By: Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo
If Odolaye Aremu, a well-known Dadakuada artist from Ilorin, were still alive, I would have approached him and asked for a song praising Asiwaju Tunde Badmus as Idameji Osogbo ti won pe ni eni kan soso—half of Osogbo that is termed one person. The young kid who grew up in Isale Osun has become a source of hope and inspiration for the whole Osogbo community, a symbol of perseverance and determination.
His impact on Osogbo as a community extends beyond his economic operations and charity initiatives, instilling a feeling of unity, pride, and purpose. Asiwaju Badmus is not more than Osogbo; but he is an integral part of the town. It would be impossible to identify a family in the neighborhood who has not benefited from his business or humanitarian efforts. As an Osogbo native, if you haven’t tasted Badmus’ water, your sibling or family has probably worked in his firms or knows someone who has benefited from his scholarship program or job scouting programme.
When you read through his profile, you would discover that he believes so much in Osogbo. When he was advised against setting up his businesses in Osogbo, he nodded in disagreement and argued that he was ready to risk it for the town and her people. Asiwaju Badmus acquired his affection for Osogbo from his late father, Alabi Adekilekun Badmus, who was an Islamic scholar and businessman who shifted his enterprise from Ghana to Osogbo.
You do not need to meet Asiwaju Khamis Olatunde Badmus in person to understand his grandeur and contributions to human growth. Those who praise Asiwaju are unlikely to have met him in person. They know the business magnate via the people he has helped, tutored, and raised to the pinnacle of success. Though he resides in his home village of Osogbo, his stories of resilience, perseverance, and heroism have spread far beyond the town’s nooks and crannies. Asiwaju Badmus is known all over the world, but his journey began in Osogbo.
The young child from Ayogun complex in Isale-Osun is now 79. He completed his primary school education in Laro Timehin, Isale Osun, Osogbo. He completed his secondary schooling at Oke-Ibadan High School in Ibadan. Despite having reasons to stay in Ikare, a town in Ondo State, for years, he never abandoned his beloved Osogbo. Asiwaju works and spends in Osogbo.
Asiwaju Badmus is a story of business and community service. For every Osogbo resident, there are two TUNS: TUNS Farms and TUNS Water. While TUNS Water provides free, clean, and portable water to the Osogbo community, TUNS Farms promotes food security, job creation, and agricultural growth, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to community service and economic empowerment.
His successful ventures in poultry production, manufacturing, food (water, biscuits, and confectionery), and consulting through the TUNS Group of Companies, a conglomerate of two integrated limited liability companies, have not only benefited the local economy but also provided leadership, inspiration, and innovation.
Many people are unaware that, in addition to his contributions to business, agriculture, and philanthropy, he was formerly employed by the Nigeria Police Force and practiced journalism. He entered the police force as a cadet inspector in 1967 and quit in 1969, motivated by a desire to engage in community action. With the same zeal that drove him to join the police force, he shifted to journalism, using his abilities and resources to cover crime stories and assist vulnerable elderly people in Osogbo as a Daily Times Nigeria Limited staff member.
Asiwaju Badmus understands the importance of education. The man who dedicated a larger part of earning to scholarship surely knows the value of education. His confidence in certification pushed him to enhance his skills at the Daily Times Institute of Journalism, where Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi served as his mentor. He then worked for Western Nigeria Television/Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNTV/WNBC). He dedicated years of his life to journalism before retiring in 1981.
He established TUNS International, a company that specializes in the importing and installation of broadcasting equipment. He accepted the position of serving all NTA stations in the Southwest, including Bendel states. In 1985, he expanded into farming and renamed his company TUNS Farms (Nigeria) Limited. How he brings TUNS Farms from Osogbo to the national level is a vision-driven story loaded with resiliency, fortitude, and determination that must be taught by all entrepreneurs or small-scale owners that dream big.
As I commemorate Asiwaju Khamis Olatunde Badmus, I recall his contributions as a giver and financier in Islam, a journalist who prioritized crime reporting and assisted the elderly, a versatile communal activist who helped Osogbo become a capital, a business mogul who built a company from the ground up, and a thorough man who lived for Osogbo and her people.
