Femi Babalola Jogor is a coat of many colours — an A-rated civil engineer, businessman, politician, entrepreneur, farmer, and much more. More importantly, however, his life is a mirror of inspiration to the younger generation, who often learn faster from examples than from precepts.
Jogor is a man who, in the immortal words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “inspires us from what we know to what we can be.” He is, in many respects, a living quotation in engineering, enterprise and self-development.
This was vividly demonstrated in a recent scintillating episode of Open Forum with Dara Ade — A Conversation That Inspires Development, where Engineer Femi Babalola Jogor, through critical thinking, rationality and personal recollections, shed light on some of the assumptions surrounding his life, governance, politics and other issues of public importance.
The crisp and revealing interview was more than a conversation; it was an exposition. For me, it renewed the will to strive for greatness and supplied that extra vigour to shape up and do better.
Maya Angelou once observed: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Listening to Jogor, one could appreciate how a life lived with courage, discipline and purpose can leave precisely that kind of impression.
The making of “Jogor”
He began with the story behind the appellation “Jogor”, which has now become almost inseparable from his name and has itself grown into a household identity, particularly through his famous event centre.
The name, as he explained, dates back to his days as a student of Government College, Ibadan, in 1975. What began as a school nickname eventually followed him into adulthood and became part of the identity by which he is widely known.
One of the striking takeaways from the conversation was his deep connection with Ibadan. Born in Fiditi but educated entirely in Ibadan, he has worked, served and built his life in the city. In his own description, he is essentially a 100 per cent Ibadan boy.
But beyond geography was the more profound story of self-belief.
“I was so confident I would pass JAMB,” he recalled — an expression that, in retrospect, speaks to what may be called self-respect for one’s own ability. That confidence became one of the foundations of his remarkable rise.
His father’s uncompromising standard also played a significant role.
“If you are brilliant enough, you make the first list. I don’t reckon second list,” his disciplinarian father was said to have told him.
Jogor’s recollection of this philosophy was particularly striking because it revealed a childhood where excellence was not treated as an option but as an expectation.
And then came the remarkable JAMB mathematics story.
“I scored 100 in JAMB. My record can’t be broken because nobody can score 101.”
The statement, delivered with his characteristic confidence, was humorous but instructive. It was a reminder that sometimes the ceiling is not imposed by circumstances but by the limitations we place on ourselves.
Courage to knock on the door
Another lesson from his story is the power of courage.
As a young engineer, he once came across an engineering consulting firm and simply walked in.
“I walked in and asked for the partner.”
That simple act of audacity became a turning point.
There is something profoundly instructive about that episode. Opportunities do not always announce themselves with invitations. Sometimes, they are behind doors that must be knocked on — and occasionally, opened with courage.
His life therefore evokes the courage to attempt, the courage to ask and, perhaps most importantly, the courage to refuse defeat before the contest has even begun
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He also spoke about his days as a footballer at the University of Ibadan, demonstrating that participation in extracurricular activities need not be antithetical to academic excellence. His experience reinforces the possibility of developing different dimensions of oneself without sacrificing intellectual pursuit.
From engineering to development thinking
Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of the conversation was his discussion of development planning.
Speaking from the perspective of an engineer, he emphasised the importance of having a development plan and prioritising projects rather than attempting to do everything at once. Thec famous maxim “Rome was not built in a day” is a reminder that sustainable development requires sequencing, patience and deliberate prioritisation.
That engineering mindset also came through when he discussed infrastructure and governance issues, including the water-related concerns surrounding the Ada-Adamasingba Stadium project and the question of alternative ways to power solar streetlights.
Whatever one’s political interpretation of these issues, the underlying lesson from his contribution was the importance of thinking beyond conventional solutions and interrogating assumptions before committing public resources.
Loyalty and political identity.
On politics, Jogor spoke about his relationship with the Peoples Democratic Party and described himself as a foundation member who has remained with the party from its beginning.
He recalled the difficult political environment in which the PDP was established in the Southwest, noting that joining the party at the time came with its own political costs.
His words were revealing:
“I am a foundation member of PDP. I am passionate about PDP. I have a relationship with my party, with PDP. And when I say relationship, we started the party from the scratch.”
Whether one agrees with his political choices or not, the story provides an interesting perspective on the meaning of political commitment and institutional memory — especially from someone who says he has been associated with a political organisation from its formative years.
The engineer as a thinker
The interview also touched on his relationships with past governors, his eventual involvement in a World Bank project and his professional perspectives on infrastructure and governance.
What stood out was the way he approached these subjects: not merely as a politician looking at politics, but as an engineer attempting to interrogate problems through logic, planning and practical solutions.
That may well be the most important takeaway from the conversation.
Jogor is not simply a story about what a man has accumulated; it is a story about how a man has shaped himself.
From a schoolboy nickname in 1975 to a recognised name in business and public life; from a confident student who believed he could excel to an engineer who walked into an office and asked for the partner; from football on the University of Ibadan campus to engineering, business and politics — his journey illustrates the transformative power of self-belief, discipline, courage and continuous reinvention.
The “spare grass that shapes itself” is therefore not merely a metaphor. It captures the story of a man who appears to have understood early that life does not always hand us a finished script.
Sometimes, we are the ones who must shape the grass.
