Lonsdale Oladeji Adeoye, a senior management expert, a retired Brigadier-General of the Nigerian Army, is a humanitarian service provider par excellence.
As a professional soldier, he has personally experienced and witnessed, firsthand, what it means to feel pain, physical and psychological, from injuries, illness and want. He has encountered the severest of pains in his family, at the battlefront and in the open society, all of which combined to strike a chord in his tender heart, making his entire life to revolve around humanitarian service and philanthropy.
“I have special passion for humanitarian services, keen interest in veterans wounded both servicing and retired, elderly and the youth. I been a victim of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after 35 years of meritorious service, going through hazards and operated in different crises, lost men and materials, while some are injured and others with health challenges,” he said.
Gen. Adeoye was a victim himself, having undergone surgical operations twice, one on gastric bypass due to stress, in India through self-sponsorship. “I had kidney-related cases for two years leading to transplant with half of the fund being raised personally and I have to now live with it for the rest of my life.”
His father died in active service as a Major; and his immediate elder brother who rose to the rank of a Colonel, also died of kidney complications, while some of his cousins and other relations in the military service lost their lives in war-related injuries and mental cases.
He said: “As veterans, we are deprived of a lot of privileges such as housing, medicare, health facilities, transportation, education, etc. That is why the Foundation for the Support of Nigerian Veterans was established and incorporated in 2016 to prevent other veterans from falling into such problems. The Foundation is set to take care of wounded military personnel both serving and retired, veterans, widows and people living with disabilities.”
As a scouter and Man ‘o’ War Bay President, Adeoye got involved in humanitarian services for the needy and people with disabilities. While in the Army, he was involved in raising churches and, on frequent basis, helped the poor and especially people with disabilities in the barracks and civilians outside the barracks.
On his birthdays for the past 15 years, he always celebrated with especially the blind, crippled and needy. During operations or crisis, he takes special interest in safeguarding the PWDs and assist disabled solders including their families.
He works for a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Some of these include: the Union of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWD) Multipurpose Cooperative Society as Adviser; Reality Nig Limited as Chief Security Officer; Faith Hill Help International (church NGO for PWD and the needy) as Coordinator; Nigerian Commercial Farmers Association (NCFA) as President, Federal Civil Service Staff with Disabilities Multipurpose Cooperative Society as Patron; Patron and Coordinating Chairman of FCT Physically Handicapped Persons.
Gen. Adeoye is also fully registered as Patron and Trustee for Visually Impaired People of Nigeria; Chief
Security and Intelligence Officer (CSIO) of World Trade and Investment Chambers of Commerce (WOTICOM) with a PWD blind chairman) as well as Peace Ambassador, United Nigeria Chaplaincy.
The list of organizations in which Gen. plays leadership and humanitarian service roles is almost endless.
A recepient of Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa, from the European American University, Gen. Adeoye, from Mopamuro in Kogi state, also holds a Ph.D in Peace & Conflict Management from Freedom University USA.
The alumnus of University of Ibadan; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Nigeria Defence Academy;and Ibadan Boys High School has received numerous awards, honours and recognitions. Among them are the Life Saver Humanitarian Service Award by the Nigerian Police Force Chaplaincy; and the Award of Excellence for meritorious service and relentless contribution towards the development of shooting and sport in general in Nigeria.
Gen. Adeoye is hereby given the Philanthropist of the Year Award by the Top10 Magazine in recognition of his outstanding humanitarian services to Nigerians and humanity.
