…Egbe Omo Usi Confers “Pride of Usi and Brand Ambassador” Award on Wale Ojo-Lanre
By Victor Ogundipe
I was in Usi-Ekiti on Saturday, August 1, 2026, not merely as a spectator or participant at the colourful 45th Usi Day Celebration. I was there principally as a guest of my father, mentor, leader and boss, Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq., who was honoured by Egbe Omo Usi-Ekiti Worldwide with the prestigious “Pride of Usi and Brand Ambassador Award.”
The title of the award immediately arrested my attention.
It was not simply another plaque to be added to a collection. It was not one of those decorative honours conferred to flatter the wealthy, court political influence or reward generous donations.
It carried a deeper meaning.
To be declared a Pride of Usi is to be publicly acknowledged as someone whose life, conduct, service and accomplishments reflect the values of the community. It means that wherever the recipient goes, something of Usi travels with him. It means that his life has become part of the story the town is proud to tell.
That was why the moment was particularly moving.
Wale Ojo-Lanre did not arrive at the ceremony as a stranger returning home only because an award was waiting for him. He came dressed in dignified Yoruba attire and addressed his people fluently in Yoruba. It was not a performance rehearsed for the occasion. It was the natural expression of a man returning to the cultural soil that helped to form him.
Usi is not merely his ancestral town. Usi lives in him.
He and his siblings were brought from Osogbo to settle fully in Usi in 1974. From that time, he grew with the town, interacted with its people and experienced its peculiar mixture of tradition, Christianity, communal discipline, hard work and cultural pride.
He participated in the life of the community across social and religious boundaries. He was comfortable with traditional institutions, active within Christian circles and accessible to ordinary people.
He grew up, not on the soft cushions of privilege, but on the hard surfaces of rural life.
By his own account, he became the first male child in Usi to hawk iru—locust beans—an activity that was then largely regarded as the responsibility of girls and women. He hawked iru for his grandmother, the late Ibipeju Dada, popularly known as Eye Oluru, travelling through neighbouring communities and using part of the proceeds to support his early education.
There is dignity in that story.
It is the story of a boy who was not ashamed of honest labour. It is the story of someone who refused to allow a modest beginning to become a permanent limitation. It is also the story of how character may be forged through hardship rather than inherited with wealth.
Life would subsequently take him through Usi, Igbajo, Osogbo, Ede, Abeokuta, Lagos, Ikare-Akoko, Aba, Abuja, Kano and, eventually, Ibadan, where he has been based since 1991.
Each location added something to his formation, but none removed Usi from him.
Wherever he goes, he carries the identity, tradition, courage and communal values of his hometown. Whether he is speaking at an international tourism gathering, engaging government officials, writing in a national newspaper, participating in professional unionism or promoting culture, he reflects the audacity and resilience associated with Usi people.
RICH IN CHARACTER AND SERVICE
One of the most remarkable aspects of this award is that its recipient is not a billionaire.
He is not stupendously wealthy.
He cannot be numbered among those whose influence rests on limitless financial resources. He has not built his public identity around ostentatious living, convoys, mansions or the reckless display of material possessions.
But Wale Ojo-Lanre is rich.
He is rich in character.
He is rich in experience.
He is rich in education.
He is rich in professional versatility.
He is rich in service to humanity.
He is rich in the number of lives he has touched, institutions he has strengthened, younger people he has encouraged and communities he has projected positively.
In a society where money increasingly determines recognition, Usi-Ekiti has made an important statement: a person does not have to possess billions of naira before his community can be proud of him.
Character is wealth.
Integrity is wealth.
Knowledge is wealth.
A good name is wealth.
Service is wealth.
Consistency of purpose is also wealth.
That, to me, is the greatest significance of the honour bestowed on Wale Ojo-Lanre.
A LIFE ACROSS MANY PROFESSIONS
Reading through his professional trajectory reveals a man who has refused to be imprisoned within one narrow field.
He is a journalist, lawyer, tourism practitioner, cultural advocate, public administrator, unionist, writer, mediator and community servant.
His journalism career blossomed at the Nigerian Tribune, where he rose to become Associate Editor in charge of Tourism, Travel and Hospitality. Within the Nigeria Union of Journalists, he served as Secretary of the Nigerian Tribune Chapel, became a two-term Chairman of the chapel and subsequently served for two terms as Chairman of the Oyo State Council of the NUJ.
His performance during his first tenure earned him the distinction of becoming the first Oyo NUJ Chairman to be returned unopposed for a second term. His administration promoted professional training, institutional development and international exposure, including a historic engagement involving Oyo journalists and the late former President of Ghana, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.
Beyond journalism and unionism, he served as Chief Press Secretary to former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni, Director-General of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture and Senior Special Assistant on Tourism Development under former Governor Kayode Fayemi.
Today, he serves as the Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development under Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji. The official Ekiti State Government record confirms that he has occupied the position since October 3, 2023.
His academic and professional preparation is equally broad. He studied History Education, obtained postgraduate training in Peace and Conflict Studies, received professional education in journalism and proceeded to study Law before being called to the Nigerian Bar.
His international training includes journalism studies in the United States and Green Growth and Travelism at Hasselt University in Belgium.
Tourism, however, appears to be the golden thread running through his professional life.
He has travelled widely, participated in major international tourism engagements and spent decades promoting Nigeria’s cultural heritage, destinations and tourism potential. His contributions earned him a Long Service Award in Nigeria’s tourism development and promotion sector in 2024.
Yet, despite his mobility and international exposure, his heart has never travelled away from Usi.
A RECORD WITHOUT UNEXPLAINED BAGGAGE
Having worked closely with him, what impresses me is not merely the number of positions he has occupied but the manner in which he has passed through them.
To the best of my knowledge, he has never been indicted in any of the public offices or professional organisations where he served. His name has not become associated with unexplained wealth or the reckless acquisition of public property.
He lives simply.
He is passionate—sometimes almost excessively passionate—about any responsibility entrusted to him. Once he accepts an assignment, he throws himself into it with unusual energy, enthusiasm and determination.
He may not possess all the money in the world, but he brings efficiency, creativity, courage, loyalty and a strong sense of purpose to whatever he does.
He is also deeply devoted to his family and maintains relationships across generations and social classes. He relates with traditional rulers, government officials and eminent personalities, but he is equally at ease with artisans, traders, cultural performers, journalists and ordinary community members.
His life therefore demonstrates that relevance does not always come from the size of one’s bank account. Sometimes, relevance is the cumulative result of showing up, serving diligently, remaining accessible and refusing to abandon one’s roots.
A PROPHET HONOURED AT HOME
There is an old saying that a prophet is without honour in his own country.
Usi-Ekiti has proved that it does not always have to be so.
By recognising one of its sons while he is alive and active, Egbe Omo Usi has demonstrated wisdom. Communities should not wait until their worthy sons and daughters are dead before composing moving tributes, naming streets after them or recalling the services they rendered.
Honour is more meaningful when the recipient can hear the applause of his people, feel their embrace and understand that his sacrifices have not gone unnoticed.
The award is therefore not merely for Wale Ojo-Lanre. It is also a message to the younger generation of Usi sons and daughters.
It tells them that their community is watching.
It tells them that honest labour matters.
It tells them that education matters.
It tells them that professional excellence matters.
It tells them that remembering one’s roots matters.
It tells them that one can rise from hawking iru on the streets of Usi to travelling the world, becoming a journalist, lawyer, union leader, cultural administrator and tourism ambassador.
More importantly, it tells them that wealth is not the only road to recognition.
USI HAS SET ANOTHER PACE
Usi-Ekiti has always taken pride in its history, institutions and distinguished sons and daughters. Usi Day itself dates back to 1981 and has developed into an enduring platform for reunion, community development and cultural celebration.
But at the 45th Usi Day Celebration, the community set another pace by celebrating a man not principally for what he owns, but for who he is and what he has contributed.
That decision deserves commendation.
At a time when questionable wealth is often celebrated and honest people are ignored, Usi has chosen to honour character.
At a time when society sometimes measures human worth by the number of cars in a convoy, Usi has chosen to recognise service.
At a time when public applause can be purchased, Usi has chosen to applaud a reputation earned through decades of work.
I congratulate my father, mentor, brother, uncle, leader and boss, Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq., on his well-deserved recognition as a Pride of Usi and Brand Ambassador.
I salute the Olusi of Usi, the Olusi-in-Council, the leadership of Egbe Omo Usi-Ekiti Worldwide and the entire people of Usi for recognising that although a man may not be stupendously rich in money, he can be abundantly rich in character, knowledge, experience, integrity and service.
May this honour inspire him to do even more.
May it challenge other sons and daughters of Usi to serve with diligence and sincerity.
May other communities learn from Usi by recognising not only those who possess wealth, but also those who possess good names, sound character and demonstrable records of service.
God bless Wale Ojo-Lanre.
God bless Egbe Omo Usi-Ekiti Worldwide.
God bless the Olusi-in-Council.
And God bless Usi-Ekiti—the town that has once again set the pace.
Victor Ogundipe is the Personal Assistant to Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq., Director-General, Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development.