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Why Sir Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu Remains An Epitome Of Grace At 88 By Seun Oloketuyi

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Born on October 24, 1935, into a humble family, Sir Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu CON, KJW, FISM is the Odole-Oodua, Balogun of Remoland and the founder of Premier Lotto, the company many now know as Baba Ijebu.

But this is not the most interesting thing about the man whose gaming company offers lotto services and betting in Nigeria and has become Nigeria’s most popular and oldest gaming company since it was registered in 2001.

Baba Ijebu as a name has become synonymous with betting in Nigeria, and like homonyms, Chief Kessington Adebutu’s moniker has many other meanings. To the millions of Nigerians who have benefitted from his generosity and goodness of heart, Adebutu is the man of courage who meets people at the point of their need without prejudice.

Long before philanthropy and humanitarian acts became ‘sexy’ and the PR go-to for every average millionaire, the revered industrialist and astute businessman had begun to cater for the less privileged, while also supporting indigent students and hospital patients who had no means to help themselves. He did this all through his Kessington Adebukola Adebutu Foundation.

Today, by whatever yardstick you choose to measure, Baba Ijebu numbers among Nigeria’s leading philanthropists whose benevolence has spanned over decades. His path to philanthropy can be traced back to his days as a young student thirsty for knowledge.

From Ijero Baptist School, Apapa Road, Ebute-Meta in Lagos where he had his primary education, he was admitted into Baptist Academy, Lagos, for his secondary education in 1951. He eventually completed his secondary education at Remo Secondary School (ESS), Sagamu, Ogun state in 1955, topping his class in the School Leaving Certificate Examination.

His brilliant educational background, no doubt, is a precursor to his love for education, and can be proven by his countless philanthropic gestures to scores of educational institutions and citadels of learnings across the country.

His principle that an educated and healthy soul can never be hungry was the drive behind the establishment of the foundation and he has maintained that drive since.

According to calculatable statistics, his charity foundation spends an average of N150 million monthly on humanitarian activities, and through this, his business continues to touch lives against odds.

As a true philanthropist, Sir Kessington Adebutu does not discriminate in his charitable deeds. He is kind-hearted, socially responsible and continually uses his wealth for human capital development.

This generosity and enviable works earned him titles like ‘Babalaje of Lagos’, and the ‘Asoju Oba of Lagos’.

In October 2015, Chief Kessington Adebutu was decorated with a honorary title of Doctor of Business Administration by the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), for his invaluable contribution to the nation’s economy.

At 88, Baba Ijebu has shown no signs of stopping or resting on past laurels. This is probably why successive governments are constantly seeking his good graces in recognition of his matchless support to the populace.

Sir Kessigngton Adebutu is also the epitome of grace, he is the model of a man who has achieved excellence through the sweat of his brow. He has been named great because of his defiance against all forms of evil, staying true to his vision to offer assistance to every needy person he can, even in the midst of despair and harsh economic realities.

Not one to surrender, it is no wonder that at this 88th birthday, people of influence all over the world have chosen to celebrate him massively.

Fear they say makes a man stingy, but courageous is the one who gives and keeps on giving despite the odds. Baba Ijebu has stood for decades as a symbol of the true spirit of the Ijebus of Ogun State, and it is the hope of many that his legacy lives on forever.

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My Wife Invited Her Friends To Our Home To Beat Me During Our Crisis — Oritsefemi

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Famous Nigerian singer, Oritsefemi has alleged that his wife, Nabila Fash, invited her friends to their home to beat him up during their marital crisis.

He said the ladies, numbering about 20, overpowered and physically assaulted him.

The ‘Double Wahala’ hitmaker disclosed this in a candid chat with media personality, Chude Jideonwo.

Oritsefemi stated that he has been unlucky with marriages, claiming that his first wife also dumped him after sponsoring her to Dubai.

“My wife [Nabila Fash] asked her friends to come and beat me up in my house. I said, ‘Look at me o; a whole me, lion na he women dey pursue.’ They were about 20. They dealt with me. I’m not lying,” he said.

Oritsefemi’s marriage to Nabila Fash hit the rocks in 2022, with Fash accusing the singer of incessant cheating.

In October 2022, Fash officially filed for divorce from Oritsefemi over infidelity and domestic violence.

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Chain Reactions In 7 Star Performance At 2024 SABRE Awards

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It was a seven-star performance for Chain Reactions Africa (CRA), one of Africa’s leading Public Relations and Integrated Communications Consultancy as it took home seven African SABRE trophies, more than any other public relations firm in Africa in the 2024 competition.

The awards which were held at the end of the annual African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference, were presented by Provoke Media, organizers of the awards in Basam, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivore on May 16th 2024.

The work covered campaigns for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), and its Lagos Blue Rail, 9mobile’s The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, ‘Taming the Bull’ for the Presidency, ‘Next Era of Happiness’ for leading biscuit company, Pladis Foods Nigeria Limited.

Receiving the awards on behalf of Chain Reactions and its clients, was its Managing Director/Chief Strategist, Israel Opayemi, who noted that this is a seven-star performance by Chain Reactions Africa at the 2024 SABRE Awards.

In his comments Opayemi said “to emerge as the highest winner at the 2024 edition of the award with seven SABRE Awards is humbling as well as exciting for us at Chain Reactions Africa. We are immensely proud to be honoured on such a global platform like the SABRE awards which is the holy grail of Public Relations globally as the awards programme is dedicated to benchmarking the best PR works across the globe.”

He continued, “I am making a three-fold dedication of these multiple trophies to our clients who believe in us, my team members who do the brave works relentlessly and our dear country Nigeria. Ten years ago, we were at the SABRE Awards in Miami, Florida in the United States watching and applauding as winners took turn on stage. Ten years ago, we were asking for a seat at the table. Today, we are sitting in creative resplendence at the head of the table. Today, we are flying the Nigerian flag on the global stage. We are now a territory of reckon and relevance in the global PR space.”

It seems winning awards is just a Chain Reactions thing, chuckled Arun Sudhaman CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Provoke Media, organizers of the SABRE Awards as Opayemi rose up seven times to receive the awards. The PR consultancy also picked up four Certificates of Excellence in recognition of its work launching the Nigerian Youth Trend Report 2024 known as ‘ARAMANDA’, ‘Next Era of Happiness’, ‘Lagos Blue Rail’, ‘The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, and ‘Taming the Bull’.

In his reaction, President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) described the awards by Chain Reactions Africa as “a harvest of honours for Nigeria”. He thanked the Chain Reactions Africa team for their outstanding works saying, “thank you for making us proud.”

Chain Reactions Africa has over the years won several prestigious SABRE awards and has been awarded more than 15 Certificates of Excellence. At last year’s award, the company won CEO of the Year category for the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for use of public relations to tell the story of his administration’s achievements and scooped two Certificates of Excellence in the Corporate Image category for the ‘Momentum Campaign’ for Cellulant, a flagship payment solution provider; and ‘Marketing to Consumers’ category for ‘The #NaijaHighlandah Campaign’ for William Lawson’s, Scotch Whiskey brand.

The 2024 Africa SABRE Awards shortlist included more than 120 campaigns, selected from over 500 entries in this year’s competition, which recognizes Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement. The campaigns were evaluated by a jury of industry leaders.

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BREAKING: Court Denies Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan Bail

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Tigran Gambaryan, Binance executive, had his bail plea dismissed by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.

In his verdict, Justice Emeka Nwite stated that the bail application is denied because, after carefully reviewing the application, he concluded that, should bail be granted, the defendant will violate it.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed charges against Gambaryan, his business Binance Holdings Limited, and another high-ranking executive who is presently fugitive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, for money laundering and supporting terrorism.

 

More to come…

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