By Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.
“The road to greatness is often paved with dust, sweat, and determination.” — Anonymous
In every generation, there arises a soul whose story challenges logic, mocks limitations, and humbles the proud.
Hon. (Dr.) Yomi Ayorinde, PhD, Deputy House Leader of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, is one of such rare souls — a man who rose from the dust of survival to the heights of academic and political accomplishment.
In his early years, Yomi was a common and ordinary “so bata” — that colloquial term for emergency shoemakers who patched lives and soles along the roadside, their hands hardened by hunger yet guided by hope.
They were not the trained cobblers of fame but the improvising artisans of survival, the silent soldiers of endurance.
Yet, for Yomi, it was not poverty that pushed him into that craft. His father was a respected gentleman who, in the 1950s, built one of Usi Ekiti’s enduring architectural masterpieces — the Upper Gate Chamber, still an aesthetic wonder that adorns the town’s skyline today.
Yomi’s choice to become a “so bata” was born not of lack, but of a youthful quest for distinction — an act of differentiation, an experiment in identity, and a test of personal grit.
But destiny cannot be buried in dust. Beneath the humbling art of mending shoes was a mind determined to rise, a heart too proud to surrender, and a vision too divine to remain by the roadside.
He soon exchanged the hammer for books — mending not soles, but his own future. With agrarian determination, he pursued education with the same zeal that once powered his roadside craft — planting effort, watering dreams, and harvesting greatness in due season.
From there, his life became a masterclass in resilience and progression:
He served as Councillor in Ido-Osi Local Government, later emerging as Chairman of the Council. He became a graduate, earned his Master’s Degree, and yesterday, at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, the citadel of excellence founded by Nigeria’s foremost education reformer, he crowned his journey with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
He would go on to serve his state and country in larger capacities — as a Board Member of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and now as Deputy House Leader of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, where his voice resonates with reason, depth, and quiet leadership.
Humble yet strategic, calm yet firm, Yomi Ayorinde ,PhD is the embodiment of discipline, foresight, and self-reinvention. His loyalty to friendship and community service has become legendary, and his silent philanthropy continues to lift countless others.
From ‘so bata’ to scholar, from roadside repairer to refined lawmaker, Dr. Yomi Ayorinde stands as living proof that no man is defined by where he starts, but by how far he strives.
He has shown that greatness often wears the clothes of struggle before it dons the robe of success.
Today, Ekiti rejoices.
Usi Ekiti celebrates.
And humanity salutes a man whose hands once mended shoes — and whose mind now helps to mend society.
“Success is not about where you begin, but about refusing to remain there.” — Nelson Mandela
Okun o omo Aba Upper Gate — pride of Usi Ekiti, proof of perseverance, and a living sermon on resilience.
E soni mo Ori olola lagbo
Moyo fun e
Moyo fun Ara mi
Kare oo
Abu Ayiye .