By Olajide Hamzat
Time for a story. One woman stood still as she was ushered into the sprawling building where a short but crucial meeting will take place. This is not the first time the woman, mid-aged, dark-skinned and rotund would be coming to this place. Many months ago, she stepped into this magnificent building to the delight of the program organizers. As one of the respected market leaders in the city, everyone in her circle regarded her as a big fish in the big pond. Perhaps, anyone can talk to her but only a few can persuade her to act in support of a genuine and authentic course. This is one of the courses she ultimately believed in.
As she reflected on her first time in the compound, her mind raced back to the contribution of Amofin Beulah Adeoye’s financial scheme has done to her business. As that thought pre-occupied her mind, a few tears rolled down her cheek. It was an emotional and symbolic moment. Rather than ignore her in that moment of profound introspection, other women rally around her, wiped her tears and muttered silent prayers for their benefactor. One woman in particular launched into a powerful prayer point, asking the Almighty to grant the request of the legal luminary whose foundation has helped struggling businesses, stabilized families and put smiles on the faces of hundreds of homes. They all echoed a resounding amen. Here’s the backstory. The Beulah Adeoye Foundation, founded on the principle of empowerment with different schemes that offer various opportunities to all categories of people. For instance, students, market women, artisans, farmers etc have scheme tailored to address their peculiar needs. I have written about the implications of these schemes in addressing various socio-economic challenges in the previous column in Oyo State.
Think of the traders’ scheme as a financial inclusion package aim at augmenting petty businesses. It is not like the typical trader or market money that was rolled out by the former President Buhari’s government. In this case, once a trader accessed the loan, a file is opened for her. Timely repayment earns her a positive remark which is then used to assess her viability for subsequent application. Report from the foundation show that nearly all the traders have kept their own side of the bargain. That principle of reciprocity has helped establish an atmosphere of trust and commitment. The relationship between the traders and the beneficiaries of the Beulah Adeoye Foundation has been one of respect and mutual trust. The foundation is aware that in a society where trust is a rare commodity, it has a tough job to do in creating an environment that fosters trust. Instead of rolling out empowerment opportunities, the foundation went into research. The way the scheme worked is that, once a loan is returned, there’s a chance to apply for a bigger one. Lots of small businesses have immensely benefitted from this package with no connection to the legal luminary.
As a financial expert, Amofin Beulah Adeoye’s financial wizardry has helped governments, corporate organizations and in fact petty traders to overcome their various financial woes and flourish where others floundered. Call it vision, wisdom, foresight, Amofin Beulah Adeoye ticked all boxes of a deliberate leader whose passion for helping others regardless of their social economic status is second to none.
Olajide Hamzat writes about the various prospect and potential of Oyo state while projecting Amofin Beulah Adeoye as a solution provider, problem solver and creative, adaptive and innovative leader and thinker with compassion and empathy.
