Late Chief Festus Olumide Alabi was born on July 20, 1946 to the family of Late Chief and Mrs. David Alabi Aduloju. Chief David Alabi Aduloju was a farmer, while his mother, Mrs. Omolade Alabi Aduloju - nee Olomolaye was a petty trader. Late Chief David Alabi Aduloju hails from Ado Ekiti, but settled in in Odo Okun area of Imesi Ekiti where he got married to Mama Omolade Alabi Aduloju (Nee Olomolaye).
Baba David Alabi Aduloju was the first Baba Isale of St. James's Anglican Church, Imesi Ekiti. Unfortunately, Baba David Alabi Aduloju died in 1947, the very year Chief Festus Olumide Alabi's junior sister - Late Mrs. Aye Abigail Omotosho was born. Soon after Baba died, Mama Omolade also died leaving the two kids Olumide and Aye in the care of their maternal grandmother, Mama Tinuade Olomolaye and Mama's eldest son, the Late Chief David Adedayo Olomolaye in Imesi.
In 1955, Chief Festus Olumide Alabi's elder brother, Mr. Gabriel Owolabi Alabi took him to Ibadan where he started his elementary school at Olubi Memorial Primary School, Kure Hill, Ibadan where Mr. Gabriel O. Alabi was a teacher. In January, 1957, Mr. Gabriel O. Alabi came home on holidays and upon resumption, the school, (Olubi Memorial Primary School) had been disbanded and the pupils distributed to other schools. Following this development, Mr. Gabriel O. Alabi and little Olumide came to Agbado Ekiti.
On February 28, 1957, Mr. Gabriel O. Alabi was recruited as a local government police at Ado Ekiti and little Olumide was with him at Ado-Ekiti where he continued his elementary education. Soon afterwards, Mr. Gabriel O. Alabi was posted to Ijero Ekiti. In furtherance of his education, little Olumide accompanied his brother - Mr. Gabriel O. Alabi to Ijero Ekiti from where he enrolled at Christ’s Anglican Primary School, Ijero Ekiti. Little Olumide was so brilliant while at Olubi Primary School that he spent two years, specifically; 1955 and 1956 to cover classes one and two and primaries one and two.
Upon completion of his primary education, he came back to Imesi Ekiti from where he proceeded to EgbeOba High School, Ikole Ekiti in the early 60s. As was the practice in those days, little Olumide's mother's junior sister - the late Mrs. Esther Oladepe Adesoye - nee Olomolaye and his uncle - late Chief Stephen Ishola Adejumo Olomolaye stepped in and assumed responsibility for little Olumide's secondary education. Upon completion of his secondary education, he came to Lagos and stayed with his uncle - Mr. Gabriel Ajayi from where he got a job with the defunct National Bank of Nigeria Limited at Agege, Lagos.
In 1971, the late Chief Festus Olumide Alabi went to United States of America where he studied BA Economics at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts and a Masters of Business Administration degree at Suffolk University, also in Boston, Massachusetts between 1971 and 1977. He also worked as a part-time employee of the Christian Science Publishing Society, Boston during this period.
On his return to Nigeria, he joined the United Bank for Africa Plc in 1978 where he rose to a Senior Manager in 1989 before joining the defunct Nationwide Merchant Bank Limited. While in Nationwide Merchant Bank Limited, he in company of his friends, floated Everest Finance Limited and Everest Building Society Limited where he held the position of the Vice Chairman. He left Nationwide Merchant as Deputy General Manager in 1997 to join the service of Sub-urban Mortgage Bank Limited as the Managing Director/CEO until 1999. Chief Festus Olumide Alabi joined the service of Consolidated Discounts House Limited at senior management level as the Head of Credit and Marketing from where he retired upon attaining mandatory retirement age in 2007.
Chief Olumide Alabi attended several management courses at several global institutions such as Bankers Trust Bank, London, New York Institute of Finance and INSEAD. He also attended the prestigious Harvard Business School.
He was a Husband, Father, Grandfather, an Uncle, a bridge-builder and a rallying point to all his people. He was thus honoured with the chieftaincy title of The Asiwaju of Imesi Ekiti in appreciation of his invaluable contributions to the development of the area in the year 1990.