Former Director General of Oyo state Liaison Office in Abuja and Lagos in the last administration, Comrade Wale Ajani has disclosed that he temporarily stood down his political ambition to join the government of Governor Seyi Makinde because of its excellent performance.
Ajani disclosed this last Sunday while featuring as a guest at a media interaction organized by the South West Guild of Online Publishers (SWEGOP) held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Under Makinde’s tutelage, Ajani said, “I learnt a lot because he is a goal getter and he doesn’t care since it’s for the interest of the Oyo State. He is just a specie that the upcoming politicians need to understudy. Anyone taking over from him must be highly innovative and development-oriented because he has set a standard that is not just for a mere politician but for another transformational leader.”
Ajani said the move to shelve his senatorial ambition was primarily geared towards learning the art of governance directly under the leadership of Governor Makinde who he said has become a national template for qualitative leadership in the country.
While narrating his experience as DG of Oyo state Liaison Officer in Abuja and Lagos, Ajani said Governor Makinde gave him a platform that provided the opportunity for him to put his wealth of experience to more productive use being former National President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
Describing Makinde as a nationalist whose approach to governance portends great hope for younger generation of political leaders. The Engineer turned Lawyer while expressing his gratitude noted that he would continue to learn, unlearn, and relearn from the Makinde school of modern politics until he was personally ready to hit the big stage again to contest elections in the future.
In his words, “Let me say this unequivocally that the number one primary thing is that I wouldn’t have joined any government if it was not performing. Governor Makinde was and still doing fantastically well in terms of leadership and good governance which was why some of feel very privileged to have worked directly with him. we may not be able to fully appreciate the fact that we have another Awolowo in our midst until the time when another generation would be telling our stories of today.
“So, for me, It is the basis to join and contribute my own little quota because if you look at my antecedent, I contested in 2019 as a candidate under the ADC. If you know what happened, we that contested for House of Assembly were the canon folders.
Asked how as a Director-General of the Oyo State Liaison Office in Abuja and Lagos, what change he was able to bring to the table for the state, Ajani said, some of the high notes and most memorable moments for him were periods of engaging national and international leaders on behalf of the Governor Makinde who he said has already established a highly reputable image for himself.
“I want to say this, my about nine or ten months in office was a very good time of learning, re-learning, and unlearning time for me. Although, I am not the kind of person going to an office without knowing what is expected of him to do. I came in with a very clear understanding, vision, and focus because I understand my principal who does not accept mediocrity or failure from a place of trust. And I also very well understand the job assigned to me by reason of being a former National President of the Youth Council.
“You are to represent your state interests at the Federal Capital Territory. It is just like a mini ambassador. It is just that some of us don’t enjoy appellation. I was one of the first that was given the title of youth ambassador in this country in the early 90’s. I have also had the privilege of travelling round the world representing young people at different global platforms so, I know the job of an ambassador vis-a-vis Liaison Officer.
“First thing i did after assumption of office was to change the image of the Oyo House which is the Embassy of Oyo State in Abuja, I discovered that a lot of things were not on the right track. You have to put everything in order because image is everything; perception is key How do you have Oyo House that when you look at the street, you would see Kastina (House), Rivers, Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos, etc., So, it was only Oyo House that urgently needed a facelift internally and externally.
“Secondly, I was able to restructure working administration of the staffers of Oyo House that were posted from Ibadan to Abuja. We had a meeting, everyone got a clear schedule of duty so no one was inactive.
“I checked the office files and discovered nobody had been engaging the federal MDAs on behalf of the State Government and with the permission of His Excellency Gov Seyi Makinde, I was able to lead the Oyo State team to more that 40 MDAs for proper engagement on what Omituntun 1.0 was about and also our achievements as a state. We also tried to make sure that we opened conversations, short and long term interest of the Seyi Makinde Administration.
“The third aspect was that one of the mission of Abuja and Lagos liaison office is to issue the Certificate of Indigene to Oyo State in the diaspora. Before the dissolution of the government, I have started the plans to make it seamless, leveraging on latest technology thereby, making it possible to acquire it without traveling over a long distance.
“The truth is that there are over 300 federal agencies in Abuja. Every of these agencies have one thing or the other that they are doing and we have 36 states in Nigeria. So, the liaison officers’ responsibility is to make sure that you go and ask how do my state benefit. They won’t come and tell you. Nobody will come to you and say because you are liaison officer or DG. You are just DG in your pocket.
“So, you have to go and look for opportunities for your people and engage them because it is not the same grammar that I speak when I get to Energy Commission of Nigeria that I am going to speak when I get to Rural Electrification Agency. Most times before you go to this people, you need to research and know exactly what you are going there to tell them, otherwise they would just rubbish you or think you are there for meet and greet.
“So, for me, it was a privilege to do what I had been doing before because as a former President of the National Youth Council in Nigeria, I was able to do a lot of things and it is similar. I was talking to government agencies and development partners on behalf of young people so it is easier for me to talk to development partners. I want to appreciate Gov Seyi Makinde for that opportunity,” he explained.
