Untold Story: Meet Sunday “Sunny” Oduntan, The Tailor & Confidant Of Alake Of Egba Who Is  A Major Player In Energy Industry

Charles Oyelesi

Sunday Oduntan, better known by friends and associates as Sunny Oduntan is not one of your run of the mill administrators.

Mr Oduntan grew through the ranks and dodged major bullets to be where he is.

According to information available to societynow.ng Sunny would have ended up as a mere street tailor but for steel will and dogged ambition.

“After my primary school 1973, due to lack of fund, I went to Lagos where I learnt and became a tailor for three years,” Oduntan stated in an interview monitored by societynow.ng on Gatewaymail.org.

Oduntan granted the interview in commemoration of his installation as the Asiwaaju Baamofin of Egbaland (leader of learned minds in Egbaland) in March 2016.

Societynow.ng gathered that Oduntan based on his conduct has risen to become one of the closest confidants of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo since then,

But it wasn’t his exploit as a tailor that he was honored with the Asiwaju Baamofin chieftaincy tile in 2016.

Oduntan at that time amongst other things had impacted on the society with the position as the pioneer Legal Adviser and Company Secretary of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

IBEDC operations oversees Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, part of Kogi and part of Niger states.

Sharing his experience at IBEDC, Chief Oduntan stated in the interview monitored by societynow.ng o Gatewaymail.org “I was practically in charge of Ogun State power supply in addition to my enormous responsibility as the Chief Legal Adviser and Company Secretary of IBEDC.”

 “…I improved the supply and I ensured the improvement of the network which had been neglected for 30 years!  I also increased the revenue of my company by refusing bribes from companies in Ota and from individuals.”

He further explained that  “I got a retired permanent secretary arrested for energy theft.   In six months, I personally collected over N150 million debts for IBEDC.  On October 8th, 2014, I resigned from IBEDC on principle and to preserve my personal integrity that I had spent years to build.”

Societynow.ng gathered that Oduntan who returned to his law practice after he quitted his position at IBEDC secured his new role of Executive Director, Research and Advocacy of Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) based on the recommendation of the good job he did at his former work place.

But how did a Tailor ended as a major decision maker at IBEDC and now AEDN?
Chief Oduntan provided the missing link in the portion of the report of Gatewaymail which reads …But, because of his knack for education, he remained undaunted in his desire.  He says: “Following this, I attended the prestigious Abeokuta Grammar School from 1976 to 1981.”After his secondary education, he says “I worked as a Clerical Officer Level Four with Obafemi Owode Local Government for one year.  After the Local Government, I attended the Ogun State College of Education Ijebu Ode despite having five credits in WAEC.”

Oduntan further said: “After NCE, I became a teacher in secondary schools and later in a Technical Institute in Ibooro, Yewa North.  I studied Fine Arts.  I’ve always been a talented artist from primary school.”

At what time did you left teaching for university?  Oduntan swiftly responded: “I also taught Economics which was my best subject in the secondary school.   I left teaching for a journey to the UK in 1988.  I studied Law at the London Southbank University, graduating with an LLB Hons.”

Shortly after his Law degree program, the Asiwaju Baamofin worked briefly in a Law firm and subsequently joined the Transport for London TFL’s subsidiary, The London Underground Limited in 1997 where he became an Operational Manager.

“I was one of the very few blacks at that level with over 600 staff.   I served the company in different capacities, utilising my Legal Training,” t

“After attending the Law School and was successfully called to the Bar in Nigeria, I practiced in the Law firm of Prof. Idowu Adegbite & Co.  In November 2013, following the privatisation of NEPA/PHCN, I became the pioneer Chief Legal Adviser and Company Secretary of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company that covers the states of Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, part of Kogi and part of Niger states.”

He further went: “I was practically in charge of Ogun State power supply in addition to my enormous responsibility as the Chief Legal Adviser and Company Secretary of IBEDC.”

The influence Oduntn wields in the power sector has roots in the power of ANED as monitor in the industry.