About Kingsley Fanwo
Kingsley Olorunfemi Fanwo was born into the humble family of Chief John Kayode Fanwo and late Mrs Titilayo Fanwo of Takete Ide Amuro. While his father, Chief Fanwo hails from Takete Ide, his mother, late Mrs Titilayo Fanwo hailed from Oroke Amuro. As fate would have it, his two parents were both teachers who majored in English Language and that divine arrangement, thus, gave Femi a firm base not only in English Language but any other language at his disposal. Owing to this parental background, whereby both parents were teacher, Femi Fanwo, as he is fondly called, was subjected to the best of academic and home disciplines from a very tender age. He was brought up in various places such as Zaria, Ilorin, Takete Ide, Iluke, Isanlu and Odo Ere among several others.
EDUCATION
Femi Fanwo’s education suffered a number of what can be best termed nomadic movements as a result of his parents’ movements from one town or village to the other on transfer, as government workers. He started his early Primary School education at the then Oyi Local Government School Management Board (OLSMB), Takete Ide Amuro in the present day Mopamuro LGA, Kogi State. But had to follow his father to Iluke where he completed his Primary School education at OLSMB Iluke Bunu, Kogi State.
Kingsley Fanwo immediately started his Secondary School education at Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu. From there, when he was in JSS 2, he moved on transfer to Titcombe College, Egbe, Kogi State. On the platter of his sterling performance in his Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination, he was admitted to the then Gifted Children School, Suleja, Niger State where he was to resume SS 1, but a terrible typhoid fever thwarted that arrangement and he had to continue his Senior Secondary education at GSS Iluke Bunu where, even at SS 2, he made his first attempt of the then “Almighty WAEC” and passed in flying colours.
Immediately after his Secondary School education, he picked up the gauntlet to further his studies. But being a man who values good name above all other things, in the order of Biblical injunction and in his determination to resist a move to conscript him into one of the dreaded cult groups, he could not complete his degree program in Mass Communications. However, he read journalism related courses at different levels at University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos. He also read English Language and Education at the National Teachers Institute, Ilorin Center, which qualifies him as a teacher. And for his penchant for knowledge in diverse fields, Fanwo later enrolled for a Degree Course in Theology at ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja of which he is at the verge of its completion. Therefore, it is noteworthy to say that Kingsley Fanwo combines journalism with teaching and theology to make him a full orbed scholar. In addition, he has also attended some professional courses in Nigeria, Ghana and the United Kingdom, one of which was the one he attended at BBC Headquarters in 2017. He is an avid reader and a prolific writer.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Before his appointment as the Chief Press Secretary and later Director General Media and Publicity to Governor Yahaya Bello, the Kogi State Governor, Kingsley Fanwo was a formidable byline in Nigeria’s journalism parlance with his prying eyes focusing on the socio-political issues in Kogi, Kwara and some other contiguous states. As such, he has run hundreds of headlines, opinions, commentaries and editorials on socio-political realities of these states spanning over a decade.
His professional experiences include the following:
• News Editor of Okun Digest
• News Editor of Okun People
• Features Editor of Milestone Magazine, Port Harcourt
• Publisher of The Banner Newspapers
• Senior Correspondent with Vanguard Newspapers
• Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kogi State
• Director General of Media and Publicity to the Governor of Kogi State (Till date)
LEADERSHIP ROLES
Kingsley Fanwo is a man who combines humility (omoluabi) with whatever he does. Thus, this has set him aside as a grassroots man, an epitome of a born leader. From his Secondary School days he has started mentoring young minds, even of the same age with him, to believe they are champions that must make the mark, barring all odds. Fanwo is an optimist who has never allowed himself to be cowed by circumstances around him.
His leadership roles, from his Primary School days, include the followings:
• Assistant Head Boy in his Primary School days
• Library and Water Prefect in his Secondary School days
• President, GSS Iluke Press Club
• He also presided over the Quiz and Debate Club in the School, leading the School debate Team to many victories.
• National President, Takete Ide Students’ Union
• Akeweje of Ayere land in Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State
FAMILY LIFE
Kingsley Fanwo is happily married to his beautiful wife, Ruth Fanwo and they are blessed with children.
POLITICAL CAREER
As a man who consistently wants the interest of his people protected, Kingsley Fanwo has been participating actively in politics predating the transition from military rule to the present democratic dispensation that started in 1999. He was one of the “rebels” that worked with Dr Oluwayomi David Atte to ensure the victory of the then Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) even against the popular party of the day in the 1996 Council Poll in Takete Ide/Otafun Ward of Mopamuro LGA. He has always been participating actively in politics; with an unwavered stand with the then All Nigerian People’s Party, ANPP, until it dissolved into the All Progressives Congress, APC. Fanwo is one of the foundation members of APC in Mopamuro Local Government Area.
In the build up to the gubernatorial election that ushered in the present administration in Kogi State, he played a prominent role in coordinating the Media section of the New Direction Campaign of Governor Yahaya Bello. He is now Kogi State Commissioner of Information
SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE
Being a chip of an old but strong bloc, who has benevolence bequeathed to him by his parents, Kingsley Fanwo started off his art of charity early in life with what can best be called “Personal Social Responsibility”. As a student, he was responsible for organizing After-School Lessons, Weekends and Holiday Classes for students to prepare them for national and African sub-regional examinations such as WAEC, NECO, JAMB, GCE etc. This singular gesture, among others, endeared him greatly to the beneficiaries at the time, and of which many of them are still paying glowing tributes to in flowery, yet non-exaggerative, words.
The following are some of his humanitarian contributions to the society:
• Donation of Sewing Machines to young girls who learnt fashion designing but could not afford the cost of purchasing their machines. This cut across all the wards in Mopamuro LGA.
• Donation of Motorised Plunger (Vulcanizing Machines) to Vulcanizers in order to boost their operations and income.
• Donation of Hair Dryers to Hair Dressers to help them in their trade.
• Donation of Clippers and Power Generating Sets to Barbers across the Local Government Area to empower them.
• Donation of Motor Bikes (Okada) to the Youths to enable them venture into transport business.
• Donation of Grinding Machine to some women of the LGA.
• Repair of Boreholes across his Ward to ensure steady water supply for his people
• Donation of chairs and canopies to communities and individuals for rental purposes.
• Granting of Scholarships to academically deserving and less privileged students across the Local Government Area on the platform of Titilayo Fanwo Foundation, a foundation he founded and continually funded in remembrance of his late mother.
• Donation of instructional materials to Nursery and Primary School Pupils.
• Donation of notebooks to students across the Local Government Area.
• Establishment of Titi Essay Competition through which many brilliant students are been rewarded handsomely.
• Provision of consistent support for religious and social groups across the Local Government Area.
• Sustained provision of food to widows and needies.
• Agricultural Support Program geared towards encouraging the youth of the LGA to go into farming. Also as a means of encouraging those youths to key into agribusiness, he also owns a farm in his home town, Takete Ide Amuro.
• Floating of a Medical Support Platform to cater for medical needs of the sick.
• Sponsorship of the Annual Miss Takete Ide Beauty Pageant to support the social life of the youths and the students.
• Employment of indigenes of Yagba to manage his media outfit, The Banner Newspaper which has been doing well since 2013.
• Employment of teachers to bridge the manpower gap in Government Day Secondary School, Takete Ide to support the students of the institution.
• Facilitation of the supply and installation of Solar Powered Street Lights in Takete Ide Amuro by New Moon Engineering Company.
• Constant Payment of Registration Fees for UBE students in Takete Ide.
To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness.
