In the face of daunting odds and upheaval, Grace is what makes for longevity in a country as Nigeria that is often greeted with twists, particularly in recent times. Attaining the golden age of fifty years is a milestone worth celebrating, irrespective. Hence, the Publisher of the globally reckoned Ondo Events online news and social events magazine turns the corner and arrives at the threshold of 50, rolling out the drums is much more in order.
Bola Olagbegi was born on Sunday, 3rd January, 1971, 11 years after Nigeria’s Independence. Olagbegi, no doubt shares a nominal nomenclature with the famous Owo Clan of the Olagbegis, but Bola as he is known in media circle is a bonafide Idepe born from the famous Olagbegi family of Abusoro in Idepe Okitipupa. Bolarinwa is the son of the former Lisa of Idepe Okitipupa , High Chief Lawson Olagbegi of blessed memory. His father in his life time was a royalty who bestrode Ikale like a colossus, a popular man, loved and cherished by his kit and kin.
His encounter with Francis Ibikunle, the Texas, United States based ‘IT Wizard’ led to his journey into the publishing of the online news medium, ” Coastal news.” Olagbegi Bolarinwa managed Coastal news online for the upwards of three years , projecting features and breaking news from Ondo axis to the global platform through the online news medium. Olagbegi, who understands and appreciates patronage a great deal says his encounter with Francis Ibikunle opened his eyes to the nitty gritty of online news publishing and the need to make our people outside Nigeria to have a first class knowledge of goings on in Nigeria, Ondo state and particularly the Southern senatorial district of Ondo state. Interestingly enough, Coastal news online was the only online news medium in the Ondo state axis interfacing with the rest of the world with the development strides of the government of the day then. There is no gainsaying the fact that Coastal news served as the only online publicist of the government and administration of the government that Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu succeeded.
However, Bola Olagbegi’s bid to cover and report Ondo state beyond the Ondo South Senatorial District gave rise to the Ondo Events news medium so that there could be a broader platform through which issues and events coming out of Ondo state are better reported with a wide reach and larger audience and readership.
The birthday boy had had his own sour sweet experience about life. Growing up in the early 80s, Bola as a young boy was a living witness to the Ajasin/ Omoboriowo political crisis which claimed the life of his only sister, Abiodun Olagbegi, whose death was as a result of a stray bullet which hit her while chewing stick in her door mouth in Akure during the civil unrest that greeted the announcement of the result of the General election of that fateful year. Prior to this time , Bola Olagbegi had lost his only maternal brother, Dolapo Olagbegi to a brief illness. He therefore lived his youthful life as a lonely child as his maternal siblings had all died before the age of 15. Strange enough, Bola had lost his two maternal siblings when they got to Class four in secondary school; he became an item of a special prayer request when he got to Form 4 in secondary school as it was in this class that he had lost both his maternal siblings. As God would have it, regardless of the morbid fear nursed towards him in his fourth year in secondary school, he survived and went ahead to further his education and, looking back today, he can’t afford not to thank God for his existence.
January, 2021 makes it 10 years since Bola Olagbegi has been managing Ondo Events, churning out breaking news about activities of government and govt agencies all around the Sunshine state of Ondo.
Ondo Events, under the management of Bola Olagbegi, has reported the activities of the office of the First Lady of Ondo state, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, for the upwards of three and half years now, a beat he has done religiously. Describing his reportage of the activities of the Ondo state first Lady, Olagbegi said Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu is a mother who deals with the demands of her office with calmness and equanimity which makes it possible for her staff to relate with her conveniently.
Olagbegi Bolarinwa had managed a global business enterprise, House of Laces in Idumota, Lagos before his fora into online media journalism.
Talking about his view about life, Olagbegi says, the best way to improve the course of humanity is to show assistance to the less privileged in the society. He said he is impressed by the activities of Ondo state first Lady, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu and he identifies with her very lofty ideas of improving the lot of the less privileged in the society.
As he celebrates his fiftieth birthday anniversary, Bola Olagbegi can’t help but return his whole appreciation to God who has brought him this far, regardless of all the upheavals and challenges.
Sharing his dream with this reporter, Bola Olagbegi said he is quite ambitious of owning an online TV medium which he hopes to use to project the activities of the good people of Ondo state to the entire globe. He congratulates Governor. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his victory on his re-election as Ondo state Governor and expressed his best wishes to the good people of Ondo state as a new year begins.
Bola Olagbegi is married to his wife, Mrs. Oseyemi Aduke Olagbegi nee Iji a teacher with Ondo state Teaching service Commission (TESCOM) and their marriage is blessed with three lovely sons.
