Encomium
Otunba Adewale Moses Osinubi is a household name beyond Ijebuland. He is the Chief Executive officer of Wesco Lotto and Pools Limited and founder of Otunba Wesco Foundation which has benefited thousands of people across the length and breadth of Ijebu.
The Labour Party House of Representatives contender for Ijebu Central Federal Constituency (Ogun State) speaks on his multi-empowerment scheme and other sundry issues.
Can we have an insight into your various empowerment programmes?
Yes! By God’s special grace, I’ve been empowering people for the past 8-10years. We did not just start here in Ijebu-ode, we’ve been empowering people everywhere. We have over two thousand people who have been employed through us under our empowerment programme.
Also, in Ijebuland, we’ve done empowerment programmes severally which include the handicapped; on the world disable day, we empowered several people living with disabilities. Recently, we did empowerment for the widows, aged, farmers and the students whom we gave scholarship. Odogbolu empowerment was done recently in our Ijebu-ode office located at Ondo Road where we empowered 460 persons and we gave scholarship to 15 students in various higher institutions in the state.
The one we are about to do today, which is Ijebu North East/Atan where we are empowering 400 persons, which includes the aged, the low scale enterprises, farmers and the widows. This empowerment is to empower lives and give lives to people, and make their lives better.
Though some of those empowered are party faithful, the cause of it all is that the empowerment is not only meant for political reasons, it is part of what we are used to. It is part of ideal, it is part of the reason I’m empowered to empower people. I give back to the society what the society gave to me.
What prompted your being kind and putting smile on face of the people?
When I look into my environment and I see how people suffer, while I have the money with me, it touches me. Why can someone have money in bank while some people are suffering? I can say I was born with it, and I will implore those who are priviledged like me to also emulate this and help people around them.
How do you feel putting smile on the faces of the less priviledged?
It is a blessing that cannot be quantified. God is actually blessing me because when you give, givers never lack. I want every other people, who are in my shoes to follow suit and do the same. When you give, you have abundant joy. Some people have this money in excess and they don’t even know what to do with it. Why not try your possible best to better the lives of others and let your light shine in them?
Try and put smile on their faces. So when I’m empowering people, I’m also putting smile on my face. As I see them smile, I also smile.
You are known to be a great philanthropist, what is the secret behind this?
God is my secret. Being a philanthropist is something I’m born with. Except you are endowed you cannot just wake up and say you want to be one. I believe and I know I’m God – sent, it is God’s wish for me to be a philanthropist and that is the secret behind it.
What is your message to people out there, to those who have benefitted from your empowerment programme and those who haven’t benefitted from it?
The message for them is, whatever they get today, they should use it judiciously. Not until you have big money that you start business. You can start business with even a stipend. No matter how little, let them put up something like petty trade with the money and God will bless it and from there, they will spring up.
And for those who haven’t benefitted, they should look forward. It will continue as long as I’m alive and I believe God will give me long life. It is a continuous project.
What is your message to your supporters out there?
My message is that, they should emulate what I’m doing. Whoever they can empower in one way or the other, they should do it, and God too will empower them. They should be good, law abiding, honest and they should be above board in everything they do, and knowing that what they do today is history tomorrow.
