On 9th May 1932, a child was born in the village ofOdokujegi, in Ijebu-Imusin in present day Ogun State, intothe humble family of Pa Oladunjoye Ogundeko Ogunwa and Madam Reginah Ogundeko Ogunwa. The child was the first of the five children that would bless the union of the then young couple. The import of his birth, however, would transcend the joy that he brought to his family at the time of his birth and down through several decades of his earthly sojourn. Through his faith in God, and sheer determination, hard work and a life of integrity, he rose to the pinnacle of his career to become a leader of men and a builder of societal institutions. This is the life of Major-General Timothy Babatunde Ogundeko, Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR), a retired soldier of distinction, a first-class administrator, a seasoned educationist, a modest businessman, a leader of faith, a quiet philanthropist, and a torch-bearer of societal development.
The young Timothy started his formal education at the St. Mary’s Anglican Primary School, Ijebu-Imusin in 1938. His academic performance was impressive, and he consequently gained admission into the prestigious King’s College, Lagos in 1946. Unfortunately, he could not commence studies at King’s College because he was financially constrained. Thus, for the next one year, he taught as a pupil teacher at Christ Church School, Ijebu-Ife. In 1947, he was admitted into Government College, Ibadan, where he won and studied on a government scholarship. It was at Ibadan that some of the values with which Timothy was brought up became consolidated. Hard work, humility, selfless service, and integrity were core elements of his training, which became defining characteristics of his adulthood. The mentorship of one of his teachers, Pa S.F. Adeniran, a disciplinarian, was a source of immense support and stability in his growth as a young man.
Having completed his secondary education with impressive results, Timothy enrolled as a student of the University of Ibadan in 1952. He studied Physics and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Special Honours) in 1957. While at the University, Timothy was an active member of the Ijebu Students’ Association. He was so encouraged by the inspiring nature of the association that he returned to Ijebu-Imusin in 1955 and with other friends and fellow undergraduates, established the Ijubu-Imusin Beacon Society. The Society became an umbrella body of all secondary school students of Ijebu-Imusin origin, and was a platform for career talk and other activities that impacted positively on the lives of Ijebu-Imusin students.
As a graduate, Mr. Timothy Ogundeko soon became a teacher at the Sabongida Ora Grammar School in the old Western Region. He had acquired his university education through a scholarship of the Anglican Communion, and was required to serve in a missionary school for five years after graduation. Thus, he served his term in the school between 1957 and 1962. Though he was tempted, like some of his contemporaries, to break his bond and accepted better job offers, he did not veer off the path of his sense of moral obligation. He remained in the school and paid back the cost of his university training with years of service to the educational development of young boys and girls.
As a teacher, Ogundeko made efforts to develop himself. In 1960, he took a post-graduate course in Education. He attended Princeton University, USA, for an education-related Summer Institute in 1961. These programmes gave him a sound footing in his career as an educationist. At the end of his bond in July 1962, he took a giant step towards what would become the defining element of his career. He joined the Education Corps of the Nigeria Army, where he served for nineteen years and rose to the position of Major-General, the title with which he is popularly known.
Major-General Timothy Ogundeko started his military career as a commissioned captain, and was posted to the Nigeria Military School (NMS), Zaria. With his enormous wealth of experience, the school was soon attained higher levels of performance, with excellent results in the school certificate examinations. Ogundeko’s commitment to work later earned him promotion to the position of Director of Education, Nigeria Army, in 1972. He held that position till 1978, when he moved on to become the founding Director-General of the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State. Following his appointment at NIPSS, he embarked on oversea travels to study the institutional arrangements of similar strategic institutes in Asia, Europe and America. His journeys were eventful and fruitful, and he returned to Nigeria as much information and knowledge that helped NIPSS in its foundational years. At various times in his career, General Ogundeko was called upon to participated in national assignments. He was a member of Council of the University of Ibadan between 1972 and 1976. In 1975, he served as a member of the Federal Government Anti-Inflation Task Force. Between 1976 and 1979, he was on the Council of the Ahmadu Bello University, and was Chairman of the NUC Committee on the Funding of Nigerian Universities between 1977 and 1978.
In 1981, General Ogundeko retired voluntarily from the army at the age of forty-nine on health ground. He distinguished himself in all the offices he held. Owing to his untainted record of service in public life, he was given national recognition by the award of OFR by President Shehu Shagari. In retirement, despite his state of health, General Ogundeko continued to make positive contributions to the development of Nigeria, and his immediate environment.
He established Tomol Nigeria Limited, which deals in school science equipment and laboratory chemicals. This became a flourishing business with high patronage by schools and universities. Before Tomol Nigeria was established, there was no science equipment establishment in Ijebuland that could service the schools in the community. His was thus a major contribution to the development of his community.
After his retirement, General Ogundeko served in other several capacities. He was: member, Ogun State Committee of Funding of Education (1984); Chairman, Western Livestock Company, Ibadan (1989-1991); Chairman, Ogun State College of Education Council (1989-1992); Chairman, Board of Governors, St. Anthony’s Grammar School, Ijebu-Imusin (1988-1991); and Chairman, Sapida Micro-Finance Bank (1992-2005).
Added to his public and business activities are his social and religious activities. In 1984, he and the late Prince A.S. Odutola formed the Ijebu Branch of GCIOBA, with Pa Omisande as the pioneer Chairman. At the national level, he was chairman of GCIOBA Merit Award Committee for many years. The General is also a member of Y’s Men International, Ijebu Branch. The group shares global brotherhood intending to give hope to people of all ages.
General Ogundeko is a committed Christian who has sacrificed to promote church work and evangelism. He is a member of the YMCA of the St Mary’s Anglican Church, Ijebu-Imusin, where he has served as a Parish Councillor since 1982. He was a member of the Diocesan Board, Ijebu Anglican Diocese, between 1982 and 2003, and a member of the Diocesan Synod between 1982 and 2003. He was chairman, Diocesan Education Committee, 1990-1995, and the Diocesan Fund Raising Committee, 1992. He was appointed Chairman of the Diocesan Youth Centre Development Committee in 1992. Despite all odds, the Committee achieved its task with the completion and commissioning of the Centre in August 2001. Rt commissioned the Centre. Reverend (Prof.) J. Akin Omoyajowo, and was named after Bishop A.S.O. Olowoyo. Later in 2006, and in appreciation of the General’s contribution to the development of the Centre, a hall in the Centre was named after the General by the Ijebu Anglican Diocese.
Amongst his numerous honours and awards are Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) (1981); Otunba Koito of Ilare, Ijebu-Imusin (1982); Ijebu-Imusin Community Merit Award (1994); Government College Ibadan Old Boys’ Association Merit Award (1995); Ijebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (Life Vice-President) (1996); and a hall in Bishop Olowoyo Conference Centre, Ologbun, named by the Ijebu Anglican Diocese as the ‘Major-General T.B. Ogundeko Hall.’
