By Seyi Balogun, Lagos

Lagos State University’s newly appointed Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo, has been celebrated for her kindness and mentorship support.

Raining encomiums on the new VC was Dr Rebecca Uduakobong Adesiyan, a former member of staff at Lagos State University, who said her life’s journey was shaped by Prof Badejo.

Adesiyan, now a Lecturer II at Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, described Badejo as her “destiny helper” while congratulating her on her appointment as LASU Vice-Chancellor.

In a testimony published by The Shield Online on Saturday, Adesiyan recalled starting out at the LASU Staff Canteen between 1999 and 2000 before returning to the university in 2005.

According to her, she subsequently worked as Badejo’s secretary at the LASU Ikoyi Campus, at a time when she held an Ordinary National Diploma in Secretarial Administration.

Adesiyan, acknowledged how Badejo went beyond the workplace to show her care and support, including insisting that she had breakfast at her home before they left for work.

“I can still remember how you would insist that I had breakfast at your home before we left for work in Ikoyi,” she recalled.

Adesiyan also remembered an occasion when Badejo intervened on her behalf after she was transferred from the Ikoyi Campus to the university’s main campus.

She recalled how Badejo approached the late Prof. Mobolaji Lateef Adetona, requesting that she be allowed to remain at the Ikoyi Campus, having only recently resumed there.

“He graciously did so. May his soul continue to rest in peace. I have never forgotten that gesture,” she said.

Years after her time at LASU, Adesiyan’s career took her to Covenant University, where she worked as an administrator for 19 years.

She later completed a PhD in English Literature at Olabisi Onabanjo University and moved into academia, now a Lecturer II at Landmark University.

With gratitude, she reflected on her journey, especially lessons learned from people like Badejo. In her words:

“As I reflect on my journey, I realise that some of the lessons I learned from people like you have remained with me, shaped me, and continue to influence how I relate to others and approach my work.”

Congratulating Badejo on her emergence as Vice-Chancellor, Adesiyan said the appointment was “much-deserved” recognition of her capacity, integrity, dedication and years of service.

She added, “Thank you, Professor, for the kindness, care and encouragement you showed me many years ago. Those seemingly simple gestures meant so much to me, and I remain deeply grateful.”

At 17, Sharran Srivatsaa arrived in the US from India on a tennis scholarship, alone and uncertain about what came next. The path that followed was anything but linear.

His story challenges the idea that success follows a straight line or a fixed timetable.

Sharran Srivatsaa’s journey: from tennis courts to a $1.2 billion valuation

Srivatsaa’s early years in the US were shaped by discipline and rejection. Tennis helped fund his education and instilled resilience. Finance did not come easily.

He has spoken publicly about being turned down repeatedly before eventually securing roles at major investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Those early setbacks, he says, taught him persistence rather than entitlement.

Despite earning admission to Stanford, Srivatsaa decided to leave academia and build a company instead. The move was unconventional and carried significant risk. It also set the tone for a career defined by calculated leaps rather than safe progression. His early ventures provided hands-on operating experience, including a successful exit in his early twenties.

He later made his biggest impact in real estate. As CEO of Teles Properties, he helped grow the firm’s annual sales volume from roughly $300 million to about $3.4 billion over a five-year period. The brokerage was eventually acquired by Douglas Elliman, marking one of the most notable growth stories in the US residential real estate sector.

His next chapter came at The Real Brokerage, commonly known as Real. As President, Srivatsaa played a central role in the company’s rapid expansion. During his tenure, the agent network grew sharply and the publicly listed firm reached a market valuation of around $1.2 billion at its peak. The period cemented his reputation as a scale-focused operator rather than a one-time founder.

In 2025, Srivatsaa joined Acquisition.com, the firm founded by Alex Hormozi and Leila Hormozi. As President and Managing Partner, he now works closely with founders running eight- and nine-figure businesses. His focus is less on ideation and more on systems, leadership, and repeatable growth.

“I’m in my forties and still figuring things out,” he has said, adding, “That’s not failure. That’s progress.”

Why his story resonates now

Srivatsaa frequently speaks to younger professionals who feel behind by their mid-twenties. His message is direct. Careers are rarely linear. First paths are not final paths. Early failures do not define long-term outcomes.

“The only real mistake,” he often argues, “is settling too soon.”

In an era obsessed with early success, Sharran Srivatsaa’s journey offers a quieter truth: Reinvention is not a weakness. It is a skill.

By Nick Ibe

For alleged kidnapping and rape of a 25-year-old e-hailing driver in Cape Town, South African police have arrested two women and other suspects.

South African Police Service said this in a statement posted on its X handle on Sunday.

“Steenberg police rescued a 25-year-old e-hailing driver after he was raped and held at ransom by two female suspects and three males yesterday,” the statement said.

According to the Police, the victim’s brother alerted them after the suspects contacted him and demanded R4,000 for his release.

“They located the victim through his vehicle tracker and found him at Southampton Road in Heathfield,” the statement added.

Police said the victim had met one of the female suspects the previous week through his e-hailing business.

“They exchanged numbers and communicated throughout the week and eventually made arrangements to meet today.

“When he went to meet her, he was kidnapped by the suspects and the females raped him,” police said.

The two women are aged 23 and 34, while the three males are 16, 42 and 48.

The five arrested suspects, according to the police would appear before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14.