It is extremely difficult to find words suitable enough to describe this man named AKINYEMI FAROUNBI, but who always prefers to be simply called Yemi Farounbi. I came in contact with this man in 1977 through an uncle, the late Babatunde Oyerinde, when he offered me a freelance job that would start me up in life. That was almost five decades ago. We thank God that this generous and amiable “youth” of that period has today joined the octogenarian club. How time flies!
I must say that applying my pen to compose a tribute to this highly celebrated man, Dr Yemi Farounbi, who is not only a boss, but a father-figure to me, is a most arduous task. How best can I, in a single write up, describe him or his numerous accomplishments and impacts on humanity?
Yemi, as he was fondly called by the Late Cicero of Esa-Oke, Uncle Bola Ige, is like a sprawling road: the more you travel on it, the more it extends. Yemi Farounbi is like the elephant explored by a blind man, with each part touched forming an impression and describing the massive beast, based on the part of it he experienced.
Yemi Farounbi in his forte- the media, either as a practitioner, administrator and/or as a teacher, is an all-rounder. He is a doyen in a Communication Arts: a very distinctive personality with the frame and revolutionary posture of the famous Cuban President, the Late Fidel Castrol.
Sitting under the mentorship of Yemi Farounbi was like brooding under the eagle watch of Orisa Nla. It is not an hidden fact that his revolutionary bent impacted his mentees so profoundly as to provoke the sobriquet, “Rascal-in-Chief”, by a section of the young media entrepreneurs.
Yemi Farounbi, reputed as an administrator per excellence, was conferred with the national honour of OON by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. His brilliance and outstanding performance at the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), earned him this unique recognition. His credentials in The Philippines where he served as Nigerian Ambassador also speak volumes about his ability to tread and manoeuvre unknown and dreaded landscapes.
Dr. Yemi Farounbi is a man much sought after by those who love to drink from the reservoir of knowledge that God had bestowed on him.
In 1991, as the Regional Correspondent (West) of the defunct Champion Newspapers, I was mandated to go to Osogbo, Osun State to cover the governorship primary of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the newly-created state. It was that primary that produced the Late Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke as the first Executive Governor of the state.
Yemi Farounbi presided over the conduct of the SDP governorship primary with the full support of the national leadership of the party under the chairmanship of Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe. I traveled round the 30 local government areas in the state to monitor the conduct of the primary. It was an herculean task.
I arrived Osogbo late in the evening and headed straight to the party secretariat along St. Charles Grammar School Road. Osogbo Township Road had been deserted due to the tension generated by the party stalwarts in the fierce contest that almost thrown the state into political turmoil. Security had been beefed up by then Military Administrator, Col. Leo Ajiborisa and the mobile policemen stationed at strategic locations at the state capital. Movements were also restricted, except for those on essential duties who were permitted to move around.
Commuters and public transporters were sent off the road. This made those on essential duties to walk long distances. I suffered the same fate: I trekked between 15 to 20 kilometres before I could get to the SDP Secretariat where the results were being collated.
Osun State received many visitors and virtually all the hotels in Osogbo were fully booked. On my arrival at the party secretariat, I was met with another task; to get round the security check was daunting. However, the intervention of Yemi Farounbi saved the day for me. On sighting me from afar, he sent words to the police officers to allow me in; that I was on an official assignment to cover the SDP governorship primary.
Since the SDP Secretariat was located on the outskirt of the town, there was no electricity. This was an indication that the party will close early. I became apprehensive as efforts to secure accommodation failed. The hotels were filled to the brim.
Again this man called Yemi Farounbi rescued me. He sensed that there was no place for me to stay for the night since I came from outside the state. He allayed my fears; he said I should come with him. We both slept on the same bed that night as he teased me with a statement: “Lanre, you would be my companion and a guardian angel for the night…”. The import of the statement was completely lost on me. Unknown to me, the master strategist had been tipped off on plans by some politicians to trap him in the hotel and lobby him to play ball by switching the ballots.
The announcement of the results of the Osun State SDP governorship primary was an intensive one which lasted several hours. In all the talks, Yemi Farounbi, usually fondly referenced as YF by his younger brother, Muyiwa, refused to be drawn into the planned falsification of the results of the primary.
The trump card was quickly dropped to send the lobbying politicians away: Yemi Farounbi announced that he had a journalist guest inside the hotel who should not hear that he was been lobbied to tampered with the rules. This last joker sent off his guests as they all scampered away, in disappointment.
I witnessed the above live and direct; it enabled me to see the other side of Yemi Farounbi. Wearing his usual grinning smile on his face, he refused to go under the pressure mounted on him. The full story is for another day.
I hereby seized the opportunity of the occasion of his birthday to call him by his first name, Yemi, the incorruptible politician.
Happy birthday, my incorruptible Oga.
•Ogundipe, former President,
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and African Union of Journalists (AUJ), writes from Ibadan.
