Biodun Shobanjo: Celebrating Africa’s advertising and PR czar @80

By Sina Ogunbambo

The drums have been rolling for the past few weeks, snippets of his brief interview where he fully identified with the youths trending on social media and great excitement from family, friends and associates to felicitate with this sage

At the last count, eight different organisations, including the Out of Home Advertising Association of Nigeria, Shobby Collectives, and Marketing Edge have held surprise birthday bashes for him.

For quite some years, a horde of establishments and personalities have laid an “ambush “ to celebrate this icon, but the light-complexioned encyclopedia of advertising and public relations has always found a way to “disappear “ out of the blues to avoid all this razzmatazz, preferring to enjoy his annual vacation abroad quietly.

Today, December 24, 2024, my precious Uncle and a household name in the media industry universally, Dr Biodun Olusina Shobanjo, OON, clocks 80.

What could have made this chairman of Troyka Group of Companies so thick that everyone wants to express some form of gratitude or other on his becoming an octogenarian and yet wearing the look of a youngster in his 50s?

Is it due to his outstanding professional performance, constant discovery of talents whom he props up to become masters of the trade, his principled stance and aggressive nature to business, the spirit of camaraderie and tolerance, the heart of gold of a philanthropist, the utmost dedication of a unique husband and dedicated family man and his commitment to serve God with all he has?

This great man of our time has through his brilliance, hard work, unparalleled ideas, charm and teaching of homo sapiens how to fish, so they can feed for, life has over the years bred the brightest and the best in the advertising and public relations world.

When he added the security outfit (Halogen Security) to it, he equally excelled.

“Baba Shoby” as he is fondly called by his workers, whom he associates more as colleagues, on resigning from Grant Advertising in October 1979 to commence his outfit, Insight Communications, has with Mr Jimi Awosika and other associates faced this business with utmost dedication, brilliance and aggressiveness.

The finesse and corporate dressing of Shobanjo and his colleagues have made him a model for generations to copy and improve on.

His outfits like Insight Communication, Quadrant, Media Perspective, etc., have competed with the best in this industry globally and excelled.

The recognition and honour he brought to his country have brought him international and national honours, which include the Officer of the Order of Niger by the Federal Government of Nigeria and an honorary doctorate by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, among several others.

Uncle Shobanjo whose father hails from Okun-Owa and mother from Ayepe, both in the Odogbolu Local Government of Ogun State, is also a “prophet with honour” from his own constituency, Ijebu.

Due to his outstanding contributions in his professional field and philanthropy, several royal fathers have wanted to confer chieftaincy titles on him, but he politely declined.

To God be the glory that he accepted being one of the pillars of Saint Barnabas Anglican Church, Okun-Owa and he was decorated with honour at the church’s 130th anniversary last year by the Anglican Bishop of South West Diocese in Nigeria, Rt Rev Dr Babatunde Ogunbanwo.

Apart from his philanthropy, which included a donation of a building to the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos, Joseph Shobanjo Hall to Saint Barnabas Anglican Church, Okun-Owa, among several others, Shobanjo is indeed a man of courage.

Some years back when he was a resident at Allen Opebi, Ikeja, some dare-devil armed robbers approached his house at midnight to rob.

They opened gunshots at the gate to cower him and gain entrance but the robbers met their waterloo as the sharpshooter, Shobanjo who should have become a “General” in the Nigerian Army (like his late friend, Lt Gen Donaldson Oladipo Diya) returned fire for fire and the staccato of bullets was on for a while before the robbers beat a retreat.

Though Uncle Shobanjo is young at heart, enjoys watching football like them, engages in sporting activities, listens to new-generation music and attends their concerts, he abhors all negative behaviours.

He will not allow the spraying of money at parties, idle or lazy minds can never be his friends, you must be meticulous and have an eye for details when interacting with him, he enjoys debate and is highly receptive to ideas.

In communication, he is a guru and will always respond to your text messages and posts which he enjoys better.

An apostle of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Uncle Shobanjo is a man of virtue, holding his wife, Auntie Joyce, in high esteem and his being handsome and comfortable will not bring any form of distraction.

Happy birthday to this loving husband of Mrs Joyce Shobanjo, an adorable father and grandfather, and an illustrious son of Africa, who has brought honours not only to Nigeria but the entire African continent.

Sina Ogunbambo, a media consultant, writes via sinaogunbambo@yahoo.com

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