Alhaji Oyenekan Farouk Solola was born to Badru Salaudeen Solola Sanyaolu and Alhaja Rabiatu Layonu Olorunkemi on 27 July 1944 in Sabongari Kano, KANO STATE, Nigeria. 

Farouk, as he is referred to by friends and family, is an Egba man from Abeokuta Township. He is from Lika compound in Igbein, Abeokuta. He is 8th generation descendant of Arole Basogun Otunba Oyinbo, a marine businessman who obtained the alias “Otunba Oyinbo” because of his intermediary role between the ‘Oyinbo’ and the indigenous marine business people.

Farouk attended Holy Trinity Primary School in Kano for kindergarten and primary education. At the age of 9 he was moved from Kano to live with his great uncle, Pa L.S Oshinowo who was a civil servant in the Western region of Nigeria in Ibadan. 

He attended Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan from 1959 to 1966 where he completed his secondary and higher school education and obtained a HSC in English, Economics and Government. He thereafter attended the University of Ife, Ile-Ife in Osun State from where he graduated with a B.A Honors in English.

He started his work life at United Africa Company (UAC) as a Management Trainee in 1971. He then moved to Ogilvy Benson and Mathers (OBM) to begin a career in advertising. As his career in advertising progressed, he moved to LINTAS where he worked until he established his own media and advertising company – Media Group Limited. The company which was a fore-runner  of its peers in the 1980s, serviced clients like the United Bank for Africa (UBA), First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), Livestock Feeds and many more.

In addition to advertising and publicity, Media Group also had subsidiaries who provided mobile cinema, book publishing, medical journal publication and graphic equipment maintenance services.  His children were actively involved in his business, often spending their school vacations working on one project or the other with daddy.

Farouk married the love of his life, Josephine Olasimbo (Nee Olatunji), on the 18th of April 1972 and they were blessed with six children – Olufunlola, Temitope, Temitayo, Tolulope, Olumide and Titilope through whom God has blessed them with many grandchildren. 

Olasimbo went to be with the Lord on 25th September 2020 and it is not surprising that Farouk departed this world on 18th April 2021 – their 49th wedding anniversary.