Recently, it was the anniversary of an important day in the evolutionary story of Oyo State; the sixty-eighth birthday of Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the first man ever to be trusted with two terms as its governor. In this short celebratory tribute to my boss and mentor, I shall focus on only one aspect of this engaging personality; this being his penchant for and pursuit of excellence. One elementary definition of excellence is “the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree”. There are more. What clearly and consistently comes across in each of the definitions is the notion of stretching beyond the limits of the ordinary, of working towards higher virtues.
To those who know Senator Ajimobi, these defining attributes express themselves through his powerful personal examples: from the unique character of his conceptual frameworks, his paradigms and belief systems to his passions, work ethics and etiquette. If you look closely enough, you will notice an unrelenting penchant for all things beautiful; from a lifelong demonstration of exquisite sartorial elegance to his fastidious observance of due processes in the workplace; as well as in the development of a masterplan for the establishment of a modern, functional, suitably integrated and sustainably built environment for Oyo State.
A Yoruba saying translates roughly thus: when someone promises to buy you a garment, look first to the example of what he or she is wearing. Ajimobi’s personal taste and sense of refinement reflects in every aspect of his governance creed and culture. When he came into government in 2017, the Governor’s Office was an eyesore. From the main entrance into the complex, you were welcomed by a fountain that looked abandoned. The main building itself was washed out of its colours with electric cables strewn all over the windows and air conditioners vibrating ceaselessly while dripping. Inside the offices, the work processes were tardy, uninspired and unproductive. But no longer, not after a week of Ajimobi in office!
After witnessing a colleague or two being publicly upbraided by Ajimobi for his or her poor dress sense, no reasonable person wishes to be the next victim. Before long, the governor’s penchant and preference for a well-groomed, self-conscious and presentable workforce began to yield fruit. Now, most of the civil servants (especially at the State Secretariat) can pass off as corporate executives drawn from the private sector, especially the financial services arm like banks, insurance and the stock brokerages. Unlike before, these workers come out of their respective homes in dapper, well-tailored, clean-cut suits and native dresses that impress not because of their high cost but because of their pleasant look. This has resulted into a transformed cadre of workers who now project themselves with renewed self-confidence in their innate abilities and capacity to compete with their peers whether in Lagos, Abuja or Johannesburg.
When the current Olubadan, Oba Soliu Akanmu Adetunji Aje Ogungunniso 1 was to be installed in March 2016, the governor saw an opportunity to showcase Ibadanland to the whole world. On that occasion, he literally took out all the stops to organize the most beautiful, well-attended installation ceremony ever recorded in the modern history of Ibadanland. He ensured the attendance of the most respected traditional rulers in the nation including the Alaafin of Oyo, Ooni of Ife, Oba of Lagos, Alake of Egbaland, Emir of Ilorin and the Sultan of Sokoto, among several others. The regal and royal attendance of these first class monarchs was matched by the colourful presence of very distinguished and eminent Nigerians including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as several governors, captains of industry as well as diplomats from across the world.
However, despite his best efforts as well as those of the committee saddled with the organisation of the event, the event was almost ruined by the tendency for gross display of indiscipline and unruliness typical of most Nigerians, be they mighty or tiny. Sometimes you wonder why our public events including university convocations, governorship inaugurations and musical concerts are so utterly disorganised and reminiscent of the bedlam that was Oshodi Motor Park before governors Tunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode managed to restore some semblance of order, peace and beauty to the relief of decent Nigerians.
And so it almost was at the installation of Oba Adetunji; chaos had fully descended onto the stage: literally hundreds of photojournalists had overrun the stage; scores of uninvited masters of ceremony had thronged the space; aides, police orderlies and even miscreants had overcrowded every inch of the stage such that it was practically impossible for the celebrant to find his way up the coronation stage. It was the very definition of bedlam, a place where uproar and confusion prevails. That was the state of things until Mr Constituted Authority sprang to his feet, tearing through the crowd until he found his way to the overcrowded stage. Everyone, including the dignitaries gazed in wonder at what the Chief Host was about.
In a fit of righteous indignation, he personally took physical charge of the stage, ordering any and everyone who had no direct business (including some of his own commissioners, an intruding professor and the scores of unruly security operatives) to get off that stage in an instant. Many observers (including me) looked in askance. Almost instantaneously, I realized what major disaster he had averted by seizing the initiative and rescuing the event from potential collapse into anarchy and disgrace for Oyo State.
Within minutes, significant order was restored on the stage and so thankfully, we were finally able to behold the beauty of the elegantly laid out throne, surrounded by the leading monarchs who sat gracefully across on a red carpet; the incoming royal father soon arrived in his majesty and was officially installed and given his staff of office to the roaring applause of the hundreds of thousands who were at the historic Mapo venue and the millions who watched on television screens and handheld devices across the globe. Almost two years after, that event is still adjudged positively; a typical exemplar of the Ajimobi dogged insistence on excellence. My birthday wish: that his good works, and the forces of good combine, under the function of the Lord, to show him a worthy successor who would raise the barometer of governance further than his. Amen!
Layinka is the Oyo State Governor’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy.
