Prince Funso Ayeni comes across as quiet and introverted but behind his reserved demeanour lies a mind that spans years of expertise in marketing, sales, academia, politics and philanthropy. The next best thing to a time machine was sharing his experience over the years with Raheem Akingbolu.
Until recently, Prince Funso Ayeni was a household name in the Nigerian marketing industry, where he put over 17 years into building profitable brands, creating and selling their stories through-the-line in relevant ways. A few years before he took a glorious exit from Nigerian Breweries, he saw the need to impact society and this established a foundation called Funso Ayeni Foundation through which he mobilised friends and well-wishers to develop various communities in Ekiti and support the underprivileged.
Perhaps, as part of his preparation for the task ahead, Ayeni spent his later years in service to equip himself academically, hence his decision to combine scholarship with his work which recently culminated in bagging a PhD in Leadership and Management from Walden University, United States of America.
Back in Ekiti, his communities and beneficiaries of his philanthropic nature had been clamouring for him to come into politics where he could advance his service to the people. Ayeni did not only heed the call to serve, he threw himself into the murky waters of politics. Within two years, goodwill paved the way for him and he enjoyed a wider acceptability within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti.
During the buildup to the 2023 general election, Ayeni slugged it out with other prominent contestants in the Ekiti North Senatorial District and won the party's senatorial ticket overwhelmingly. Though he lost the election to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for obvious reasons, records showed that he had the highest votes among all the PDP candidates who participated in the 2023 election in Ekiti State.
Speaking on why he left the comfort of paid employment to run for office as a senator and why he insisted on earning a PhD after leaving office, Ayeni said the two decisions were taken to prepare himself for the challenges of building a better society.
"I have always looked for opportunities to serve my people. It is something that has been my biggest motivation since I was a child. While growing up, I remember deriving the most pleasure from being involved in the community, joining to pave the roads and always helping those I saw as less privileged than myself. I guess I must have picked this trait from my parents. I still clearly remember that my mother who passed on recently was a community leader who always organised men and women in her place of residence, business and the church she attended to embark on projects.
"Even as a child, I knew it cost her a lot of money and time, but she saw that the fulfillment she got in impacting people gave her the most joy. So, this became a character trait in the family which I had no option but to imbibe. I found myself thinking about how best I could get involved in helping develop my people and their environment and I concluded that one of the ways I could do this with the most impact was to run for office."
He also spoke glowingly about how his philanthropic gestures over the years paved the way for him in politics and made him a force to reckon with within a short time. "Many people did not know, but even while I was in paid employment, I set aside a significant chunk of my earnings for community projects such as boreholes and grading of roads, but I knew that a political office was the best way I could make more lasting impacts on my people.
"After leaving the office after close to 20 years of meritorious service to my employers, I was compelled to hearken to the calls of my people to represent them. I was not prepared for it then, but my people insisted that I gave it a shot, and although we did not win, thanks to the peculiar Nigerian situation, I was glad I gave it a shot because my people called me into it."
However, for the marketing professional who is a native of Ilamo, Ekiti, there are huge lessons taken away from the 2023 contest which have all reshaped his approach to life.
According to him, the first lesson was that political participation and the contest enabled him to understand his people and their needs better. Even while he had remained close to them as a working-class citizen, it was mostly on periodic visits that he interacted with them. But he admitted that the rigours of the campaign enabled him to stay closer to them and understand their motivations a lot better.
"More important was also my exposure to the world of politics. I came to see the world in its different and varied manifestations. When you join politics, you are exposed to what the real world truly is. You see people in their true colours; you test the loyalty and disloyalty of people and you see this up close and personal, and in the end, you come out with a different understanding of the world."
He also touched on the reasons behind his early decision to embark on instituting several projects within his community in Ikole Ekiti while in service.
"I recall that I started committing an incremental amount of my earnings to community projects since I started earning a living more than 20 years ago. My life has been about lifting others and making my environment better. Helping my community has been a way of life for me. I cannot stop it, even if I wanted to because that is where I derive my own joy.
"You know some people get their own pleasure from buying expensive cars, building mansions, travelling frequently to exotic places and maybe stocking expensive wines. But my source of utility is different and like I said, it is too late to stop. For me, giving hope to the needy and lifting the poor is everything. It is the purest of joys that only the giver understands what it does to the peace of his soul."
But one wonders why after all these, Ayeni still considered it necessary to go back to school to bag a PhD in Leadership and Management from Walden University in the United States. Responding to this, he simply pointed out that the decision was in line with his quest to understand leadership and management in its broad, scientific sense.
"I have always wanted to be a scholar and this programme has helped me in this quest. There is also this nagging desire to equip myself with all it takes to become an all-round leader. I want to make changes happen in a sustainable sense. I thought that such a course in Leadership and Management would make me become a better leader, a resource and people manager capable of anticipating problems and solving them before they begin to affect people and society adversely. I also believe it would equip me with what it takes to advance the greater good."
Another puzzle which has continued to agitate minds is the fact that this marketing expert resident in Nigeria ran a doctorate programme in faraway United States, travelling every other week for classes and all. Again, one wonders how he coped, especially given his crowded schedule as a politician and a businessman.
It was however not the first time he would embark on such a task.
"When I did my M.Sc. programme in Global Management at Salford University in the United Kingdom in 2018, I did not take residence in London or anywhere in the UK. I started and concluded it from Nigeria. The fact is that the flexibility of the programmes helped me a lot. Although I travelled quite frequently from Nigeria to the US during the course of the programme, these universities make their programme so flexible to fit into the schedule of those undertaking it. It was quite tedious nonetheless because of the differences in time zones, but once there is the will to achieve, nothing stands in your way. I was determined to improve myself and prepare myself for the challenges of helping to build a better society and just had to do everything it took to achieve my objectives."
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Looking into how his PhD project links to his expectations, Ayeni ascribed the logic to his personality and expectations. He was quick to add that throughout his academic and professional endeavours, he exemplified the pillars of emotional intelligence, which have fueled his success and capacity to lead with impact.
Considering how specialisation in emotional intelligence impacts employee performance and the effectiveness of strategy, he concluded that he is committed to continuing to demonstrate how emotional intelligence is foundational to driving meaningful change in both organisations and communities.
"Those who are very close to me know that my deep understanding of leadership transcends mere theory, as my own leadership style reflects compassion, strategic foresight and a commitment to societal growth. With a focus on leadership rooted in emotional intelligence, I am well-positioned to contribute to the advancement of leadership in the society, key corporate multinational, inspiring future generations to lead with integrity, empathy, and purpose."
Back to politics and given all the experiences he picked from his last effort and various political travails, the easy question was whether he would still contest in future if the opportunity comes. Predictably, Ayeni answered in the affirmative. But then, he didn't want to contest when his people invited him and he insisted that if they genuinely beckoned on him again to throw his hat into the ring, he would surely oblige.
"If my people genuinely call on me to serve them again, and they are ready to defend their votes, I will surely answer that call," he stated unequivocally.
