Honour of Letters for art, culture patriarch, Shyllon

For his contribution to the development and promotion of Nigerian art, the, founder of Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF), Prince Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon, has been celebrated with the award of Honorary Doctor Of Letters (D.Litt) Degree, Honoris Causa, by the University Of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Dr (Prince) Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon

Chancellor sir, distinguished ladies and gentleman, I have the honor and pleasure to introduce for the conferment of the award of Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters (D.litt) Honoris Causa, by the university of Port Harcourt, a man of many parts, an Engineer, a Lawyer, Art collector, Chartered Stockbroker,     business administrator, chartered marketer, the founder/CEO of the Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF) , Prince Engineer Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon.

Prince Yemisi was born in 1952, into the Sogbulu and Ogunfayo family of the Laarun ruling house of Ake, Abeokuta. He began early in life to show signs of intelligence when at a very young age, he distinguished himself as an excellent intellectual with a penchant for being the best he could be in every endeavor.

Adedoyin attended the prestigious University of Ibadan in 1977 and bagged a Second class upper B.Sc. Engineering degree. In 1980, he proceeded to the great University of Ife and graduated as the best student in his class, with a Masters in Business Administration, specializing in finance and marketing management.

Not satisfied with his already enviable level of academic achievements at the time, and in order to pursue a long term passion, Prince Shyllon proceeded to the University of Lagos in 1990, where he again excelled, as the best graduating Law Student from the Law (LLB) graduating class with second class upper division. He progressed to the Nigerian Law School, where he also made a Second class upper division, a rarity at the time.

Armed with sound orthodox education, he was determined to make meaningful contributions to humanity and as such got involved in different investigational demonstrations, which yielded positive results. Yemisi is known by many as an exceptional goal getter. He distinguished himself and achieved admirable feats in every struggle he found himself. At the age of 31, haven joined Nigerite Ltd in 1983, he established and developed marketing as a management function.

From 1989, Prince Shyllon chaired for three years, the board of directors of OGBC that conceptualized and established OGBC FM stereo radio station for Ogun state. In this regard he exhibited exceptional qualities, abilities and capabilities to the admiration of his contemporaries and establishments. With his evident spate of successes, Prince Shyllon was invited in 1989, to chair the Board of Directors of Ogun State Tourism Corporation. It was also during his tenure that Olumo Rock was conceptualized and redeveloped to have a semblance of the famous Corcovado Hill in Brazil.

Prince Adedoyin Shyllon is Africa’s greatest art collector and connoisseur, under his organization called OYASAF (acronym for Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation). His collection is put at about well over seven thousand pieces of works encompassing of Nigerian/African art, contemporary paintings and sculptures. His collections include over twenty five thousand photographic shots of Nigeria’s different cultural events and festivals.

This foundation regularly loans out and donates artworks for exhibitions, in local and international institutions or museum. Some include loans to the New York museum of African art, in the USA, and life-size artworks to the Freedom park, Victoria Island in Lagos. He made a donation of a life-size (20ft high) sculptural monument to the University of Ibadan as the redevelopment for the movement of physically challenged visitors to the University OF Ibadan zoo.

To preserve Nigeria’s heritage, OYASAF art foundation have sponsored two annual entrepreneurial workshops for University of Lagos creative art department, in the training of Nigerian artists and students and also commenced in October 2009, an OYASAF fellowship grant for non-Nigerian art and culture scholars from the five continents of world to visit and interact with their Nigerian counterparts and research into Nigerian art and culture. Prince Shyllon has globally participated in numerous sponsored professional conferences, trainings and workshops. He has delivered several lectures and papers, many of which have been published in Nigeria and other countries.

Prince Shyllon’s glorious obsession for arts, professional success, his contribution to the society and his passion for excellence have been the reason for numerous awards conferred on him by several professional bodies. He is a fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, The Society of NIGERIAN Artists, the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Chattered Institute of marketing, UK and Nigeria, and the National Institute of Agricultural Engineers.

In 2011, the GENDER FRIENDLY Prince Yemisi Shyllon visited the University of Port Harcourt on the invitation of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria as a Grand Patron. His creative meeting with the vice chancellor Professor Joseph Ajienka resulted in his establishing Nigeria’s first professorial chair in Visual Art and Design with the University of Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria. He is today on the path of setting up a functional Art and Culture museum in the University of Port Harcourt. This is again unique.

Prince Shyllon is a seasoned Director and has served and is serving as chairman and director (and in other capacities) in over 14 different organizations and also member of several other bodies including the Council of Registered Engineers and the Nigerian Bar Association.

As a recognized leader, patriot and exceptional professional he has received several awards from the UK, USA and Nigeria. He loves to, “explore the beauty of the earth”. He has traveled to 47 countries of the world in submarines, road, sea cruises, rail and air travels. He also loves playing scrabble, keeping gardens and animals.