GOVERNOR DAPO ABIODUN APPOINTS FORMER OGUN SPEAKER, EGBETOKUN, SIX OTHERS AS SPECIAL ADVISERS

The Chief Economic Adviser, Dapo Okubadejo is a Partner & Africa Head of Deal Advisory & Private Equity at KPMG. He is an expert on Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Project Finance, Investments, Private Equity and business transformation. With about 28 years of professional experience, he has acted as Corporate Financial Adviser to many foreign and local investors in Nigeria and across Africa.

The statement added that, Okubanjo started his professional career in Arthur Andersen in 1992 and spent over a decade where he rose to the position of Senior Manager and consulted for more than 40 companies in oil & gas, consumer goods and financial services on many projects in Assurance, Business Strategy & Planning, Financial Restructuring and Business Transformation.

Penpushing further reports that, Okubanjo in 2006 was promoted to the KPMG partnership as an Equity Partner and rose to become the Head of Deal Advisory & Private Equity for West Africa and Africa in 2009 and 2012 respectively. He was elected to the KPMG Nigeria Policy Board in 2017.

The statement added that he is a recognized expert on Africa business and investments landscape and has been invited as a resource person, faculty, panelist and moderator at many international conferences, seminars and for a such as the World Economic Forum, Harvard Business School Africa forum, London Business School Africa, among others. He has written many articles on investment opportunities in Nigeria and Africa, Doing business in Africa and Private Equity in Nigeria and has delivered many lectures on corporate finance, business valuations, IPO and private equity.

The appointee and his team have won many international awards and recognition, the latest of which is the 2018 Global Financial Advisor award by the Private Equity Africa organization for the second consecutive year.

The statement said, he holds a 2nd Class Upper Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria in 1990 & as a UK FCO Chevening Scholar, holds a Master of Finance degree in International Finance with Distinction from the University of Glasgow, UK in 2003. He is a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, USA. He qualified as an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 1996 and became a Fellow (FCA) in 2006. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. He is an alumnus of the Global Executive Leadership program of INSEAD, France as well as the Lagos Business School, Gordon Institute of Business Studies (GIBS) South Africa, London Business School UK and Harvard Business School USA, where he attended several leadership and management development courses.

The Senior Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Hon Tunji Egbetokun was Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly between 2008 and 2011. He had also served in the capacity of Senior Special Adviser, Political and Intergovernmental Affairs between 2011 and 2014. Before then, he was Secretary to the Obafemi Owode Local Government.

The new Special Adviser on Information, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, is an award-winning media practitioner with a cumulative 32 years of experience in journalism and Marketing Communications. She has varied experience contributing to, and leading, corporate marketing and internal communications. Sarafa-Yusuf is a respected leader of sponsorships and public relations departments and a Concept developer and coordinator of marketing campaigns which effectively reinforce and build brand image.

The statement said she was the first woman sportscaster in Africa, and a 1996 Nigerian Media Merit Award winner, she has been described as one of the best sportscasters that Nigeria ever produced, adding that in 16 years of journalism with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Sarafa-Yusuf was not only a sports broadcaster, she was also a columnist for magazines, a guest writer for newspapers, a script writer for television shows and a producer of documentaries and programmes for radio and television: in fields as diverse as business, culinary, current affairs, crime, and education.

Penpushing reports that, between 2007 and 2011, she was Globacom’s Head of Sponsorships (West Africa), at which time she led a team of very talented people on projects such as the Glo CAF Awards, The Lagos International Half Marathon, The Glo Premier League in Nigeria and Ghana, and the first-in-Africa relationship with Manchester United FC among others.

The statement said, before then, she was Marketing Communications /Sponsorship Manager with Globacom at the inception of the company in 2003, adding also that between 2012 and 2013, Sarafa-Yusuf was Director of Marketing at the prestigious American University of Nigeria, and upon retirement, she returned to her first love: the world of journalism. She currently produces and anchors arguably Nigeria’s highest rated TV personality interview program: “View From the Top”.

Penpushing reports that, she also works as an Independent Communications Consultant for several organizations, and has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Ife and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Lagos.

The new Special Adviser on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment, Olalekan Olude is award winning entrepreneur and technocrat with expertise in building and backing enduring companies across Africa, started his career as a Technology Analyst with Goldman Sachs, arguably the largest investment bank in the world. He holds an OND in Electrical Engineering at the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, a BSc in Computer Science and Engineering. Olude is an alumnus of Lagos Business School and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His forte is building pan-African businesses and his strength lies in maximizing outcomes for people.

The statement said until his appointment, Olude was co-founder and Executive Director at Rovedana Limited, a business process outsourcing company that provides employment to more than 2000 Nigerians across different industries and specializations by upscaling them and placing them into employment with over 100 companies. He was also a co-founder of Jobberman Limited, the leading job site in sub-Saharan Africa and was a founding partner of the African Talents Company in South Africa – a pan African Executive Recruitment Company with offices in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania.

The new Special Adviser on Housing is 50-year-old Jamiu Akande Omoniyi. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA). He started his working career with Berger Paints Nigeria PLC in 1994 where he rose to become Credit Controller. He was Regional Director (North) Abbey Mortgage PLC. In April 2009, he resigned to float his business conglomerate C2Q Holding. The Estate development arm of his company has delivered homes to 5,000 Nigerian families in Abuja and Lagos.    

The Special Adviser (Government House) Babatunde Olaotan was born September 13, 1972, in Ilaro Ogun State.  He obtained a 1997 Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Accounting at Federal Polytechnic Ilaro and Higher National Diploma (HND) from the same institution in 1999. After a brief stint at First Bank of Nigeria, he was appointed by the Yewa South Local Government as Supervisor for Agriculture. In 2004, Olaotan was in Manchester College of Professional studies, where he studied computer and information technology. He started his working career with NWSG Company in the United Kingdom (UK) before relocating to the United States of America in 2007, where he studied Nursing at Camtech International College Newark Delaware USA. He also worked at Cadia Rehabilitation Wilinton and Regal Height Nursing Home.

Penpushing reports that, he became the Personal Assistant on Political matters to Senator Olamilekan Adeola in August 2015. He is also the Personal Assistant to the new Executive Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun. He was the Deputy Director, Contacts and Mobilization for Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organization. He served as the Chairman Transport committee for Dapo Abiodun Pre- Inauguration activities.

The New Media Expert, Emmanuel Ojo with specialties in New Media Analytics and Digital Marketing has extensive experience spans over nine (9) years and hails from Imeko, in Imeko Afon Local Government area of Ogun State.

The statement said he is a seasoned professional in the development and deployment of strategic media engagement, and has extensive knowledge of new media trends, tools and analytics platforms and he often deploy same in strategic communication, monitoring, reporting and digital analysis, digital and social media landscape. This unique skill facilitates his significant ability in tracking, monitoring, and analyzing public and personal reputation in a unique form. In his career so far, he has worked with different online groups. He is a resourceful and savvy online specialist who is not only able to oversee various social media channels, but is also able to contribute to its daily content offering and audience conversion.

Penpushing reports that, Ojo was the Head of New Media department at Infostrategy Limited and was also part of the media intervention team for National Identity Management Commission’s, (NIMC) public sensitization on National Identity Number (NIN) project in 2013/2014.

The statement added that, he is a thoroughbred perception Manager with proven skills in Public and Political Communication especially in the Ogun state political terrain. He once served as a member of PDP Presidential Online Media team in 2015.

The appointee holds a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management Studies from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta and also bagged a Second Class Upper division Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) Degree in Business Management from Crescent University, Abeokuta. He has attended various Business development and New Media Marketing Trainings and Work Shops across the country and beyond. Ojo is a recipient of 17 Awards of recognition from various social and professional bodies. In 2013, he was invited into the Junior Chamber International, Nigeria Noble House as a JCIN Ambassador.

The statement said, until his appointment, he was the Assistant Media Director for Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organization – DACO and also served as the Secretary, Media and Publicity Sub Committee for the governorship inauguration ceremony.