TIMOTHY OLUKAYODE ADEDIRE a native of Iloko – Ijesa in Oriade Local Government of Osun State, Nigeria, was born on 9th December, 1951 in Ghana to Late Pa Elijah Odelusi Adedire and late Mama Dorcas Ayanfunlola Adedire (nee Princess Okunjoyo from Ido Ile in Ekiti West Local Government of Ekiti State).
He had his elementary education at St. John’s Primary and Middle School Nsawam and his secondary education at St. John’s Grammar School Achimota Accra. It was the intention of this young boy at that time to proceed further in his academic pursuit but the obnoxious Aliens Quit Order of then Dr. Kofi Busia’s government in 1969 truncated the ambition. The legislation forced all aliens in Ghana including Kayode’s family to leave the country prematurely.
While Kayode’s parents and his siblings left Ghana for Nigeria in December 1969, Kayode joind them in January 1970; infact he arrived Lagos on 15th January, 1970 the day the Nigerian Civil war ended officially.
As Kayode was struggling to find his bearing particularly in area of academic pursuit, he secured a job as a factory worker at the defunct Nigerian Tobacco Company Ibadan. He felt displeased with the job which he left after six months for an appointment as a Clerical Officer in the defunct Western State Civil Service.
Kayode’s professional ambition all along was journalism. He had sought, but unsuccessfully, an employment with the former Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). Unrelentingly, he shifted his efforts to the defunct WNTV/WNBS. Luck smiled on him in 1973 when he was employed as a Reporter/sub-editor by WNTV/WNBS.
As a trainee reporter Kayode showed practical signs of potentialities of a budding broadcast journalist. In effect, when he got admission for a two year diploma course in journalism at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) Lagos, his employers did not hesitate to sponsor him for the course with the belief that he would acquire the basic academic and practical knowledge in journalism. Indeed when Kayode graduated in 1977, and returned to his beat, he had become well grounded in journalism. Kayode became a staff of NTV Ibadan, as a member of the new station’s pioneer staff when the station emerged after the break up of the then Western State into Oyo, Ogun and Ondo States and subsequent break up of WNTV/WNBS into NTV Ibadan, Radio
O-Y-O Ibadan, OGBC Abeokuta and OSRC Akure. When the then Federal Military Government under General Olusegun Obasanjo took over all television station and nationalized them, NTV Ibadan became NTA Ibadan and Kayode again emerged as a member of the foundation staff.
Shortly before he transferred his services tot eh newly established Television Service of Oyo State (T.S.O.S) Ibadan by the defunct Chief Bola Ige’s government, Kayode was sponsored by NTA to Central Office of Information (C.O.I.) London in 1981 for a course in News and Creative Writing.
AT T.S.O.S, Kayode in 1984, won a commonwealth scholarship to study Television and Radio news reporting at Brighton Polytechnic Brighton England. The three months intensive training further exposed him to the techniques of broadcast journalism and as Kayode puts it “The Brighton Polytechnic training made me a full blown broadcast journalist”. His end of course project, which was a documentary on Sussex University, Brighton, was adjudged the best among his course mates.
The most exciting moment in the career of Kayode was in 1985 when he won the prestigious VISNEWS INTERNATIONAL AWARD. He had emerged as the only African Awardee in that years competition for the award. By virtue of the award, he and three other awardees for that year namely, a lady from China, a gentle man from Chile, and another gentleman from Srilanka, had a guided facility tour of leading T.V. Stations in Washington and New York in U.S.A. Toronto and Montreal in Canada, Geneva in Switzerland, Mainz in Germany, Paris in France and London in England.
Kayode had his services moved to Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) in 1991 when Osun State was created in that year, and this made him again a pioneer staff. He was indeed the head of news operation of OSBC-Radio when it started transmission at Oketase Ile-Ife.
When OSBC T.V. was established at Ibokun in August 1992, Kayode was deployed to the station where he supervised the take-off of News and Current Affairs Department of the station.
In 1998 Kayode became the first substantive Director T.V. of OSBC, a position he held till 10th January, 2000 when the former government of Bisi Akande maliciously retrenched him along with thousands of other public and civil servants in the state.
He was reabsorbed by Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s government on 3rd November, 2003 and returned to his post as Director T.V. Service, the only substantive Director in OSBC at that time.
Kayode is at present the Project Coordinator Reality Television Service (RTS) Iwo. Kayode fondly called Sir Kay, ha a brief break in his career when the Federal Military Government of late Gen. Sanni Abacha appointed him as Chairman Caretaker Committee Oriade Local Government Osun State on 11th April, 1994. he served in the position till 31st March, 1996.
Kayode, a thorough-bred broadcast journalist, started his career as a reporter before he moved round all units in News and Current Affairs Department. He is an all round broadcast journalist but with a knack for reporting human angle stories.
He recalls with relish one of his numerous human angle stories on one Ruka Ajibade, the then one and half year old baby who because of the terribly distress condition of her father, had turned into a living skeleton when Kayode stumbled on the girl in the arms of her father. Kayode’s report on the girl’s pathetic condition elicited, financial and material support from members of the public. These were harnessed and expended on the rehabilitation of the girl who is now a promising daughter of his parents.
Kayode is an author. He has written two books timely “Inside Broadcast Journalism,” textbook on broadcast journalism and “Not Yet Sunset” which is his autobiography. He is the co-author of “Founder and Father of Modern Ejigbo. A biography of Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin” the Ogiyan of Ejigboland in Osun State, of Nigeria and “A Lady by Birth, a biography of Lady Evangelist Betty Bakare” the Chairperson Osun State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Kayode holds the following qualification: Diploma Journalism, (N.I.J Lagos), Certificate in News and Creative Writing (C.O.I. London), Certificate in Radio and T.V. News Reporting (Brighton Polytechnic Brighton England) and B.A. (Mass Communication) Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma.
He is married to Bolanle Omoyeni (nee Idowu) an Education Officer in Osun State Ministry of Education; and the marriage is blessed with very promising children, Tutu, Dayo, Mayowa, Timi, Temi and Tolu.
KAYODE ADEDIRE is a Jerusalem Pilgrim and Justice of Peace.