•The Story Of Otunba BIMBO ASHIRU
It is no longer news that former Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce & Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru is the new Board Chairman of Odu’a Investment company, a conglomerate owned by governments of South-West States.
He was recently made the Chairman. When the news broke a few weeks back, a lot of people in the corporate world commended the appointment of the Marketing & Strategic Management expert.
Even President Muhammadu Buhari, in his congratulatory message, said Ashiru’s emergence is a vote of Confidence in his track record as a banker of repute, Fellow of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, among other professional bodies he belongs to. Many more commended Ashiru’s choice because of his vast experience in Corporate Nigeria and public life. So good was he as a 2-term Commissioner for Commerce & Industry in Ogun State that he was named Commissioner of the Year, during his tenure in office.
Years after he left office, the contributions of Ashiru to the growth and development of the sector is still being talked about in Ogun State.
That he has a brilliant past can be seen in his profile.
Otunba Bimbola Ashiru was born in Ijebu-Ode to the illustrious Ashiru family. His father, late Pa Simeon Adeyemi Ashiru, was a distinguished Ijebu statesman while his mother ‘Omo’ba (Princess) Moradeun Ashiru, is from the Fidipote royal family of Ijebu-Ode and the ruling house of Owu-Ijebu.
He is well-read, graduating with a degree in Marketing, Purchasing & Supply, and a master’ Degree in Strategic Management. With this background, he entered the services of the then Chartered Bank in the year 1989. In a successful career that has spanned two decades and taken him to various institutions, he has served in various capacities as Management Head, Private Banking Unit; Branch Manager; Head, Institution & Professional Banking; Regional Coordinator; Country Director, Personal and Business Banking; Director, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Investments; until his last position of Group Head, Public Sector with Stanbic IBTC Bank. He was the pioneer head of the department.
Otunba Bimbola Ashiru is a man with a desire for developing the people around him, and this translated into his appointment as the representative of the Awujale of Ijebuland on the Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR). He has distinguished himself in this field and represented his people favourably to the best of his ability.
He was also on the Technical and Communications Committees of the 17th Nigerian Economic Summit (2011).
He is a member of The Metropolitan Club, Ikoyi Club 1938 and a member of the Ijebu Heritage Group and Ijebu Renaissance Group.
Otunba Ashiru is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers [FCIB]; Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria;
National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria [FNIMN] and Chartered Institute of Commerce of Nigeria.
In recognition of his selfless service to society and having distinguished himself as a true son of Ijebu land and an astute banker of repute, Otunba Bimbola Ashiru was presented with the royal title of Otunba Adeona Fusigboye of Ijebuland in December 2006 by His Royal
Majesty, The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona CFR.
ACCOLADES
He is a recipient of numerous awards, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to society and his people. These include but are not limited to Best Commissioner of the Year 2015, Most Outstanding Commissioner, Awards for Service Excellence, and Ijebu Man of the Year.
He was the Honorable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Ogun State between 2011-2018.
Under his stewardship, the business environment of the state developed beyond imagination with over 1, 279.84% increase in internally generated Revenue of State. Over 300 factories/companies established their presence in Ogun State with a cumulative investment profile of about N691.77 billion in 2014, compared to N377 billion in 2013. This placed Ogun State in the first position in Nigeria, according to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. During his time, approximately 75% of Manufacturing Foreign Direct Investment into the country between 2011 –2016 came into Ogun State.
Also, during his tenure, the World Bank Group, in its Doing Business in Nigeria 2014 Report,
ranked Ogun State as one of the best 5 states in terms of ease of doing business against the
36th position in its 2010 report. He also facilitated the creation of a One-Stop-Shop Investment
Center (OSSIC) which sits within the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to assist potential investors with procedures for investment and documentation processing.
He is currently the Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company, a conglomerate jointly owned by the 6 South-Western states of Nigeria. He joined the Board in May 2020.
Otunba Bimbola Ashiru is happily married to Olukemi Ashiru, a lawyer, and they are blessed with 2 lovely children.
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