By Mike Adeyemi
There are people you meet in life and quickly forget. There are others whose encounters with you leave an indelible mark on your memory. My encounter with Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf, Chairman of KAM Holdings Nigeria Limited, MON, belongs to the second category.
As he celebrates his 60th birthday, I have chosen not to write about him merely from the perspective of his accomplishments as an industrialist, rather, I want to share a personal experience that, for me, revealed a different side of the man behind the name Kamwire.
If I am asked to recount one of the most memorable and, at the same time, frightening experiences I have had since taking journalism as a career, I would readily point to the day I had a face-to-face encounter with the Chairman of KAM Holdings Nigeria Limited, Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf, MON. It was an encounter I will never forget.
The name Kamwire is a household name in Ilorin and Kwara State. I cannot pretend that I did not know about the company or its chairman, especially given the prominence of KAM Holdings in the industrial landscape of the state. However, my interest in Kamwire and its chairman became more pronounced when I was assigned to the Business Desk of National Pilot Newspaper, Ilorin.
Having gone through my profile and curriculum vitae, the then Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Alhaji Billy Adedamola, under whose tutelage I learnt and developed my journalism skills, decided to place me on the Business Desk. As someone with an academic background in economics, he believed I could contribute meaningfully to the beat. I was paired with a colleague, Matthew Dennis, who was already on the desk, and we were charged with the responsibility of broadening our coverage and making the business beat more vibrant.
For me, that meant one thing: I had to constantly scout for business stories. A journalist covering a beat cannot afford to allow that beat to become dormant. It was in the course of one of such searches for business stories that I found myself at the Kwara State office of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). I approached the person overseeing the office then and explained that I needed information on the activities of the association and the manufacturing sector in Kwara State. He welcomed my request and directed me to the associations scribe to speak with me.
The story was subsequently published in National Pilot. The timing was significant. It was close to the 2019 general elections, and political activities across Kwara State were already at fever pitch. The story I wrote was strictly based on the interview I had conducted and the information made available to me. It was published accordingly. But what happened afterwards changed everything.
Someone online, whose identity I still do not know till today, lifted the story, changed the headline and gave it a political interpretation. The altered version was presented as though it represented the position of the Kwara State chapter of MAN. The story eventually found its way to the morning news on Sobi FM, where it was reported that Kwara MAN had aligned itself with a particular political party. That was where the matter became serious.
Apparently, someone who heard the report informed Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf, the Chairman of KAM Holdings, about the alleged position of MAN. Dr. Yusuf reportedly contacted the person at the helms to find out why such an interview had been granted. He denied granting the interview in the form in which it was being circulated..Eventually, the person who had syndicated my story was arrested. During questioning, he reportedly admitted that he had lifted the original story from National Pilot, writen by myself, Mike Adeyemi
I was subsequently invited alongside my colleagues, and we were taken to Dr. Yusuf’s office along Asa-Dam Road, Ilorin. I went there with my own copy of the original publication. I was determined to defend my story because I knew exactly what I had written and what had been published. I stood my ground. At first, Dr. Yusuf appeared unconvinced. He seemed to believe that I was attempting to shield the MAN’s officer from responsibility. But I insisted that the publication before him was my original story and that the politically coloured version being circulated was not what I wrote. The atmosphere became tense.
At one point, Dr. Yusuf made calls to the police headquarters, apparently asking them to come and arrest those involved. We became apprehensive. We pleaded with him not to take the matter further or have the police arrest us. Then came the moment I will never forget. Dr. Yusuf looked at me, shook my hand and told me to stand up. He examined my copy of the publication and acknowledged that my version was professional and factual..It was a huge relief.
He then explained what had actually angered him. According to him, the issue was not necessarily with the journalist who wrote the story, but with what he described as the conduct of the person he had entrusted with responsibilities within the Kwara MAN structure..He said the person had allegedly bypassed established protocols and acted without properly carrying him along. That, he explained, was what had infuriated him. Interestingly, the encounter that had started on a very frightening note suddenly became a lesson in courage, professionalism and standing by one’s work.
Dr. Yusuf told me that he respected the fact that I had stood firmly by my story and defended myself with confidence. He then gave my colleagues, Mathew Dennis and me a substantial amount of money..I still remember one of his statements that day. He asked, in essence, what would happen if he instructed the police to lock us up and how our wives and children would feel at home. That statement particularly touched me because, at the time, my wife was heavily pregnant and was already close to delivery.
As fate would have it, she gave birth to a baby boy the following week. Looking back today, what began as one of the most frightening encounters of my journalism career eventually became one of the most memorable..Since that day, Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf has known me. Whenever I encounter him at public functions, he recognises me. Sometimes, he even calls me over and gives me something.
For me, that is more than the monetary gesture. It is a reminder that professionalism, courage and honesty can leave lasting impressions..Journalism can be a difficult profession. There are moments when a reporter’s work is misunderstood, manipulated or even weaponised by people with interests different from those of the journalist..But that experience with Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf taught me an important lesson: when a journalist knows that he has done his work professionally and truthfully, he must have the courage to stand by his story.
My encounter with Kamwire was frightening. But it was also memorable..And decades from now, if I am asked to recall some of the encounters that shaped my journey as a journalist, the day I sat face-to-face with Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf will certainly be among them. What started as a frightening confrontation ended as a memorable relationship.
For me, however, the greatest gift from that encounter was not the money. IIt was the recognition. It was the handshake.It was the moment a potentially unpleasant encounter transformed into mutual respect.
Today, as Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf clocks 60, I celebrate not only the industrialist whose name has become synonymous with KAM Holdings and Kamwire, but also the man I encountered personally. I celebrate a man who has built an enduring business enterprise, created opportunities and contributed to the economic development of Kwara State and Nigeria.
I celebrate a man whose journey demonstrates that success is not achieved overnight, but through resilience, courage, hard work and the ability to keep moving despite challenges. And, on a personal note, I celebrate a man whose encounter with a young journalist left a lasting impression on that journalist. Dr. Kamoru, your 60th birthday is not merely a celebration of age. It is a celebration of impact. It is a celebration of industry.. It is a celebration of resilience. It is a celebration of a life that has touched many people in different ways.
My encounter with Kamwire started with apprehension, but it ended with admiration. That is why, today, I can comfortably say: Happy 60th birthday to an industrialist, a businessman, a builder of people and enterprises, and, above all, a man whose name has become a significant part of the industrial story of Kwara State.
May Almighty God grant you many more years in good health, sound mind and greater accomplishments. May the next decade of your life be even more impactful than the last six. Happy 60th birthday, Dr. Kamoru Ibitoye Yusuf, MON. Long live Kamwire. Long live the man behind the name.
Mike Adeyemi is a journalist. He writes from Ilorin -Kwara State.
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