One of the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hails from a place of historical significance, an ancient town that was once the seat of the expansive and powerful Old Oyo Empire. As an indigene of Igboho, the headquarters of Oorelope local government, Alhaji Rafiu Olarinre Adeladan, the new Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of work stands as an inspiring man of all moments, a beacon of hope and a reflection of greatness from a small place. To paraphrase Tunde Onakoya, the chess grandmaster “it is possible to do great things from a small place”. And indeed, from the quiet corner of Igboho, an agrarian rich and historical community that is reputed for excellence and extraordinariness emerged Alhaji Rafiu Adeladan, the unassuming top civil servant whose wealth of experience, expertise and exposure stood him apart as a patriot of highest order. Alongside other prominent sons and daughters whose stratospheric rise in life have helped advance community interest and development in ways never seen before, Alhaji Adeladan track records of excellence and performance gave him away as a jewel of inestimable value.
As a community of historical richness and audacity, Igboho, home to numerous accomplished business tycoons, academic eggheads, political bigwigs, legal juggernauts, etc is indeed proud to embrace Alhaji Adeladan’s well-deserved success with open arms plus those who continue to put the community on national and global map. For one, the outpouring of congratulatory messages and felicitations since the appointment was made public has only shown the love the people have for him. Recall that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Alhaji Rafiu Olarinre Adeladan and Mr. Mukhtar Muhammed representing Oyo State and the North-West geopolitical zone, respectively on March 5, 2025. Announcing the approval, Mrs. Eno Olotu, Director Information and Public Relations, office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) said the appointments followed a rigorous and transparent selection process in line with the administration’s commitment to meritocracy, excellence, and competence in the civil service.
“The new permanent secretaries are urged to bring wealth of their experiences and expertise to their roles, which will further strengthen the delivery of public services and support the government’s development agenda”, she said.
Until his stewardship as the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of work, Alhaji Adeladan has made his mark in the Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Aviation etc as a procurement official among other roles under his belt. In those capacities for instance, he led transparent, innovative and effective procurement procedures that restored confidence in the system. He was one of the most sought after, superb and trustworthy civil servants in the country. As a matter of fact, his appointment is the icing on the cake of his illustrious career in the civil service.
In 2023, an indigene of igboho, Professor Babatunde Oni, SAN of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos emerged the only academic to step into the Senior Advocate of Nigeria’s stardom for that legal year. He became the first SAN from Igboho and the second Senior Advocate of Nigeria from Oke-Ogun region, trailing behind the legal luminary and philanthropy per excellence, Barrister Ahmed Raji, SAN.
That year, I wrote on this column that “of all the twelve eminent Professors of Law shortlisted for the Prestigious and highly revered Senior Advocate of Nigeria award by the Legal Practitioner’s Privileges Committee, only Professor Babatunde Adetunji Oni made it to the end with an uncommon grace”. I summed up the column by noting that Professor Oni’s meteoric rise in the academic and legal profession inspired me a lot, having followed his remarkable exploits from afar. “He is a beacon of hope”, I confessed, “an inspiration to many, an exceptional and exemplary legal doyen”.
In essence, I added in that tribute that “I haven’t met Professor Oni, SAN in person but I have several friends who interacted with him on many occasions”. Perhaps, my understanding of Alhaji Rafiu Adeladan, the new Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works follows similar trajectory: I have only heard of him through people closed to him. And they all attested to his unconditional love for the community, the people and everything in between. As a young writer, I found the story of exceptional personalities like Alhaji Rafiu Adeladan utterly fascinating. For a generation that is often dismissed as ‘lost’ and ‘woke’, touching and inspiring stories like that not only assures but rekindles fleeting hope. To witness the rise of a man from a rural community to the peak of his career in the civil service that is notorious for chewing people up and spitting them with reckless abandon is enough to inspire a generation that indeed DREAM DO COUNTS, apology to Chimamanda Adichie.
While the enigmatic civil servant is a quiet man, that cannot be said of his absolute love for lifting others. He takes delight in seeing others rise to the peak of their potential. While others build castles, this man loves building others. Alhaji Adeladan, according to multiple sources that I spoke to described him as an unconventional giver, cheerful helper and an uncompromising civil servant. His large, kind heart, generosity, unassuming nature and passion for the growth of others was termed remarkable. “It is his readiness and willingness to help at all time that stood out for me”, one source told me.
Another said he’s always ready to go out of his way to help strangers. “Once he has the means to help, he acts with a conviction that inspires”. And instead of locking himself away from his people as most top government officers often do, this man, once described as a ‘super’ civil servant, is not only grounded but stay connected to his place of birth. To stay grounded and connected to one’s place of birth is not small feat in a world where both real and imaginary fear have cripple and scared the hell out of many.
As I write this column, my mind flashed back to the hypothetical questions I had in mind for Professor Babatunde Oni, SAN when I penned that piecemeal for him. Given the similarity in the story of the two extraordinary achievers, I imagine myself, sitting next to Alhaji Adeladan, asking about his story from the humble beginning to becoming a national asset: was it all smooth and seamless? Was the ride worth it? In addition, I will also ask who his biggest supporters and cheerleaders were and how his background shaped his personal and professional trajectory. Furthermore, I will ask him to describe his coping mechanism in the face of life’s inescapable challenges and obstacles. In essence, I will ask him to counsel the younger ones, like me who are confused and restless about life generally.
Essentially, I will encourage him to leverage his esteem office to rally around highly successful people like him from the town to a community wide course: a digital hub where young school leavers can learn digital skills, a sustainable scholarship scheme that helps indigents students flourish in their academic pursuits, and a truly functional microfinance Bank that truly unlock the economic potential of our people. I will tell him that our people are happy to have him as a high ranking and top government functionary who is committed to the growth of our community. As a show of gratitude, I will tell him that his efforts in the community development are all acknowledged and appreciated but that with this higher responsibility comes higher expectation from the people. That to ultimately write his name in gold, he will do well to champion development that will bring about a seismic shift in the social and economic status of our community.
Finally, I will ask why he loves this community with all his heart. In effect, I will ask whether he believes in philosophical words of Chief Mrs. Bamidele Ademola Olateju who noted with enthusiasm that “To achieve authentic growth, one must acknowledge his origins and pay tribute to the experiences that have molded him”.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
