Benjamin Njoku
18 November 2007
Lagos — LOOKING back over the years, Chief Adeyera Adeyemo, a prince of Ile-Ife and chairman of the liquidated Amicable Bank Plc, has every cause to sing praises to his creator.
Although life for him has been full of ups and downs, his utmost belief in his creator as well as that of his ability to make a whole world of difference in moments of tribulation, have really helped to shape his life. Today, through dint of hard work and by the special grace of his maker, Adeyemo has not only made a success of his life, but more so, he certainly sees himself as a vessel to be used for God's own glory.
"It is not that life has been so easy. There have been a lot of ups and downs. When I started, I had a very good vision and God was with me. But unfortunately, human frailty later crept in. There was a lot of envy - both within and around me. But for my belief in God, I survived all that. Survival in the sense that I am alive today," Chief Adeyemo echoed, while reminiscing on his life's journey.
Indeed, Chief Adeyemo is speaking ahead of the public presentation of his biography, Adeyera Adeyemo: The Prince of the Cradle written by Bisi Kolawole and Banwo Ogundipe billed to take place on Tuesday, November 20, at the Commerce House, Fajemirokun Hall, Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Victoria Island, Lagos.
For the people's prince, the presentation of the book will not only mark a turning point in his life as "an achiever, and a great patriot" who has worked so tirelessly to etch his name on the sands of time, but more importantly, it will help to rewrite the history of the Ile-Ife dynasty. According to Chief Adeyemo, the biography chronicles both his sad and glorious moments in life. The book also provides him the rare opportunity to find relevance in the saying that "the down- fall of a man is really never the end of his life."
From a humble beginning, Chief Adeyemo is one of the very few Nigerians who has distinguished himself in various fields of life, either in the banking sector, insurance or other related human endeavours. His accomplishments cum beliefs has aptly made him today the envy of many. And of course, as a prince of one of the ruling houses in Ile-Ife dynasty, Adeyemo believes in confronting the uncertainties of life.
His patriotic spirit is evident in his desire to site a branch of every of his companies in his homestead. This feeling equally informed the opening of the branch office of one of his numerous establishments, Hospital Development(Nig.) Limted in Ile-Ife and later, the now liquidated Amicable Bank of Nigeria Limited. His journey through life is one that is characterized by an uncommon humility, perseverance and faithfulness to what he understood to be his life's calling. To his admirers, Adeyemo comes across as belonging to that rare tribe of achievers who work quietly and tirelessly in their little corners seeking no fame or recognition. He does not believe in the material things of life even though he was born a prince.
Talking about what life has taught him several years ago, while climbing the ladder of success, Adeyemo agreed that "life has taught me how to depend on my creator, repose confidence in my immediate family members as well as not allowing material things of life to becloud my sense of judgement. My life philosophy is believing in myself and working towards achieving my goals in life. I don't believe in adopting short means to acquire wealth, but in being focused and hardworking. As long as one builds his/her life on a solid foundation with the help of God, one is bound to remain relevant even at the age of 70 years and above.
That is what life has taught me." Chief Adeyemo, who was once confronted with the unexpected, following the circumstances that surrounded the liquidation of his cherished establishment, Amicable Bank Plc, which birth then experienced one of the worst and longest economic recessions ever recorded in the history of the country, believes that as a mortal, he is not immune to challenges in life. What matters most for him, is the amount of determination one puts in to weather the storms. "As a mortal, I have met with a lot of challenges. But I have equally remained determined that if I fall, I must rise again. Yes, the challenges that I was meant to face in the past were mostly man-made problems. Betrayals and finding myself mingling with strange bedfellows," he narrated, almost regretting his association with those he calls "detractors" and people that he claimed betrayed him.
Adeyemo says that one of his unforgetful moments in life remains that of the day he was issued a license to operate a banking business under the appellation, Amicable Bank Plc, and also, the day the license was equally withdrawn from him. "One memorable thing which I will never forget in my life is the day I was given a banking licence and the day the licence was withdrawn from me," he bemoaned. The prince of Ile-Ife would not want to comment further on the issue. Reason, "each time I remember it, I always feel sad." he explained.
Before now, Adeyemo was one of the foremost insurance operators that ever treaded the shores of Nigeria. Upon his return to Nigeria in the early 70s from London, given his vast exposure to insurance practice through his experience as a bank manager, Chief Adeyemo conceived the idea of establishing an Insurance outfit in the country. Determined to achieve his ambition, in the early 70s, he came together with a group of his friends including, Chief Kunle Alex, Dudu Yemi, Chief Sobo Sowemimo (SAN), Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, Chief Olowo Foyeku (SAN) and a host of others, to form an insurance outfit known as Renaissance Assurance Company Limited.
While sojourning in London, given a life policy which he took with the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Company Limited, Chief Adeyemo was compelled to fall in love with the name Amicable. Thus, when he finally made up his mind to establish his own insurance outfit, he was said to have quickly recommended the name for the first ever insurance company, in which he had an intimate contact then. The company was incorporated as a private indigenous limited liability company in 1972 in the name of Guarantee Assurance Corporation (Nigeria) Limited, which later transformed into Nigeria Amicable Assurance Company Limited in 1982.
Rapid success
Despite the rapid success of Amicable Assurance and the need for consolidation, Chief Adeyemo was said never to have wavered in his contribution to other spheres of life. It was perhaps, as a result of his patriotic spirit that the ruling class in Ile-Ife considered it worthwhile to ask Chief Adeyemo to head the Ile-Ife Development Board, a board that he has piloted its affairs for over four years now, and which was established to oversee the economic and social development of the Ife dynasty. Chief Adeyemo would be remembered for his enviable policy of locating a branch of each of his companies in his locality, a decision, he explained, stemmed out of his passion to identify with his root as well as empowering the people economically.
As the public presentation of his biography holds Tuesday, the world will be given yet, another opportunity to reassess the achievements, personality and contributions of Chief Adeyera Adeyemo towards the socio-economic development of the nation. To be reviewed by the Editor of the Vanguard Newspaper, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, the book represents the many parts of Chief Adeyera Adeyemo.
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