…Council Boss held participants fascinated at CPS Retreat

By Rasheed Iskilu

Participants at the just-concluded conference 57 Chief Press Secretaries’ Retreat dubbed “Surulere 2023” got more than they bargained for as the Chairman of Odi-Olowo LCDA, Hon. Rasaq Ajala took them on a true-life story of how he broke into the class of millionaires two and a half decades ago.

Ajala who had stormed the NAPTIP Centre, Surulere Venue of the 3-day event in the company of another special guest and grand patron of the body, Hon. Alabi Kolade David – Executive Chairman of Bariga LCDA while delivering his goodwill message charged the council image makers to explore the Information Technology World with the aim to add value to their jobs impressing it on them that opportunities of self-aggrandizement abound therein.

According to the council boss, his visit to Ibarapa, Oyo state for socials in 1998 availed him with a clue of what soccer enthusiasts went through trying to watch an international friendly between Nigeria and the Netherlands in the build-up to the 1998 Mundial. Locals of Igbo-ora were seen racing to the only operating soccer-viewing centre where the business owner took advantage of the town’s disconnection from the national grid owing to the vandalized 11KV lines feeding the town to earn fast money with auto-batteries being the source of energy to power his gadgets.

Ajala’s experience at Igboora was rekindled when, on getting back to Lagos, he, one day, set out to watch a football match broadcast at a viewing centre in Jibowu being the closest to his Idi-oro, Lagos neighbourhood at that time. Determined to accomplish his mission, he trekked 150 metres on a diverted route to cross the rail line owing to a faulty stationary locomotive obstructing easy pedestrian crossing only to stumble on a M-net advertorial caption that hammered on the possibility of watching events live from any part of the world. To satisfy his curiosity, Ajala stopped briefly at the office to make enquiries on what the advert was all about.

He puts it this way: “Little did I know that was going to earn me my first million as my findings that football matches from any part of the world can be watched live in real-time locally prompted me to put up a proposal on live relay of football matches for the people of Ibarapa axis to the then Oyo State military administration. After defending the proposal upon invitation from the Oyo state government, an initial contract worth #340,000 was awarded to me. This was soon tripled after it was considered necessary to extend the project to neighbouring Ibarapa East and North Local Government Areas rather than limit it to Igbo-ora (Ibarapa Central LGA) only”.

The History & International
Studies graduate of Lagos State University (LASU), and Advance Diploma, Nigeria Institute of Journalism holder concluded his novel by sharing how proceeds from his contract helped him to financially withstand a presumed richer contender when he ran for his Ward A2 Councilorship and won later that year.

Saturday 11th November 2023 was, therefore, a day to be remembered by the pens as Hon. Rasaq Ajala’s narration further opened their eyes to the wide spectrum of opportunities that accompanies the New Media that lies before them.