User:Tobi ODUYALE

Olutobi Nathaniel Oduyale fondly and popularly known as Tobi was born in the rustic and ancient city of Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, in the South western part of Nigeria, the heartland of the Ijebu people, to the family of Ashipa Mathew Abolaji and Esther Onilo Oduyale (Nee Oyedipe) on an unassuming Wednesday 25th day of March in 1959.

Early Life and Education'''

Tobi is the 6th of many siblings and enjoyed very adventurous childhood. Growing up, he had his childhood education at the St. Barnabas Primary School and proceeded to the Remo Secondary School in 1971 for his secondary education. At school he was both an avid student and a very enthusiastic sportsman, playing for the ‘mosquito’ (junior) football team in RRS and subsequently to the full team in a short space of time. Over the years, his passion for sports has remained with him and he still is a football lover and aficionado. After his secondary education, he proceeded to the Hartford State Technical College (H. S. T. C) Hartford, Connecticut U.S.A where he obtained an Associate in Science Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and graduated in 1979. While at Hartford he distinguished himself academically gaining competence in key areas of study such as electricity and power control, engineering graphics, physics of semi conductor devices amongst others. It was also at Hartford that he developed the practical hands-on approach to life, work and service that has remained with him up until this day. It is also worth pointing out that it was there that his love for electronic gadgets and technology was firmly established.  Professional Life

In 1979 on his return from Harford, brimming with confidence, enthusiasm and passion, Tobi joined Philips Nigeria Ltd (now Associated Electronics Ltd ), where he worked for 14 years as Service Engineer/ Manager with the prime responsibility for Unicam products and other Analytical instruments, his competence was clearly manifest as he distinguished himself in the field of Laboratory and scientific equipment, sales and installation, repair, maintenance training and commissioning in various specialties such as :


 * Spectrophotometers
 * Petroleum Testing
 * Electrochemistry
 * Beverage Analysis
 * Chromatography
 * Density & Concentrate Meters
 * Agronomy
 * Water Analysis
 * Refractometry & Polarimetry
 * Computers and Application Softwares
 * Viscometry & Rheometry

An extremely hard and resourceful worker, he soon gained the confidence of his employers both locally and abroad and this opened up to him several opportunities. He was appointed sole representative of Unicam Ltd of Cambridge in 1993 for Nigeria and the West African sub – region, development which was fundamental to his establishing one of the foremost scientific and analytical instrument companies in Nigeria and West Africa ; Winelight Analytical Systems Ltd.

An avid student and advocate of continuous learning Tobi is widely travelled; attending seminars, international overseas courses in Cambridge, France, Germany, Austria and some other parts of Europe and also in Nigeria and the West Africa sub region. He is also a published author of numerous scientific papers in his chosen field.

Professional bodies

He is a member of a number of bodies and associations such as:


 * Fellow: Association of Supervisory and Executive Engineers in England
 * Board Member: Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC)
 * Board Member: Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC)
 * Fellow: Institute of Directors (FIOD) Nigeria
 * Member: Nigeria -German Business Association (NGBA)
 * Hon. Fellow: Nigeria Institute of Science Technology (Hon.FINIST)
 * Hon. Fellow: Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON)
 * Hon. Fellow: Chemical Society of Nigeria

Family

As the good book says ‘it is not good for the man to be alone’ so it was with Tobi, in 1987 he met the love of his life and the one who complemented him, the beautiful Miss Abisola Ogunnowo. The two tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in 1989 and their union has been blessed with three wonderful children- Tolulope, Ifeoluwa and Oluwaseun. The Oduyale family has been blessed and expanded with the addition of a son and a daughter- Oluwatoyosi and Inioluwa. It is worth saying that Bisola or aunty B as she is popularly called has been a pillar of strength and support, a veritable prayer warrior and the unfolding description of grace and virtue.

Life outside Work

A firm believer in service to God and humanity, Tobi is a member of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Ikate, Surulere and St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Ilisan-Remo, where his services and contributions in different areas are without doubt felt. A philanthropist from the heart, he founded the Olutobi Nathaniel Oduyale foundation (ONOF) to institutionalize giving to the weak, poor and vulnerable in society in other to be able to draw more support from friends and well wishers in his desire to uplift the vulnerable amongst us. The foundation has engaged in so many notable interventions and support, one of the most heart-touching and significant was:


 * The procurement of prosthetic devices for Miss Aisha Quadri, a 16 year girl who lost a limb as a result of a collapsed building accident in Sagamu, Ogun State.
 * Donation of a church building- hall and offices to St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Ilisan- Remo.


 * Donation of church pews and others to Holy Trininty Anglican Church, Ikate, Surulere.


 * Donation of a classroom block to St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Ilisan-Remo.

The foundation was inaugurated in 2016 and also doubled as the launch of his book ‘Tobi Oduyale: Service to God and humanity’ which was a chronicle of his service to Omole Phase 2 CDA over the cause of his tenure as a two time chairman of the CDA. Of course, his service to the CDA predated his time as chairman, having previously served as a vice chairman and also as a member of the security committee before then. His service to the community was marked by giant strides in the overall well being of the community so much so that in 2011 Omole Phase 2 CDA was named best CDA in Lagos and in 2013 third best CDA. An almost unheard of feat, beating well over 2,000 CDA’s in the process. It was such a remarkable feat that the then executive governor of Lagos State Mr. Babatunde Fashola made special remarks commending the work of Tobi and his executives, noting that it was very rare to find people of his caliber engaging in such selfless community work, because as he put it “people of means usually think more of themselves than their communities” It is safe to say that in Omole Phase2 CDA Tobi set the bar of performance so high that it has served as an inspiration and challenge to successive administrations. Tobi is also a member of the following clubs/associations:


 * The Ultimate Circle of Nigeria
 * Past President; The Ilisan Club
 * Yoruba Tennis Club
 * Island Club
 * Ikeja Golf Club
 * Ikoyi Club
 * Lagos Country Club.
 * Past Secretary; RSS Old Student Association- Lagos State Chapter
 * Former Secretary; Table Tennis Section, Lagos Country Club
 * Past Vice President; IKEJA Saddle Club
 * Past President; RSS 71/75 Class-set

Tobi’s cheerful giving has extended to boundaries beyond the limits of his Christian Denominations, supporting different ministries from different spectrum of the body of Christ as well anyone irrespective of religion, creed, gender or status that he is in a position to assist.