Late Sir, Dr. Olatunde Aiyedun Agbato

(FOUNDER) ANIMAL CARE SERVICES KONSULT (NIG) LTD

Late Sir, Dr. Olatunde Aiyedun Agbato, was born at Ogere Remo on 4th August 1950. He attended Wesley School, Ogere Remo, Ijebu Ode Grammar School, and the University of Ibadan, where he studied Veterinary Medicine and obtained the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree in 1975 with distinctions in Pathology and Parasitology.

Dr. Agbato’s academic brilliance earned him immediate employment after graduation with the Department of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Ibadan after his compulsory National Youth Service in 1976, where he served for about 16 months as a lecturer before enrolling for the Master of Business Administration program at the University of Lagos; thus graduating 15 months later in December 1978 with an MBA degree; becoming the first Veterinarian in the country to do so.

Dr. Olatunde Agbato joined SEEPC Nigeria Limited the manufacturers of SANDERS feeds as the Technical Commercial Manager in charge of feeds and also doubled as the in-house Veterinarian of the organization. During his tenure with the organization, his exceptional organizational ability manifested in his several innovative initiatives that broke new grounds in the business and established SEEPC Limited as a leader in the livestock feed industry.

Dr. Olatunde Agbato’s astuteness in business and his outstanding success in the livestock feed industry was so overbearing that he decided to set new goals and targets for himself by starting up his own venture, which started as OA &OA Associates in December 1979 in partnership with his amiable wife, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Agbato, a poultry technologist, which later metamorphosed to Animal Care Services Konsult Nigeria Ltd at incorporation in 1981.

Dr. Olatunde Agbato was one of the major pillars of private Veterinary practice in Nigeria, where his organization, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES KONSULT (NIG) LTD can be said to be the largest private employer of Veterinarians in the country with more than 20 qualified veterinarians in its employment. Dr. Agbato had moved Animal Care is into big-time commercial feed milling with factories in Ogere, Ogun State, Kano, Kano State, and Asaba, Delta State, and in addition, operates one of the biggest and best-run poultry farms in Nigeria. The company currently has a workforce of over 1000 employees on its farm, factories, and branches all over the country.

Dr. Agbato’s vision, dynamism, and industry earned him and his organization recognized nationally and internationally. This culminated into many honors and awards for exemplary contributions to the livestock industry, veterinary profession and these include:

• Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria.
• First Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan.
• Distinguished Veterinarian Award of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association.
• Fellow, Farm Management Association of Nigeria.
• Member, International Egg Commission where he is the only African and black member of the membership committee and also an Ambassador of the commission.
• Omoluabi Award by the Ikenne Local Government, Ogun State.
•  International Ambassador for Peace by the Youth Federation for World Peace, an affiliate of Universal Peace Federation, an NGO with Consultative Status at the United Nations.
• He served as a two-term elected member of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria.

Dr. Olatunde Agbato who was sometimes a member of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association in Atlanta, Georgia, is a member of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) and was two-term past Chairman of the Ogun State Chapter of the association. Through his inspirational leadership, the chapter started an international exhibition tagged ABEOKUTA POULTRY SHOW which today is now known as the Nigerian Poultry Show.

Dr. Agbato’s display of a high level of ingenuity, and commitment to sound reasoning coupled with long-term planning has stood him shoulder high amongst competitors and competition. He has demonstrated how intense scholarship (or, an intellectual disposition) can be brought to bear on day-to-day business. In other words, Animal Care (the business concern which he pioneered) has grown on the wings of breaking new grounds and initiating new ideas that can help advance the Nigerian livestock industry.

Dr. Agbato’s commitment to scholarship is not just a personal affair. He can be rightly described as a mentor of scholars. He has supported the veterinary and agric faculties of several universities in many ways, and his door was always opened to researchers and scholars from within and outside the nation. In addition, He had been a fair haven for subject matter specialists and professionals, who are encouraged to cut their teeth and carve a niche for themselves while in the employment of the company. Today, he was surrounded by specialists in diagnostics, nutrition, marketing, management, finance, and so on. Dr. Agbato was not just an intellectual; he was a great mentor, a Legend, and a manager of intellectuals. Perhaps, this pooling and nurturing of intellectual capital is the greatest secret of his business success.

Dr. Olatunde Agbato was a devout Christian. He was an active Methodist both in his local churches in Agege, Lagos, and Ogere his home town where he contributes generously to their physical and spiritual growth. In 2006, he was conferred with the award of Knight of John Wesley by the Conference of Methodist Church Nigeria.

The sterling contributions of Dr. Olatunde Agbato to scholarship, nation-building, and promotion of the wellbeing of society are truly immense. Also, his remarkable achievements in the private sector, outstanding contributions to the growth of the veterinary profession and the livestock industry in Nigeria; consistent high moral standard and integrity; and selfless service to humanity have endeared him to many people at home and abroad, while setting him up as a creditable role model for the upcoming generation.

Until his death on Thursday the 7^th of January 2021, Dr. Olatunde Agbato was the President and Chief Executive of Animal Care Services Konsult, a Class Leader of the Knight of John Wesley, Methodist Church Nigeria. Dr. Olatunde Agbato was aged 70, he was survived by his wife, Dame Olufunmilayo Agbato Children, Grandchildren, Siblings, and many friends