On this double-seven day—the seventh day of the seventh month—we celebrate a man who has chosen to live as if other people’s success is his own success, as if other people’s dreams are worth his time and energy. The numbers align like destiny: lucky seven times two, marking another year of a life spent turning potential into reality.
By: Shafihi Abdulrasheed
There are people who walk through life collecting titles, and there are those who walk through life collecting hearts. Hon. Francis Oluwatosin Shoga belongs to the latter—a man who has made a career of finding gold in the rubble of human potential.
Tomorrow, the calendar will mark its lucky seven times two—July 7th—so I celebrate another year in the life of the Director General of City Boy Movement. Another year of a man who has chosen to live as if every person he meets carries within them the seeds of greatness. This is Shoga’s lived philosophy, his daily practice, his gift to a world that too often looks past the possibilities standing right before it.
Often, in the corridors of power, doors slam shut with the weight of protocol, Shoga’s door swings open. Walk into his office with a dream half-formed, and you will leave with a roadmap drawn in his confident handwriting. He has listened ears. He excavates and digs beneath your words to find the thing you are trying to say, the thing you did not know you were capable of saying.
May I also add that the Ogun born business actor has a stubborn belief that every person carries something valuable. Whether you come from polished political circles or rough street edges, whether you speak in boardroom language or hustle dialect, he sees you. Really sees you. And in that seeing, he finds the thread that, when pulled, unravels into opportunity.
Watch him work, and you will understand that politics, for Shoga, is not a game of power but a craft of possibility. He does not hoard connections; he creates them. He does not gatekeep opportunities; he multiplies them. In whatever capacity he finds himself, he arrives ready to better people’s lot.
Bring him a problem, and you will discover what solution-finding looks like. There is no problem too small for his attention, no challenge too complex for his network of relationships. He picks up the phone, and wheels begin to turn. He makes introductions, and pathways appear. This is what happens when someone decides to live as a bridge between need and possibility.
The youth move toward him because they recognize something rare: a young man who has retained the ability to see potential where others see only problems. He is their advocate in rooms where their voices might otherwise go unheard. No wonder, just last Friday he won an award as Young Political Icon of the Year 2025 by the Democracy Heroes Award Africa. This with an incredible online votes of 10,783. Indeed, Shoga is worthy youth leader. No contest..
Yes, as an administrator, Shoga carries his reputation like a well-worn tool—effective, reliable, indispensable. But it is his heart that makes him irreplaceable.
On this double-seven day—the seventh day of the seventh month—we celebrate a man who has chosen to live as if other people’s success is his own success, as if other people’s dreams are worth his time and energy. The numbers align like destiny: lucky seven times two, marking another year of a life spent turning potential into reality.
Happy birthday, Hon. Francis Oluwatosin Shoga. May this new year bring you all the joy you have spent a lifetime creating for others. May your phone continue to ring with grateful voices, may your door remain open to dreamers and doers, and may your heart continue to beat with the rhythm of possibility.
Happy Birthday, My Chairman!
With love and respect from Shafihi Abdulrasheed. sharvee2@gmail.com
