I Met My Wife at Age 17
Ajibola Iwadola Ogundipe is passionate about his career and its importance to his life adventure revolving around engineering, business and law, which he has successfully navigated in the past 22 years. An encounter with Funke Olaode reveals more about Og
His smile and genteel comportment radiate warmth and simplicity and his boyish looks depict a lad in his 20s. He carries himself with poise as his confidence attests to a man who knows his onion in his chosen career.
These are just a few attributes that earn Ajibola Iwadola Ogundipe the accolade of a gentleman among his peers and family members. Born on April 25, 1965 in Ise-Emure in Ekiti state, Ogundipe holds a B.Sc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos, an MBA from the same University and later capped it with a law degree from the University of Lagos.
Ogundipe as a workaholic is well founded. Apart from his intimidating academic pedigree, his consistency in his field of endeavours over the past 22 years paved the way for his success.
Welcoming this reporter to his modest office at Elizade Plaza on Ikorodu Road, Lagos, his tall and lean frame hasn’t changed much over the years, but he has since matured into a man of himself.
Becoming a man of himself is not accidental; having grown up under a father who scored many firsts in his career. His father, the late Ogundipe a native of Ijesha-Isu Ekiti was a renowned educationist and politician. He was the first to go to standard school and the university in his village and community.
He was also involved in politics. He was the first representative of what is now called Ekiti State then known as Ondo Province at the Senate during the First Republic. He was one of the three: Himself, Mrs. Wuraola Esan and one other person that represented Ondo Province at the Senate in Lagos then.
“He was a politician, a full farmer and a school teacher. When you think of that mix you see the different parts he played. And being a hard core disciplinarian you couldn’t take that away from him. Again, we came late in his life. He was a polygamist. By the time I was five years old he was in his 60s. We still called him baba and we lived in an extended family setting. He wasn’t really a father but a father figure. By the time I was six years old he had retired from teaching back to his village. So we were living with cousins, nieces, nephews and other extended members.
“Without trying to play to the gallery talking about my mentors he would be the very first for two major reasons. He was very honest even about his failures in life. Not only did he teach me what I needed to know but also was also a good example of those things I shouldn’t do. For instance, as old and distant in age, he taught me how to iron cloth, how to tie my shoe lace, how to knot my tie, how to polish shoes and how to set my bed.
“You know when he was growing up he lived with the missionary and those first set of people who brought education to Nigeria which influenced his Western life. I remember when we were young he used to take us on holidays to Kingsway in Ibadan and to see Father Christmas. We lived in a back water of environment but still had immediate contact right from the cradle of what you would call western civilisation.”
Having a father in such a position placed the younger Ogundipe‘s feet on early education in life. After his secondary education at Christ School, Ado Ekiti in 1981, he set out to carve a niche for himself. Ogundipe had always had a knack for sketching and drawing. And being good on both science and arts he thought it would be an added advantage. He wanted architecture and the only universities which admitted students straight from JAMB were Universities of Ife, Zaria and Lagos.
Ogundipe wasn’t too adventurous to go to Zaria because of distance and at the same time no longer ready to go to University of Ife where most of his seniors in Secondary School were. The only available option was University of Lagos.
“University of Lagos didn’t have a pre-degree in architecture so I chose the next option which was Civil Engineering. And before I left the University of Lagos I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to do my masters in civil engineering and not want to go into academics. I said I would want to do business so I decided to do a Master’s in Business Administration to help me run my business very well. Immediately after my first degree and youth service I worked for two years and applied to University of Lagos for MBA.”
Ogundipe’s academic odyssey is funny from being an engineer and later switched to law. He explained that as a youngster that lived under the umbrella of an extended family, he was labeled a talkative. And by the time he got to form three in secondary school he was already representing his school in debating competition. Again, he used to argue with his siblings and they suggested that he should study law.
The opportunity to study law reawakens itself shortly after marriage. “I already got married at 28 and after work I would listen to the news at Nine and go to bed. I did this for four years and spoke to myself and said ‘Jibola, is this what life is all about?’ I just remembered my sibling’s pranks that I talk too much. I just toyed with the idea of studying law.A
“At a time I toyed with the idea of playing golf. At a second thought I said golf would always be there that I should use my productive time now doing something that would impact my life. I registered for an evening Law programme at the University of Lagos. That is my career odyssey: from engineering to business and now law.”
Becoming his own boss in the last 22 years was challenging and rewarding. “I happened to be one of those born at a time that we were getting to the labour market of Nigeria where job was not readily available. That period of 1986 was the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). That left an initial big dent on what would have been my self-confidence.
“But it was a great advantage even the four years I spent in paid employment, every single day I kept saying to myself if you remain on this job you would die a pauper. I consider it a great risk and life threatening if I remained in paid employment. So fear of poverty pushed me out of paid employment.”
How does he joggle being a lawyer, a business man and engineer? “Well, I see myself more as Ajibola Ogundipe an entrepreneur with skills in engineering, in legal practice and business. We have engineering firms with workers who work with us and I coordinate the activities. And all of those skills help me to live the kind of life I want to live.
Traversing the life journey has it pros and cons, but Ogundipe says life itself isn’t a bed of roses and has learnt so many things in his 50 years. How does he feel turning 50?
“My body is reacting but my mind remains as young as ever. Obviously, I still consider myself as athletic as I was 10 years ago and grateful for good health. Life at 50…I am more matured, and maturity is a refined way of describing issues of life, lesson, the thick and the thin, the bad and ugly. In all of each, like the word of God tells us God will make all things beautiful in His time and turn circumstances around for those who love God. For me, it has been 50 years of interesting experiences of adventure, taking chances and risks and at the end of the day coming out a better person.”
Ogundipe as a corporate man, he is firmly embedded in family life and at his relaxing moment he hangs out with family. He is married to amiable, down-to-earth and accommodating Temilolu, a lawyer whom he met as a teenager. “Our path crossed in Ekiti during a short holiday as a second year student of the University of Ife. I was only 17 years. My wife too, a first year student of University of Ilorin was also on holiday. I spotted her while cruising around in my father’s car in the village. The rest is history as 10 years after we got married and blessed with five wonderful daughters.”
Ogundipe is proud of his five damsels whom he said are unique in their own way. “I am the most satisfied man on the earth as each one is special and peculiar and each brings joy and happiness to my life. I love them unconditionally and I am happy with what I have.”
Were there unrealised dreams as he turned 50? “Not really. I believe God has helped me to live my life according to purposes He has set out for me. I hope to spend my time and resources to help humanity. I am not setting out to save the world but my immediate neighbours so that when I look back I can say boldly that I have played my part,” he concluded.