Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola and former Governor Olusegun Osoba will on Thursday, March 24, join others to celebrate the 50th birthday of publisher/editor-in-chief of YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine, Azuh Arinze.
Mr. Arinze will also unveil two new books, A Taste of Success and Conversations With Showbiz Stars on the day.
The two-in-one event will take place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), on Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the distinguished chairmanship of Mr Osoba.
Mr. Fashola will be the keynote speaker.
Lawyer, journalist and activist Richard Akinnola will be the book reviewer.
Special guests at the event will include group managing director of Sodium Group, Abisoye Fagade (book presenter); Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin (royal father of the day); former director-general of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside; presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina; veteran musician and actress, Onyeka Onwenu, and Ovation magazine publisher, Dele Momodu; others are general overseer of Revival Assembly Church, Anselm Madubuko; executive vice chairman of Verdant Zeal, Dr. Tunji Olugbodi; president, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and CEO of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, and former managing director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Otunba Seni Adetu.
Shedding light on the books, the author described them as distinct.
“The first one, A Taste of Success, is a compendium on what anyone desirous of tasting success in any field of human endeavour must do,” Arinze said.
Editor-in-chief, Leadership Newspaper, Azu Ishiekwene, said of the book: “It’s not the run-of-the-mill motivational variety, often quickly assembled by authors who claim that if you have not read their collection you won’t get far in life… In my opinion, the writer has assembled a miniature compendium of the life stories and careers of eminent and successful people across different spectrums. It’s a worthy and interesting compilation and will make a good collectors’ item.”
Steve Ayorinde, a former Editor of The Punch and one-time commissioner for information and strategy in Lagos, who wrote the foreword of the second book said: “This book blossoms with each page and interviewee. It contains all shades of funny, touching, blunt and sometimes controversial responses which makes it yet another compelling product from an elegant interviewer and conversationalist.”
On his life at 50, the author said: “All I want to say is thank you, Lord. For life, for good health, my blessed family, my precious mother, my irreplaceable siblings, my supportive friends, my selfless mentors and all those who have supported me and my business in one way or the other. I am indeed very, very grateful for how far the Lord has brought and blessed me. Without meaning to sound like another Oliver Twist, all I ask of the Lord is another 50 years. Of course, in good health, mind, body, soul and with the requisite prosperity.”
