Asiwaju at 70: A Legacy of Vision, Integrity and Service
Seven decades, three callings
When Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi turned 70 on 25 October 2025, Ilesa marked the occasion with a nine-day celebration. Behind the music, prayers and tributes was a simple story: a man who built his career on enterprise, education and service, and never confused influence with office.
From Ilesa to the boardroom
Born in Ilesa in 1955, the 16th of 23 children, he grew up around business. His father was a respected Ijesa merchant, and the values of hard work, unity and integrity learned at home stayed with him. He studied Economics at the University of Ibadan, went on to earn three master’s degrees, and began his career in public service and at Total Nigeria Plc.
In 1992 he left corporate life to found Supreme Management Training and Consultancy Services, a human-capital development firm that grew into an institution serving clients across Nigeria and West Africa. In 2011 he founded Ibadan Business School, dedicated to training managers, entrepreneurs and ethical leaders.
Service without public office
In 2016, he was installed Asiwaju of Ilesa and Ijesaland. Through the Asiwaju Yinka Fasuyi Foundation, established with his wife, Yeye Asiwaju Dr. Olubisi Fasuyi, and through the Ijesa Community Development Assembly, he has committed himself to education, youth empowerment and community development, all without holding political office. The foundation’s WAEC programme, which pays examination fees for public secondary school students across Ijesaland, has supported thousands of young people.
A milestone with a purpose
The birthday programme combined culture, faith and development. Its highlight was the launch of the Ijesa Development Fund, a new vehicle for education, health, infrastructure and youth empowerment across Ijesaland. Chief Ebenezer Obey, whose music inspired him as a teenager, performed at the celebrations, as he has at his birthdays for many years.
For Asiwaju Fasuyi, the milestone was less a look back than a call to continue: leadership, he believes, is measured by what it gives back.
Read more coverage of the celebration in The Nation.