HUMANITY: ASIWAJU PRINCE OLATUNJI OLUSOJI AND THE EXEMPLARY ART OF KINDNESS
By Temiloluwa Samuel
In a time when headlines are often dominated by division, hardship, and self-interest, there are still men who quietly choose to lift others. One of them is Asiwaju Prince Olatunji Olusoji — a name that now resonates across Kogi State and beyond, not just for titles held, but for lives touched.
To many, Asiwaju is a prince by birth, a leader by calling, and a philanthropist by conviction. But to hundreds of families in Okunland and Kogi state, students struggling with school fees, widows, artisans, and young entrepreneurs, he is simply “the man who showed up.”
- Advertisement -
What sets Prince Olatunji apart is not the scale of his gestures alone, but the consistency. His brand of kindness is not seasonal. It is not for cameras. It is woven into his daily life.
From paying medical bills for indigent patients in Lokoja, Ayingba and Kabba hospitals, to distributing food items during festive periods, to sponsoring scholarships for students who would have dropped out, or payment of external examination fee like WAEC, Neco and Jamb, his interventions cut across age, religion, and politics.
A community leader in Yagba puts it simply: _“When you mention Asiwaju’s name in the villages, people don’t first talk about politics. They talk about how he helped someone’s child go to school, or how he gave a widow capital to start a business.”
Those close to him say his philosophy is simple: “Humanity first.”
As a traditional title holder and community leader, he believes leadership is not about sitting on a throne, but about standing with the people. During the fuel subsidy removal and rising cost of living, he was among the few who organized direct palliatives without waiting for government channels — rice, garri, cash grants, and free medical outreaches.
For the youth, he has become a mentor. Through empowerment programs, he has provided sewing machines, grinding machines, motorcycles, and startup grants. The message is always the same: “Don’t beg. Start something. I will support you.”
Kindness, for Asiwaju Prince Olatunji Olusoji, is an art — deliberate, thoughtful, and dignifying. Beneficiaries say he never makes people feel small. He gives quietly, follows up, and asks, “Is it enough? What else do you need?”
That is why the title “Asiwaju” fits. It means “the one who goes ahead to lead the way.” And he is leading — not with speeches, but with action.
Beneficiaries of his scholarship scheme have produced many graduates.
“He regularly paid school fees for many and never asked for anything in return. He only told them: ‘When you succeed, help someone else.’ That is the kind of man he is.
In politics, philanthropy is often mistaken for campaign strategy. But those who have watched Prince Olatunji Olusoji over the years know better. His giving started long before any political conversation, and it continues regardless of season.
He believes that a society grows when the strong carry the weak, when the privileged remember the forgotten, and when leaders see service as sacrifice.
In his words during one of his empowerment programs: “If God has blessed you and your community is still in pain, then the blessing is incomplete. True greatness is measured by how many people you were able to lift.”
Prince Olatunji Olusoji, the Asiwaju of Ayere Kingdom, may not be on every billboard, but his footprints are in classrooms, hospitals, markets, and homes across Kogi State.
In him, we see a reminder that power without compassion is empty, and wealth without impact is wasted. He has turned kindness into a system, and humanity into a policy.
And in a nation searching for role models, his life answers a quiet but powerful question: What does it mean to be human?
It means to see, to feel, and to act.
For Asiwaju Prince Olatunji Olusoji from Ayere community in Ijumu local government area of Kogi state, kindness is not an event. It is the art he practices every day.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 30TH JULY)
