TRIBUTE TO JOHN AJAYI : A FRIEND TO CHERISH FOREVER

BY ABIODUN AJALA

My dear friend, MR. JOHN AJAYI, the media and marketing giant and founder of MARKETING EDGE, has just joined the ranks of his ancestors. It’s very bad news. This grave reality has kept on working my mind into anguish as to why it happened too soon. For the urbane and amiable gentleman, John, was yet to make it to 80, 90 or even to a hundred years of age.
Sadly, and rather unfortunately, it all seems that Nature has a way of not openly sharing, with us, the macabre mysteries that determine who lives to be a hundred or six score years. If I had my way, within the estimations of the type of longevity apportionable to a man passionately committed to promoting purpose-driven productivity as well as profitable civic and professional lifestyles, I’d have wished that JOHN AJAYI lived a minimum of a hundred and two score years.
But that’s only a wish in honour of a precious fellow whose focus, in life, was on bringing lasting, profitable and sustainable values into any relationship he struck with anyone across all strata of society. That’s just about my anguish-driven wish. A wish to have him around to disciple as many thousands or hundreds of thousands as possible, in his civic and commercial highway of the pursuit of excellence for both purposeful and prosperous living at home , in social circles and in the workplace.

My friendship we JOHN AJAYI was rooted in the shared values of compassion, diligence, unconditional love and the desire to embrace any opportunity to help others in whatever areas of our mutual competence , capabilities and resources. And John AJAYI never held back, whenever the opportunity arose, to lift up the fallen,to shed empowering light on the way of the seeker and to brighten the face of the frustrated with smiles of hope..
John AJAYI had acquired a mastery of the genius of the eagle in his approach to dealing with the various circumstantial and schemed storms of life. Thus, despite the strains, stress and hardships that trailed him early in life, he never allowed such bitter experiences to define his relationship with people as he crawled, rose and soared to become a highflyer in the media and marketing arena. And not only did he espouse journalism as a communication tool for a purpose-fulfilling ladder to ultimate self-actualization, he also explored all possible avenues to use it as an instrument of advocacy for the promotion of justice , profitable productivity and healthy competition in the marketplace of business . With such such visionary, compassionate and moral stance, he chose the path of transforming the media space into a courthouse of fair play, civic responsibility, inclusive justice, responsive governance and corporate social responsibility.
After having secured an influential seat in the media and marketing space with his exceptionally impactful magazine, MARKETING EDGE, he left no one doubting as to what his idea of perfection meant in both private and public life. And this refreshes my memory about the mantra he usually put forth in his relationship with members of his staff as well as with fellow journalists and marketers. The slogan was: “AIM FOR PERFECTION. IF YOU MISS IT, YOU WILL LAND ON EXCELLENCE.’
Such visionary and highly resourceful mindset naturally requires a lot of discipline. John AJAYI had always deployed lots of it in personal tasks, team work, in the delegation of duties as well as in the planning of corporate events to showcase each year’s stellar business champions amongst the movers and shakers of the corporate world.

It’s worth noting that John AJAYI’s pursuit of excellence was both inclusive and contagious. His approach to pursuing excellence in life was equally reflected in what he wished for people in his circle of both private and corporate relationships. From within this perspective, I recall the challenge I was facing during the foundation stages of the Guild of Photojournalists Nigeria. At the time, the then nascent association needed an office very urgently. There arose the pressing need for an operational space in which to engage in such transformative brainstorming and strategizing as would help facilitate the process of achieving set goals within specific time lines In such a critical situation, securing an office space in Ikeja could have called for hundreds of thousands or over a million naira at the time. And it was clear that the association could not afford such expenditure. So during an interaction with John AJAYI, I opened up to him on my dilemma.
No sooner had he discerned the burden of my worries than he declared that I skip all stress He instantly provided the new association with a private office within his expansive corporate headquarters in Ikeja. And not only did he provide the office space for the Guild of Photojournalists Nigeria, he, as well, offered to give all marketing and sponsorship support to ensure its steady and successful growth.
That’s typical of how John AJAYI walked his talk with clarity, dignity and inspiring beneficence. And that’s how he endeared himself and Marketing Edge not only to the membership of the Guild of Photojournalists Nigeria, but also to all attendees who enjoyed the intellectual and socioeconomically empowering reflections of his corporate support during our annual conferences from inception till date.
Such sacrificial desire to help and uplift others , whether family members, friends, acquaintances or even total strangers, characterized the beautiful, inspiring and impactful life of our beloved brother and friend, John AJAYI lived. His life was, and ever remains an open global forum for sustainable transformational possibilities. Thus, within the HEAVEN-ILLUMINATED domain of the hereafter, Brother John AJAYI still remains as close and as helpful to us all, either directly or indirectly. And it shall remain ever so in any lovely memories about a life well lived to THE GLORY OF GOD and for the collective good of all humanity.

Abiodun Ajala
Photo Editor,
Thisday Newspapers writes from Lagos