Yomi-Sholoye comes with feast of gratitude

The Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, was where to be last Tuesday, March 23, as high networth guests, royal fathers, friends and family converged on the facility to celebrate the philanthropist, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwaseye Yomi-Sholoye.

Tagged ‘Celebration of Incandescent Life’, it was an afternoon of lecture and feast of gratitude. Yomi-Sholoye is the group managing director and chief executive officer International Alpha Limited. She is also the president of Yomi-Sholoye Foundation, which was founded as a result of her humanitarian, philanthropic disposition. The foundation is into youth, women empowerment, education support and poverty.

Speaking at the event, which doubled as her birthday celebration and book launch, the lady, who is strongly committed to community development and care for the less privileged in the society, said, “the ‘Feast of Gratitude’ affords us opportunity to express our thanks to God and you. The real nourishment has come from the prayers you prayed, the support you have lent, the dues you have paid and the glow in your face.”

She said, “in my course of journey from shore to shore, I saw the misery that people bear, I met children in dire need of food, whose parents were walking in the shades and the destitute living in slums and feeding from garbage dumps.”

She added that to pull people out of poverty and provide vital treatments for sick, as well as ensure economic empowerment of women and equip young persons with crucial tools that could facilitate their path, there is need to recognise the dignity and courage of the physically challenged. This will spur them to their full potential.

“Back home here,” she disclosed, “I have seen young girls handing water from dirty ponds, kids who have died from water-borne disease. What bars their access to health, nutrition and happiness is a resource as basic as water. My partners, my team and I urge all to help the needy, reflect on the plights and suffering of fellow human being, then our jobs will be done.”

In his lecture, titled, ‘Blending generosity with thoughtful activism to make contributions that counts,’ guest speaker, Prince Jacob Akindele, advised corporate organisations, foreign partners and individuals to support the foundation projects on various activities such as borehole water project, cancer screening, scholarship awards, building of libraries and vocational centres to empower humanity.

Akindele also urged well meaningful persons to look out and help the low- income groups and artisans in their spaces and community to boost productivity and the economy.

The chairman of event, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), described the celebrant as expectional, generous and personification of hard work, kindness and love.

He added that she is a stickler to excellence. He also described her as having some good attributes of Bible characters like Sarah, Miriam and Esther, who blessed their generations and beyond.

The event’s highpoint was launch of Yomi Sholoye’s Foundation book. Reviewed by Dr. Foluke Odulami Idowu Odutayo and Apostle Olatunde Ogunkunle, the book, titled, ‘Blessed are the compassionate’ unveiled OYS Foundation Charity works.

It was launched and presented by Niyi Afolabi, which was followed by Spoken Words from Victory Osas. There were also testimonies from beneficiaries of the foundation, while free copies of the book were given to everybody.