Business mogul and philanthropist Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki Gambari hosted the Yahaya Seriki Empowerment and Enterprise Colloquium on Saturday at the ARCA Santa Event Arena in Ilorin, Kwara State, officially launching full operations of the Yahaya Seriki Foundation.
The event, themed “Beyond Empowerment: Building Enterprises, Creating Wealth, Transforming Lives,” brought together a high-profile cross-section of political figures, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and business executives from across Kwara State and beyond.
During the colloquium, Lens Institution comprising Lens University, Lens Polytechnic, and Lens College of Health Science officially invested Ambassador Yahaya Seriki as its Chancellor, making him the youngest university chancellor in Nigeria.
Accepting the investiture, Seriki pledged to enroll as a student at the institution to further cement his relationship with the academic community.
Speaking at the gathering, the Founder and CEO of Kursi Investment Group recounted his humble beginnings as a young mining trader and reiterated his commitment to sustainable human capital development, youth enterprise, and large-scale community support.
“This empowerment marks the official takeoff of the Yahaya Seriki Foundation in totality,” Seriki said.
“I will continue to do everything within my reach to improve humanity, support our youth in building sustainable businesses, and give back to the society that shaped me.” He added.
Highlighting the empowerment initiatives, a dedicated supporter, Abdulsamad Athairu (popularly known as YOLO of Kwara), was presented with a brand new car gift alongside other loyalists in recognition of their steadfast loyalty, alongside the distribution of sewing machines and enterprise tools aimed at driving grassroots entrepreneurship across Kwara State.
The event drew prominent political figures across party lines, including the Senator representing Kwara Central, Senator Saliu Mustapha; former Kwara Central Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe; Kwara PDP Gubernatorial Candidate Engr. Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu; human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; fashion entrepreneur Seyi Vodi; and leaders of the G-15/TOP group.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the G-15/TOP leaders, Senator Oloriegbe praised Seriki for his community development interventions, noting that key political stakeholders are unifying across platforms to rescue Kwara from the current government over claims of drifting from the original principles of the “Otoge” movement.
Revered Islamic scholars, including the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Dasuki Imam Fulani, Sheikh Labeeb, and Grand Mufti of Ilorin Sheikh Sulaiman Farooq Onikijipa, delivered sermons commending Seriki for fulfilling religious obligations of charity, emphasizing that their attendance reflected a shared commitment to humanitarian empowerment rather than partisan politics.