Babatope Agbeyo: The Man Who Personifies Selflessness
“Besides God, there is no glory above coming from humble beginnings, from sleeping under a porous-grass-thatched mud hut, to rising above and beyond tabernacles of greatness” ― Thabo Katlholo
“Anything great and sustainable in life, if you examine it carefully, it has a humble and obscure beginning.” ― Dr. Lucas D. Shallua
Nothing best describes raising the poor from the ashes and dunghill and setting them among princes to inherit the throne of glory, according to the Bible, than the story of Babatope Agbeyo, the Group Chairman of Cornfield Group of Companies, a conglomerate of very successful businesses in Nigeria and offshore.
How else does one describe the life of a former university student who, for lack of raiment to cover his body, resorted to wearing his father’s native clothes to school. He was so looked down upon that on a particular occasion while on a queue with his x-ray file for registration, his file mistakenly touched the body of a female student behind him. She turned around, sized him down and had to quickly clean off his hands from her body as if he was a leper, just because he was wearing ‘buba and shoro’ as against the psychedelic wears of students from Lagos and other metropolises. That was part of the story of the challenging background of Babatope Agbeyo.
Today, this same boy, who was notorious for wearing his father’s ‘buba and shoro’ sits on the board of a conglomerate with subsidiaries which include: Media Concepts International Limited, Cornfield Transnational Limited, Botosoft Technologies Limited, Cornfield Foods and Beverages, a Conglomerate of very successful businesses in Nigeria and abroad.
Agbeyo has indeed proven that from humble beginnings come great things. The great things that he has attained didn’t make him forget where he was coming. On the contrary, his humble background is the stepping stone upon which he has been touching the lives of people both within his workforce and outside.
He disclosed that he experiences a sense of joy and accomplishment when he solves the problems of people around him. But especially, when he does great things for his parents who sacrificed much out of the little they had to train him.
Hear his explanation on what gives him joy: “When I have been able to appreciate everyone that had been there for me, especially when I had nothing. Some of them don’t even need my money, hence, they say ‘Tope! I am proud of you’. I just want God to give me the power to be able to touch more lives.”
He revealed that he is not after having billions in his bank account, nor is he after having houses he can’t live in. but that he is after making people glorify God through the impact he has made in their lives.
His love for country and community led him to single-handedly fund the production of a movie (Shadow Parties) despite knowing that the movie was not financially viable.
The movie, he disclosed, had inherent messages that would benefit the country and the world at large.
“I did not pick interest in the movie on the basis of the financial return but the message inherent in the movie. I knew it wouldn’t bring profit but I had to put in everything for us to see the crisis from another perspective.”
He explained that the movie addressed a gamut of issues in the country as it relates to inter-ethnic crises, religious intolerance, insecurity and other forms of social vices.
Agbeyo has been described as the man, who with an uncommon ability to innovate, broke all barriers to invent a technology that curbs examination malpractices in the West African sub-region, using bespoke enterprise solutions that pull together 3.5 million service users in the area.
The business inventor designed an examination solution known as the Candidate Identity Verification, Attendance, Malpractice and Post Examinations Management System (CIVAMPEM) which is today being used by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examination Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
This son of a cocoa farmer and kola nut seller designed the first-of-its-kind solution that comes with a complete security system, which comprises biometric and biodata collection, real time verification, authentication and reporting through physical terminals, over secure web applications and hand-held devices.
This solution is generally acknowledged to be what is required to address national security challenges, the reason it was approved by the Presidency in 2011, and is being used by the Nigerian Police.
His ingenuity in business and act of philanthropy has won him many awards and recognitions locally and internationally, this include in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and also USA. His network of partners and influence span across many countries including the USA, UK, Germany, South Korea, China and many other African countries.
He has several innovations under his belt. The plethora of awards and trophies that occupy a significant portion of his well-appointed office at Omole Phase One in Lagos attest to the recognition that has come the way of this Nigerian innovator.
In 2017, Agbeyo emerged The Top10 Magazine Man of the year. He is a member of the board of directors of A. D. King Foundation with the mission of youth empowerment and non-violent social change strategies in the United States.
He was conferred an Honorary Citizenship of Newark, New Jersey, US, in 2016, for his humanitarian and employment activities in Nigeria and a commendation for his dedication to public service read by the Georgia House of Representative, United States in 2016.
His philanthropic activities include; grants for business and livelihood to widows and orphans, educational grants and sponsorship to underprivileged youths, infrastructural development and provision of basic amenities for local communities and institutions.
Also in 2017, he was awarded Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Entrepreneurship (Honoris Causa) by Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State, Nigeria, and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Business Management (Honoris Causa) by the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
In 2018, he was honored a special Gold award as one of the five Nigerians by the Chartered Institute of Public Resources Management and Politics, Ghana for his leadership, astuteness and sincere dedication towards the development of Africa.
The son of the cocoa farmer and kola nut seller though well-travelled is hardly seen in parties, does not belong to any social club except his community development club.
