions and so many other plans for my
people which I pledge to execute as soon as I become the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon.
In fact, I always say it to my family that called me that it is only God that
makes kings. So, nobody can do anything without God.
What’s your take on the present
administration in Oyo State?
I want to commend the efforts of the present governor, Senator
Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi. The man has done well, most especially in the area of
creation of more local councils which has assisted greatly in bringing the
government closer to the people,
What are your
plans for the community if you emerge the next Olugbon?
I will not be an Oba that will stay away from his people.
I will make sure that I identify with them at the grassroots and I’m
going to use my wealth of experience to transform Orile-Igbon and turn the
community around to a small London.
The Lord has prepared me as a successful businessman; a
contractor for Federal Government in the area of defence and as an activist. I
am well prepared in order to impact and develop the town with the wealth of my
experience and it is sure that it will be of great joy and the Almighty God
will help me.
I will like to copy the likes of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye
Enitan Ogunwusi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and other Obas in the neighborhood.
I shall see how I can draw the youth closer to me.
First, our cultural heritage has to be reckoned with. We came
from somewhere and our culture and tradition must be well valued and cherished
by us. You see, we need to prioritize our needs, let’s say in the
area of employment and education, these are what our youths need mostly.
The moment we see and know those things that need
correction, they will be worked on immediately. For those in the agriculture
sector, I will talk to the government on how they can help them in terms of
cash and agricultural materials in order to boost food production. For those in
the area of Entrepreneurship, I will assist them to elevate and promote their
businesses.
For those who are geniuses academically, I will assist
them to go to school and get education up to the university level. I will also
plan on how I can work out scholarship schemes for the exceptionally brilliant
students as well as those who are academically sound but come from poor homes.
Generally, I will ensure that every child in Orile-Igbon
goes to school because education is one of the major keys to success in life. It
will be my joy to see the citizens of Orile-Igbon becoming doctors, lawyers,
pilots, engineers, architects and pharmacists among others. Also, technology is
the future of this country and I have already gotten a very strong IT company
that is willing to come and establish a cyber training company in
Orile-Igbon.
This will allow us as a country to educate and encourage
our youths to take advantage of the positive aspects of technology and also
entrench those positive values into other communities because it will be open
to every Nigerian.
So, all these things are what I intend to do. I will also
open up my environment for businesses to thrive. I’m going to invite
a lot of big businessmen from both within Nigeria and outside. I will try to
reach out to large corporations as well as a lot of my friends who are very
good in business. And my wife with her experience as a former Managing Director
of a Bank will go a long way in helping my regime as the Olugbon.
So, I’m going to work together with my wife to
see that we add values into the lives of the people of Orile-Igbon.
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