Meeting Femi Otedola is an experience I will forever cherish.
When I received an invitation to meet Mr Femi Otedola chairman of Forte Oil LTD, I didn’t think twice before accepting it. I was aware that he is one of the few billionaire who, with their love and compassion, balance out the negative energy that pervades our world.
As is the usual practice, I had planned to do some research/home work/rehearsal, it was a date with Destiny . i was happy to have an opportunity to meet a person of this stature and I also did a vigil so the meeting wouldnt be re-scheduled to another day.
The moment I arrived. I was looking forward to meeting him because I had heard and read so much about him. But nothing could have prepared me for the encounter that ensued. As he walked into the room, I knew this experience would be different than what i had imagined.
My first feeling on seeing the radiant face of “F.O” was that I am meeting a living saint. His politeness struck a chord. The way he held me up when I bowed to greet him, the warmth with which he approached me, the endearing smile on his face, were welcoming and comforting. His soft-spoken manner, his gentle laughter added another dimension to his splendid aura.
When we started “gisting”, I felt like I’ve never felt before. It’s indescribable. It was kind of like a combination of nervousness and happiness. From the very first interaction with him, I instinctively knew that the list of questions I had planned to ask as a publicist were inconsequential. My instincts were right. Our conversation had somehow got magically transformed into an experience where I felt I was in a presence of a beautiful human being .
As our discussion progressed, I was no longer a publicist, I became a witness. In doing so, I could see love for all humanity oozing out of his every cell as he shared with me his exquisite thoughts about how each Nigerian could seek health, happiness, harmony and fulfilment and how Nigeria as a whole can be a better place. His thoughts were at once simple and uncommon.
What struck me the most was that F.O is a man who didn’t simply preach that greatness is in everyone – he believed so himself. This came across emphatically throughout our discussion, but specifically when I thanked him for sharing his thoughts with me and he quickly thanked me in return, saying: “I too appreciate you for honouring this visit out of your tight busy schedule. ( In my mind I was like if only you knew my English name was ” Free”.
During the entire engagement, I noticed several unique traits about Femi Otedola: the endearing smile is a permanent feature on his face. His ideas on surrendering to God, serving others and making others happy, living in harmony with nature and such were not merely intellectual concepts. He lives by them. His whole life is an example of a man who practises first, then preaches. His sincere humility is known to inspire. His genuine compassion is contagious. Certainly, I was infected.
I was feeling blissful and blessed in his presence. I wanted to continue hearing his soothing voice, listening to his soul-uplifting thoughts and watching his glowing face. No wonder I wanted this meeting to go on and on. But I knew that it had to end. And that thought saddened me. I asked him to bless me and once again he flummoxed me with his humility by asking me to bless him, at this moment I was lost, he then held my hand and said, “You are blessed.” I felt I had been touched by God because only God can be this perfect
As he escorted me out, I had moist eyes, F.O’s presence is so overwhelming that when the time to leave comes, the heart yearns for more.
Nigerians deserves Leaders like this.
