Consummate Nigerian, Sir Ademola Adetula Bags MFR Award

Time has come in Nigeria to properly situate people, where they belong and as the saying goes, “give honour to whom honour is due.”

This must have informed the investiture of awards on deserving Nigerians by the out-gone president Muhammadu Buhari.

One of those that were considered for a partying gift from the former president is a consummate Nigerian, an intellectual and highly cerebral Sir Ademola Adetula, whose family is quite popular in Owo Town in Ondo State, South West Nigeria.

Adetula  was conferred with the award of the prestigious Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by ex-president Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday May 28, 2023.

The award is deserving for a man that has offered himself to the service of humanity, not only in his home town or state, but in the entire country.

His enviable records are yet to be surpassed by many of his contemporaries and he is one person that can be referred to as a pride of the nation.

For the records, Sir Ademola Adetula was born to the family of Chief George and Alice Adetula (both deceased) on the 6th day in August of 1952.

He was born in Owo, Ondo State. His father, a warlord controlling the Owo Kingdom’s army, was a no-nonsense man, and he ensured he instilled the traits in all his children.

Anyone that has come across Sir Ademola can attest to the abundance of this trait in him.

He attended Saint Thomas Aquinas College, Akure between 1968-1972 and later studied at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism Lagos from 1983 to 1985.

He started his career in 1978 when he joined The Herald Newspapers in Ilorin, Kwara State.He began as a reporter and rose to the position of News Editor.

A one-time Chairman of Kwara State Amateur Squash Association, he moved to a new challenge when he heeded the call of the then Ondo State Governor, Col. Ahmed Usman, to help reposition the state-owned Newspaper outfit The Hope Newspaper in 1995 as its Editor.

He subsequently became the General Manager in 1998 and was appointed the Managing Director in 1999-under Governor Adefarati’s administration.

He retired from Owena Press in 2003 to continue his private printing press business Pamma Press and obtained a license to operate a radio station called Okin FM.

However, following the enactment of the Akeredolu administration, he was appointed as the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of the news outfit in 2018. He currently holds the same position of stewardship to date and had since turned around the fortunes and outlook of the almost moribund media outfit.

He has embraced technology and social media to attract more diversity, allowing Ondo State indigenes across the globe to access credible news about their State.

As a result, the Ondo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) honoured and conferred on him the distinguished Journalism and Administrative Excellence award.

Sir Adetula perhaps is the only person in the whole of Nigeria who holds this current feat, starting as a Reporter, Editor, General Manager, Managing Director and rising to the post of Chairman.

The only person closer to this achievement was the late media legend, Alhaji Babatunde Jose of Daily Times.

He served as the Secretary of the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at various times in his career. In 1992 he became the Vice President of NUJ Zone D.

He also served as the National Trustee of the NUJ 1994.He is a seasoned scholar and quintessential Journalist who participated in the political workshop on Political Journalism sponsored by The Centre for Foreign Journalists, USA and attended the International Institute of Journalism in Berlin in 1992.

He holds a Diploma in Journalism, Law, LLB and currently studying for his Bar at the Law School in Abuja.

He was knighted a member of Knights of St. John International Akure in 2010 and is currently the Worthy President of Commandery 496, Akure.

He is also a one time President of All Owo Progressive Forum, a prestigious organization of the upper echelon of the society.

He is a stern, but loving father and husband, a seasoned journalist, a devout Catholic and a lover of great philosophers.

Whenever called upon to contribute to stately matters, he is not one to shy away from conveying his convictions.

He does not joke with words and believes everyone should be accountable for the words that come from their mouths.Sir Ademola Adetula is married to Lady Mojirola Elizabeth Adetula, and together, they are blessed with children and grandchildren.