Kayode Emmanuel Oduoye, often referred to as ‘Superkay’, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

politician, lawyer, businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party and was the party's candidate for

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

in 2015.

Early life

Oduoye was born (October 6, 1970) in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its ...

to the family of Late Senator & Chief (Mrs) Simeon Olasunkanmi Oduoye of Ikirun in Ifelodun Local Government Area of

Osun State Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Ogu ...

. The Senior Oduoye was military governor of Niger and Ebonyi States between 1996 and 1999. He retired as an Assistant Inspector General in the

Nigerian Police The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. Designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country, as at 2016 it ha ...

in 1999. He also represented Osun Central Senatorially District in the

Nigerian Senate The Senate is the upper chamber of Nigeria's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly of Nigeria. The National Assembly (popularly referred to as NASS) is the nation's highest legislature, whose power is to make laws, is summarized in c ...

from 2003 to 2007. Kayode Oduoye attended INRI Experimental Nursery and Primary School, Onireke, Ibadan; St.Richard's Catholic Primary School, Jericho,

, and the famous Government College, Ibadan (GCI) where he sat for his West African School Certificate Examination in 1988.

Career

Oduoye gained admission to study Law at the

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

, Ile-Ife, in 1989; however, because of the unrest in the institution that year, he, like many "Jambites" of that time, did not resume academic work until 1990. From OAU, he received a Second Class Upper grade in Law in 1995 and also finished as the best foreign student in the Master of Law class at the

University of Buckingham , mottoeng = Flying on Our Own Wings , established = 1973; as university college1983; as university , type = Private , endowment = , administrative_staff = 97 academic, 103 support , chanc ...

, United Kingdom, in 1998. He majored in

International Trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...

and

Commercial Law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a bra ...

. Upon his return to Nigeria from his overseas studies, Oduoye set up ShalomKay Group. The company is involved in

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than tha ...

, energy, oil and gas.

Politics

Oduoye's foray into politics began in 2001, but because of the circumstance of his father's involvement in the politics as well, Kayode did not seek any political position at that time. However, he was actively involved in the youth mobilization activities for his father's successful senate bid in 2003. Nevertheless, in 2015 he contested for a seat in the

to represent the constituents of

Ifelodun Ifelodun may refer to : *Ifelodun, Kwara State, a Local Government Area in Nigeria *Ifelodun, Osun State, a Local Government Area in Nigeria *Irepodun/Ifelodun Irepodun/Ifelodun is a Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Irepodun/Ifelod ...

/ Odo-Otin/ Boripe Federal Constituency of Osun State. Based on the feelers from his party agents which indicated the election was skewed to favour his opponent, Oduoye was persuaded by his numerous supporters to challenge the results of the election at the Election Tribunal. On 16 December 2015, the Court of Appeal in

Akure Akure is a city in south-western Nigeria. It is the capital and largest city of Ondo State. The city had a population of 403,000 as at the 2006 population census. History Pre 1914 Rock engravings dating back to the Mesolithic period, hav ...

upheld the decision of the trial Tribunal led by Justice A.G. Kwajaffa and finally resolved the case against him.

Personal life

Oduoye is married to the popular

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

actress Mosunmola Filani-Oduoye. The marriage was solemnized at Graceville Chapel, Ikeja, on 29 April 2012 following a traditional wedding that took place 19 February 2012 in Ibadan. It is believed that his father, who died 21 March 2014, left a large sum of money to him, and critics cite that as the source of his philanthropic contributions.

Philanthropy

Oduoye sprang into prominence as a result of his philanthropic activities. He is widely accepted in his ancestral home of Ikirun, nay Osun State . According to an Osun-based Agunbe Advocacy Group, as reported by a national newspaper ''Dailypost:''

‘’''Kayode Oduoye(Superkay) is a man who can represent us adequately. The Free Bus Service he has brought to Ikirun is an innovation...and this has positively projected him as a man who understands the pains of the people...''"

Oduoye has also donated comfort materials and food-items to many orphanages including the St. Fatima's Hospital, Jolayemi Osogbo.

Awards and honours

Oduoye received a Doctor Honoris Causa from

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

, Illinois, in 2015. He was also conferred with the "Knight of the Law Society" (KLS) by the Law Students Society, OAU, Ile-Ife in 2015 and Exemplary Leadership Award by Rotaract Club of

Osun State Polytechnic Osun State Polytechnic, Iree also known as OSPOLY is a tertiary academic institution in Iree, Osun State, Nigeria. The Polytechnic was formerly a satellite campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan. It became autonomous on 12 October 1992 when the Govern ...

, Iree, in 2016. In addition, he has, on several occasions, received awards for his noble contributions to community and national development from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS South-West), Nigerian Union of Journalists, Osun State; OAU Chapter of the National Association of Osun State Students; and 2016 LAUTECH Graduating Medical Students, among others.

References

* Encomium Magazine http://encomium.ng/kayode-oduoye-house-of-reps-hopeful-unveils-his-manifesto/ * Vanguard Newspaper http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/mosun-filani-reacts-i-have-not-snatched-anybodys-husband/ * modern Ghana https://www.modernghana.com/movie/19585/kayode-oduoye-throws-surprise-bash-for-wife-mosun-filani.html * Eagle Online http://theeagleonline.com.ng/reps-election-hon-ajayi-floors-oduoye-at-appeal-court/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Oduoye, Kayode 1970 births Living people Politicians from Ibadan People from Osun Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians Yoruba politicians Obafemi Awolowo University alumni Alumni of the University of Buckingham Nigerian philanthropists Government College, Ibadan alumni Kayode