On October 4, 1955, a child of destiny, Babatunde Titilayo was born. His parents, Albert Olajide Fagbemi (the Chief Pharmacist for the entire then Western Region) and Omokunola Fagbemi and their entire household were filled with joy and gratitude to the Almighty.
He had his early education at St Agnes Nursery and Primary School, Maryland Lagos. Instructively, at that tender age, he had started displaying uncommon smartness, brilliance and promise. His grasp of words, ideas and figures as well as his knack for details were quite impressive and unusual for his age. On the basis of his outstanding performance at the admission examination, he was admitted into the prestigious Kíngs College Lagos (his father’s Alma Mater) In January 1967 from where he achieved Grade 1 in the West Africa School Certificate (WASC) in 1971. Some of his classmates in KC include: Dr. Emeka Udobi (a retired Physician/Director, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja), Mr. Atedo Peterside (Chairman, Cadbury Plc.), Mr. Dele Idrissu, among others.
Thereafter, Tunde registered for the WAEC advanced level to study science subjects to fulfill his father’s desire to read medicine, but as the saying goes, “Man proposes and God disposes”. Tunde, eventually studied social studies subjects, after a brief stint with pure sciences, at the then newly established Federal School of Arts & Sciences (FSASON) in his home town of Ondo in 1976/1977 as part of the pioneer set. At FSASON, he became a bridge builder; and because he understood the core values of friendship, he made friends across the Niger, some of whom remained his friends till the very end. General SG Ladipo (fondly called Supriser), Obong Emmanuel Ikpeme (a retired banker & community leader), Mrs. Kunbi Ero (nee Ladele - a distinguished senior journalist), Gabby Chilaka (US based Psychologist), Mr. Olusegun Sanni (a Communications specialist), Mr. Ade Sliinaba (Assistant Inspector General of Police), to mention a few, were amongst his classmates at FSASON.
When the results of the advanced level examination were released, Tunde came out in flying colours and was offered admission into several institutions of higher learning but he opted for the renowned University of Lagos (UNILAG) to study Mass Communication in the 1977/1978 session.
Tunde, fondly called Montana by his friends and admirers, was not done with earning distinctions and laurels: when he graduated from UNILAG, he won the following honours:
- Mass Communication Departmental prize for Best Student;
- Best Student, Faculty of Social Sciences;
- Vice Chancellor’s prize for Best student;
- Pro Chancellor’s award for the overall Best Student in that year, and
- University prize for the Best overall Student
Daily Times, the foremost newspaper in Nigeria at that time, was not going to be left out of the success story of Tunde as he was awarded the Daily Times prize by the management of the publication for the best graduating Mass Communication student and his photo with the array of prizes on the graduation day was splashed on the front page of the newspaper.
Tunde honed his skills as a journalist in the Punch newspaper where he worked briefly as a reporter in Lagos upon the completion of the mandatory one year national service in Jos, Plateau State. He turned down several lucrative offers from financial institutions. the academics, and, of course, the media in and out of Nigeria, because he had always had a passion for marketing communication on account of an earlier experience as an intern in Grant Advertising, arguably the leading advertising agency in the 80s & 90s in Lagos, and therefore decided to follow through with his passion.
Tunde joined the Nigeria Breweries as a Marketing Officer and through the grace of God, diligence and hard work, he rose to the enviable position of Brand Manager for the following market leaders in their categories: Green Sands Shandy, Maltina and Gulder.
In 1994, Tunde got married to Pamela Oluwakemi Aborowa and the union was blessed with his only child and daughter, Foyinsola.
He was head-hunted by Insight Communications, Lagos and came on board the organisation as Accounts Director of major accounts of the agency where he was responsible for top-of-the- shelf brands of Nestle, Nigerian Brewery, Guinness, Cadbury, among others.
Having now acquired robust and well-rounded marketing experience from the perspective of the advertisers as well as the advertising agencies, Tunde elected in 1991 to ply his trade at Cadbury, the fast moving consumer goods multinational, where he nurtured, developed and managed popular and household brands such as Knorr, Bournvita, Choco Milo and Tom Tom. Cadbury reciprocated BTF's diligence by fully supporting him on personal issues and a major surgery during the course of his tenure. BTF as he was fondly called by his colleagues in Cadbury eventually left Cadbury to venture into private practice as a marketing communication specialist.
But like it's often said, a gold fish has no hiding place, as he was yet again recruited by an organisation called Lotto Nigeria to head their marketing department as Director, Marketing. Together with the Managing Director and Director, Administration designates, Tunde headed for the parent company in Germany for an induction and training programme for 6 months. On the basis of his experience and sterling performance whilst undergoing training in Germany, Lotto Germany advised their sister company in Nigeria to appoint Tunde as the substantive Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer of the firm. Unfortunately, board room politics and disagreement by the Directors, scuttled the takeoff of the firm.
In 2004, Tunde married his soul mate, friend and heartthrob, Ibironke nee Makinwa, formerly a top executive in the banking industry.
The administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos, desirous of establishing a lotto regulatory agency for operators in the state, got wind of the situation in Lotto Nigeria and immediately made contact with Tunde, the inimitable marketing czar and appointed him the Chief Executive of the agency. Unfortunately, a few months into his resumption, Tunde suffered a stroke that he never quite recovered from despite the care and support provided by his wife, Ibironke. She ensured he got the best care and treatment in Nigeria and abroad and was personally responsible for his wellbeing. Family, friends and well-wishers will forever be grateful to for her labour of love to her husband and her famed generosity to all who came her way.
Tunde was indeed a very special person. Although a lot has been said about his prodigious intellect and extraordinary organisational prowess, there was indeed more to the man. As a devoted Christian, he was God-fearing and even-handed in his approach to life. He was as gentle as a dove, kindhearted and could not hurt a fly. Without being ostentatious, he gave unfiaggingly to all whom he came across without any expectations whatsoever. His sense of humour and laughter were infectious. He was selfless, unassuming, peaceful, simple, considerate, and a team player. He could be dubbed the real Mr. Cool!
In addition to the stated attributes, he was a true patriot who worked assiduously in every port of life that he found himself for a better Nigeria. A soccer aficionado and a special fan of Liverpool Football Club, Tunde held true to the chant of the supporters that the club “Will never walk alone”. Similarly, he loved his radio and listened regularly to BBC news and sports.
In his professional life, he was always first among equals. He bestrode the marketing communication landscape in Nigeria as a colossus and quite rightly so for he was, undeniably, a genius. He was also a master craftsman and Editors' delight as his contributions always got published due to the freshness, depth, lucidity and timeliness of his materials.
Like all mortals, Tunde Fagbemi passed onto glory on August 22, 2018.
With complete submission to the Almighty and His Sovereignty, it could be said with ample justification that this gentleman of impeccable character had much more to give than he actually did. But God knows best.
Tunde is survived by his aged Mother, Wife, Daughter, Brother, Sisters, Uncles, Aunties, Nieces, Nephews and Friends.
