A seemingly ordinary photograph from 1981 has opened a fascinating window into the youthful years of former Oyo South Senator, Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi.
Sharing the nostalgic image, Akanbi recalled himself as a 19-year-old at Rodney Court, Maida Vale, W9, London, at the residence of the late Ibadan businessman and sports administrator, Chief Lekan Salami.
According to the details accompanying the photograph, the occasion was connected with the graduation of Bolanle Salami from an American university in London.
For Akanbi, however, the picture has become much more than a record of a social gathering; it captures a young man decades before politics, public office, business achievements and traditional honours would define his public identity.
At 19, Akanbi was still far removed from the National Assembly and the political prominence that would later make him a familiar figure across Oyo State.
The young man captured in London could hardly have known that the decades ahead would take him through business, public administration, politics, philanthropy and traditional leadership.
From Young Londoner To Public Figure
Born into the family of the late Alhaji Muibdeen Akanbi of Inalende, Ibadan, Soji Akanbi grew up in a family with a strong history of community leadership, politics and Islamic affairs.
His father was a prominent political and community figure in Ibadan and served in the old Western Region House of Assembly after previously holding responsibilities in the Ibadan District Council. That background placed Akanbi close to public affairs from an early age.
Akanbi attended LICC Primary School/Omolewa Nursery and Primary School and later Lagelu Grammar School before proceeding to the United Kingdom for further studies.
He studied Business Administration and obtained a postgraduate degree in Management Studies, with a financial option, from Kingston University, England.
His professional development also included affiliations with management and marketing institutions in the United Kingdom.
His working career in Britain included stints with Beecham Plc and Liman Groups, where he rose through positions including Head of Travels and Assistant General Financial Controller before returning to Nigeria in 1988.
From Business To Politics
Returning to Nigeria did not mark the end of Akanbi’s international experience but the beginning of another chapter.
He entered politics in the early 1990s and was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Ibadan North-West Federal Constituency between 1992 and 1993. He later became part of the Oyo State political establishment during the administration of former Governor Lam Adesina.
Under Adesina, Akanbi served as Special Adviser on Industrial and Economic Matters and subsequently occupied responsibilities involving economic planning, special projects and poverty-eradication programmes.
His return to elective politics came in 2015, when he was elected senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate. His legislative career subsequently became one of the most prominent chapters of his public life.
A Businessman Before And Beyond Politics
Politics, however, has never been the entirety of Akanbi’s public identity.
He built interests in finance, aviation, tourism, construction and other areas of private enterprise.
Among the businesses associated with him are R.S.I. Investment & Trust Ltd, Libragold Travels & Tours Ltd, Saturn Epic Construction Engineers, Saturn Epic Oil and Gas and Dynasty Airline Management Ltd.
He’s also the Chairman of Dynasty Airline Management and Group Executive Chairman of Libragold Group.
That business background later intersected with his legislative interests, particularly in areas involving banking, finance, economic development and the private sector.
Philanthropy And Community Service
Away from the boardroom and political arena, philanthropy has remained another important part of Akanbi’s public profile.
In 2004, following the death of his father, he founded the M.O. Akanbi Islamic Foundation, with interests including Islamic education, poverty alleviation and assistance to vulnerable members of society.
He later established the Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi Foundation, which has been associated with youth empowerment, ICT training, scholarships, skills acquisition and other capacity-building initiatives.
His public profile also includes community-based interventions in education and empowerment, particularly within Oyo South. Accounts of his activities during his Senate years include skills-training programmes, educational interventions and support for artisans and community associations.
Okanlomo Of Ibadanland
Akanbi’s relationship with Ibadan has also been reflected in the traditional institution.
He is widely known by the prestigious title Okanlomo of Ibadanland, a title conferred on him by the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji.
He has also been associated with other traditional titles, including Mayegun of Iganganland, Otun Bobajiro of Iberekodo in Igbo-Ora and Akogun of Ijebu Erunwon.
His public identity therefore stretches beyond politics, encompassing traditional leadership, business, philanthropy and community engagement.
Family Behind The Public Persona
Despite his years in public life, Akanbi has maintained a family life that has often remained away from the political spotlight.
He is married to Chief (Mrs.) Zhikrah Aduke Afolake Akanbi, the CEO of Libragold Group and the Yeye Okanlomo of Ibadanland.
The couple are parents to three sons — Idris, Farouq and Abdulmaleek — whose educational and professional paths have also taken them through institutions in the United Kingdom.
Idris studied Civil Engineering at the University of Portsmouth and later obtained a master’s degree in Engineering Project Management from the University of Manchester. Farouq studied Economics at the University of Sheffield and pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Warwick, while Abdulmaleek studied Law at the University of Manchester.
When A Photograph Becomes A Time Capsule
That is why the 1981 photograph carries a special resonance.
It shows Soji Akanbi at 19, long before the Senate chamber, before the title Okanlomo, before years of political contests and before the business and philanthropic ventures that would become associated with his name.
There is also a striking connection in the location. Rodney Court in Maida Vale was not merely an address in the photograph; it was the London residence of Chief Lekan Salami, a prominent Ibadan figure whose name remains closely associated with the development of sports and community life in the city.
More than four decades later, Akanbi’s decision to share the photograph allows the public to see another side of a man more commonly encountered through the titles attached to his name.
Senator. Okanlomo. Businessman. Philanthropist. Former lawmaker. Family man.
Before all those descriptions came a 19-year-old Soji Akanbi in London — a young man caught in a moment that, at the time, could not have appeared to carry the weight of history.
Today, that photograph does.
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