Chief Adetola Babatunde Adeniyi, international journalist, writer, author, speechwriter, and a most prolific columnist and commentator, began his career in journalism as an official reporter in 1959. Since that time when he erected a public press board at Ago- Iwoye Secondary School, Chief Adeniyi has devoted a whole life to various genres of mass communication, ranging from acting, to singing, to debating, drumming, poetry and choreography.
Since he graduated from the Quranic school [Wolimat 1955] and started his Ewi [Yoruba poetry recitation] on the network of Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961, Tola Adeniyi has continued to be a mass educator and a fighter for probity in public life as taught by holy scriptures. His Islamic background has continued to influence his worldview.
Credited with well over 13,000 articles in newspapers, journals, and magazines published in virtually all the continents of the world, particularly in Africa, with the defunct Sketch newspapers, the Daily Times, the Nigerian Tribune and the Punch, and in America’s Atlanta Inquirer, Britain’s Lancashire Evening Post, and Canada’s Toronto Star, and York Region’s Business World, Chief Tola Adeniyi is without a doubt one of the most engaging writers of our time and a world class intellectual, researcher and scholar.
Author of some dozen books including Teenagers Must Repent [1964] Aiye Ode Oni[1964], Soul Fire [1974], The Lunatic[1976] Nigerian Professionals [1985] The Jewel a biography of Chief Mrs. HID Awolowo, Theatre On Wheels [1997] Deaths in the Thighs [2001] and In the Belly of Vultures [– a 1,238-page Compendium] [2018], amongst others. Chief Adeniyi has also authored several poems, plays, and documentaries yet to be published.
A vibrant political commentator and consummate analyst, Chief Adeniyi is also a strategist and tactician and has over the years been a Consultant on Media, Strategy and Public policy to several top level political office holders and Corporate Institutions across the country.
Africa’s first Newspaper Ombudsman, 1974/75, Chief Adeniyi, a.k.a. Aba Saheed, has held executive positions as Deputy Managing director of Sketch Newspapers, Director Times Journalism Institute, Editor -In- Chief Nigerian Tribune Newspapers, Chairman/ Managing Director of Daily Times of Nigeria, and Chairman/ Publisher of The Stamp and Naked World newspapers.
Renowned Administrator, Chief Adeniyi was a Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission 1987-89, Federal Permanent Secretary charged with the Relocation of Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja, and Special Consultant to Mr. President on Intelligence and Strategy.
A widely traveled man who has visited all the five continents of the world, Chief Tola Adeniyi has participated in the following professional courses and seminars: British Council workshop on Book selling, Ibadan [1971] First International Seminar on Publishing in Africa, Ile-Ife [1973] First National Workshop on Theatre Arts, Port Harcourt [1975] Management Seminar of Nigeria Institute of Management, Benin City [1976] International Conference on Radical Perspective on African Literature Bulgaria [1979] Workshop on Community Newspapers and Intelligence Gathering Atlanta [1979], International Workshop on Population Census, Cairo [1988] and International Seminar on Multiculturalism and Diversity , Edmonton, Canada [2002]
Chief Adeniyi relocated first to Lancaster University UK as Visiting Lecturer in 1994, and moved to Canada with his entire family in 1995 to establish Canada College of Business and Technology and Canada University Press.
Founder/Chairman, Canada-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Founder, Canada Africa Chamber of Commerce, Member of The Writers Union of Canada; Member, Association of Nigerian Authors; Member of Nigerian Institute of Management; Member, Association of Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries, Member, Nigerian Union of Journalists; Member, International Press Institute; Fellow of Association of Commonwealth Journalists and Fellow Nigeria Guild of Editors; National President of League of Nigerian Columnists, Chief Adeniyi has also served as Member, Western State Arts Festival Committee [1969-1973; Member Research Committee National Arts Council [1970-75]; Founder/Editor National Cultural Revolution Movement [1971]; Founder/Leader, Black Nationalists Movement [1971]; Member National Committee on formulation of National Cultural Policy [1976-77;, Member Oyo state Governing Council for Arts and Culture [1980-83]; Chairman Board of Governors Ago-Iwoye Secondary School [1977-79]; and two-term Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations Oyo state [1988-89-90-91].A traditionalist and community leader, Chief Adeniyi has been honoured with well over 27 chieftaincy titles and appointed a Justice of Peace.
Chief Tola Adeniyi, winner of Best All Round Student Award [1964/65], 2nd Prize John Kennedy Essay Competition Award, [1965], a Federal and Western Region Scholar [1966-69] and Afro-American International Journalists Award [1979], holds an honours degree in English from the University of Ibadan, a Masters degree in Theatre Studies from University of Lancaster, UK, and Diplomas in Mass Communication and Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages.[TESOL]
A non-partisan political impresario, Chief Adetola Babatunde Adeniyi is the Chairman Linkworld-ICC, and Managing Consultant The Knowledge Plaza as well as Chairman/CEO of Toronto based Canada College of Business and Technology and Canada University Press.
