Real estate practitioner and philanthropist, Babatunde Adeyemo, has declared that his passion for touching other people’s lives positively is a divine mandate.
Adeyemo, who is the promoter of Okó Opó Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that caters for the widows and vulnerable persons, said there is the need always to put smiles on the faces of the hopeless and helpless of which the widows constitute a significant proportion, explaining that this informed the establishment of the foundation.
He said at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta, Ogun State shortly after he was honoured with an ‘Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year for 2023 Award’ by the South-West Legendary Award in recognition of his philanthropic gestures.
It will be recalled that last December 2023, over 100 widows from over 18 communities in the state received cash gifts and food items from Adeyemo through the foundation.
He noted that having achieved success as a real estate practitioner, it becomes necessary to deploy the success story to rekindle the hope of Nigerian widows and the less privileged.
He said: “We have been practising this real estate business in the last 14 years with dignity, integrity, due diligence and good ROI for our clients. We also have been doing the business without dispute and without any record of court case. We are determined to sustain the standard and even raise the bar higher.
“So, having been this successful in the real estate business, we believe there is need to touch lives, because that is why we are in this world and that is what we are in this world to do. That was what motivated me to establish Oko Opo Foundation to rekindle the hope of the widows and the underprivileged members of the society.”
He urged well meaning Nigerians to be part of what Okó Opó Foundation is doing to bring succour to the widows and the downtrodden, assuring that whatever support the foundation receives in furtherance of its objectives will be judiciously utilised.
“So, I want to urge all of us to be part of what we are doing because I cannot do it alone and the integrity that has been in real estate, I want to bring it in to the foundation. I have said that we are going to be publishing our statement of account yearly and I’m going to stick to that. I want to urge all of us to be part of what I’m doing,” he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, the chairman of the occasion, Senater Lekan Mustapha commended the organisers for their initiative and congratulated the awardees on their new success, advising them not to relent on good gestures they are known for in the society.
Other individuals honoured at the ceremony include a federal lawmaker representing Remo-North, Ikenne, Sagamu Federal Constituency, Hon. Adewumi Onanuga, who bagged an ‘Exemplary Woman in Politics Award’ and Fuji living legend, Adewale Ayuba, among others.
