(C) ADENIJI (2020)

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ISBN 13-978-978-2918-51-2

Published by: Landmark Communications Email: [email protected] Tel: 08102756049

Cover Designs/Layout: Grafix Global Services

ii CONTENTS

Dedication IV

Foreword V

Acknowledgments VII

Preface XI

Chapter 1: The Beginning 1

Chapter 2: In Search of Light 9

Chapter 3: Golden Fleece 21

Chapter 4: The Hand of God 41

Chapter 5: Crowning Glory 51

Chapter 6. The Home Front 60

Chapter 7: The Grandmaster 68

Chapter 8: Reminiscence 74

Appendix 84

iii DEDICATION

Dedicated to the goodness and sweetness of the Living God.

iv FOREWORD hen I got the request to write a foreword to this book, 'A Product of Grace', autobiography of Mr. Segun Adeniji, I Wagreed to undertake the task without any reservations for three major reasons. First, I saw it as my own modest contribution to the celebration of an Officer and gentleman whom I have since discovered to be a pleasant, humble and amiable person. Second, I saw it as an opportunity to encourage other Officers (men and women alike) to chronicle their life and career development for the benefit of the younger ones. Considering the advantage of permanence and continual readership that books offer over other forms of documentation, I am convinced such narrative will serve as a reference book, archival material and memorabilia in years to come. Third, I was sufficiently persuaded that intellectual activity, such as is evident in this book, would help to modify and remodel some of the defective fixed opinions that some hold about Public Servants. There is no gainsaying that reading promotes mental stimulation, enhances stress reduction, increases knowledge, expands vocabulary, improves memory, boosts thinking and analytical skills, develops focus and concentration, enriches writing skills, develops confidence and heightens exposure. It is, therefore, my conviction that this modest effort would reinvigorate the culture of reading in our society. Reading about the real life story of a successful or remarkable person often influences, motivates, or encourages young minds. And by learning about the challenges that others have overcome, they can make connections to their own lives. Reading through the book, I was able to discover many other attributes other than those I knew about the author. In addition to appreciating his kind nature and honesty, it is inspiring to discover

v that the author is such a conscientious lover of God. As revealed in the book, his modesty and compassionate attitudes, commitment to God, total meekness toward others, assiduousness and truthfulness, as well as pleasant rapport with people from varied settings, easily make him a typical role model. The exceptional ethical propriety as well as courteous manifestation of the Christian virtues entrenched in the author evidently underlines quality upbringing and the virtue of meticulous parental training. This book also reveals in the author, a prudent and self-motivated team player. Rather than lording it over his staff/colleagues and unnecessarily being domineering, he leads by example and motivates others to put in their best, no matter the challenges. One inimitable affirmation offered by the book is the need for leaders at all levels to be compassionate, particularly to the downtrodden. It is only in doing this that we can have a fair and just society that is pleasant for us all to dwell in. I congratulate the author, especially for using the book to subtly draw the readers' attention to those Christian virtues and values that could help us to be better children of God and responsible members of the society. It is my earnest prayer that the almighty God will continue to guide, direct, preserve and honour Mr. Segun Adeniji in his future endeavours. May the Almighty God prolong his days in good health, joy and sound mind. Finally, it is my pleasure to commend this book to policy makers, researchers, members of the academia as well as the general public.

Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Head of Service, Lagos State November, 2020.

vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This publication wouldn't have seen the light of the day but for the persistent assistance and priceless inputs of many individuals. To start with, I will love to express my profound gratitude to the Almighty God for graciously seeing me through an eventful Public Service career. The Lord is surely my fortress and solid rock. It is chiefly by his grace that I am singing and will continue to sing the song of victory. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say; if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us; Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul (Psalm 124: 1-4). May the name of the Lord be praised forever! Also, my profound gratitude goes to my late parents Mr. Michael Adeniji and Mrs. Comfort Aduke Adeniji, who gave me a good upbringing. They were both wonderful and their memories linger on for good. My prayer is for the Lord to grant them eternal rest. It is equally vital to show deep gratitude to former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who appointed me first as General Manager (LAWMA) in June 2016 and as a Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Public Service in December, 2018. Sir, you would always be appreciated. I am convinced that you are going to higher grounds. Similarly, my intense indebtedness is also extended to the current Governor of the State, Mr. Olusola Babajide Sanwo- Olu, who graciously retained me as a Permanent Secretary till my statutory retirement date. May the Greater Lagos vision of

vii the administration never falter in Jesus name. Amen. Equally, I wish to thank all the political heads that I was privileged to work with in my entire Public Service career. These include Prof. Idowu Shobowale (Office of Special Adviser on Education, OSAE), Mr. Segun Dawodu (Ministry Youth and Social Development), Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ministry Youth and Social Development), Late Prince Ademola Adeniji Adele, (Ministry Youth and Social Development), Hon. (Dr) Dolapo Badmus (Ministry Youth and Social Development), Hon. Cornelius, Ojelabi (defunct Ministry of Rural Development), Tpl. Toyin Ayinde (Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development), Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejokun (LAWMA), Hon. Hakeem Popoola Fahm (MoST), Mr. Olatunbosun Alake (Ministry of Science and Technology), Mrs. Josephine Oluseyi Williams (Rtd. Head of Service) and Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, (current Head of Service, Lagos State). They were all part of the reasons why I had a remarkable Public Service career. My insightful gratitude equally goes to Mr. Hakeem Muri- okunola for being well-disposed to penning a foreword to this book. Thank you sir for such kind gesture. Most importantly, I am highly indebted to members of my family, especially my darling wife, Oluwatoyin and children, Mr. and Mrs. Omolade Obadina, Toluwalase, Anjolaoluwa and Victor for standing by me through my Public Service career and, indeed, life in general. My wife, in particular, have always been a great source of support, encouragement and motivation for me in the journey of life. I sincerely appreciate her for always being a huge pillar of support for me through the good and rough patches of life. Darling, may the good Lord abundantly reward all your labour of love over me and the whole family in Jesus name. Amen.

viii To all my siblings, Mr. Moses Olutola Adisa Adeniji (Olori- Ebi), Prince Bamidele Macdee Adeniji, Mrs. Adunni Godfrey (nee Adeniji) and Mrs. Funmilayo Ijamakinwa (nee Adeniji) whose amazing affection and sacrifice have made my life such a stunning experience, I say a big thank you. Ajose wa o ni baje loruko Jesu. It is also important to appreciate the valued editorial and professional input of Mr. Tayo Ogunbiyi, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy and his team comprising Anu Thomas, Ekundayo Olatunde and Dotun Oguntade. I also acknowledge all those who mentored me in my Public Service career such as Late Mr. Gbolahan Owolabi (Rtd. Permanent Secretary), Late Engr. Adedayo Adeyemi (Rtd. General Manager, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and Permanent Secretary Ministry of the Environment), Late Mr. Yomi Ajibodu, Mr. J.O. Coker mni (Rtd. Permanent Secretary), Mr. Kamal Junaid (Rtd. Permanent Secretary), Arc. (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Ajayi mni (Rtd. Permanent Secretary), Arc. Adebayo Dipe (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development), Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pension), Engr. Abdulwahab Ogunbiyi (Rtd. General Manager, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA), amongst several others. In same vein, I appreciate the contributions of my colleagues in the Public Service such as Lanre Rufai, my career twin brother, my Oga - Mr. Gbolahan Ojora, Gbolahan Adetoro, Mr. Ishola Raphael Bello, Lateef Lamina amongst several others to my successful Service career. It is also quite expedient for me to express my appreciation to all my spiritual mentors such as Pastors Kola Aiyedogbon,

ix Yemi-Lebi, Solomon Cole and Dele Jayeoba and their wives. May the Lord continue to fill the cup of your anointing to overflow in Jesus name. Amen As for others, who are too innumerable to mention, my prayer is that the Almighty God will continue to defend you and your respective families now and always in Jesus name. Amen

Segun Olufemi Adeniji, Lagos. November, 2020

x PREFACE The motivation to pen this biography came from the Almighty God and out of a burning desire to put down my Public Service experience in a book to serve as inspiration to others. Reading about the real life story of a successful or remarkable person often influences, motivates, or provides encouragement. As people learn about the challenges that others have overcome, they can make connections to their own lives and be convinced that they can also surmount such problems. Biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, and diaries provide readers with opportunity to learn valuable lessons of life. Autobiographies give readers insight into the trials and tribulations that many people face in the journey of life. In Yoruba tradition, the adage: Eni to jin si koto, o ko ara yoku logbon. (Literarily meaning, you learn from the errors or misfortunes of others), simply shows that you can learn even from the failures of others. This publication is also partly part of my modest contribution to re-inventing reading culture in our beloved country. Without a doubt, reading promotes mental stimulation, enhances stress reduction, increases knowledge, expands vocabulary, improves memory, boosts thinking and analytical skills, develops focus and concentration, enriches writing skills, develops confidence and heightens exposure. It is my utmost optimism that this modest effort will help present and upcoming generations of Public Servants to embrace selfless and sacrificial service to their fatherland. It is, therefore, with extreme passion that I commend this book to the public.

Segun Olufemi Adeniji, Lagos. November, 2020

xi

CHAPTER ONE

THE BEGINNING

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and time to heal; A time to break down, and time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-5)

1 THE BEGINNING

was born on the 6th of January, 1961, in Funtua, in the old Kaduna State (now in Kastina State). My Daddy Mr. IMichael Adeniji was a railway worker while my mother Mrs. Comfort Aduke Adeniji (nee Shotunde) was a petty trader, traversing Kano and Zaria once in every week to procure goods to be sold at the Funtua and Bakori Markets (Kastina State). They were both from Abeokuta. My Grandfather's village is Afojuupa (outskirts of Abeokuta) and his mother from Alagada (outskirts of Abeokuta). They settled/or have their home in Molode in Igbore, Abeokuta. My maternal grandparents were from Eerin and settled in Agbole- Baashona in Itoku, Abeokuta. My Father retired from the Nigeria Railway Corporation and stayed at Funtua until my elder brother began to subtly drag every one back to the South. We lived in a very large compound and quite a number of Yoruba folks also lived in that town. The Ogbomoshos, in particular, were numerous in the North then, and a whole lot of them resided in Funtua. We all grew up together in the same compound with each person having his own room. Some were Muslims while others were Christians. Then, religious dichotomy was never really a factor in our interaction. We lived as one and did things in common. The kind of primordial sentiments and forces that divide the contemporary society were not at work in our time. We lived a communal kind of life where everyone watched each other's back.

A Closely Knitted Family My mother and father were wonderful parents. I love my mother so much. She was very hard working and prayerful.

2 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

Things were hard when my two elder brothers were going to school. But during my time, I had it all. Though, we were not millionaires, but anything I needed was provided for by my parents. I never had financial issue throughout my academic career. While at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), I enjoyed double portion of provision because I was receiving financial supports from my parents in the North and also from my brother in Lagos. My father was a polygamist with three wives. My mother was the first wife, and she had six children for him; four males and two females. I happen to be the fourth and the last boy, followed by two girls. The two other wives bore a daughter each for my father. According to my mother, my birth heralded great fortune for her. Probably, this explains why I had a great bonding with her. Our eldest brother, Mr. Moses Olutola Adisa Adeniji, now the Olori-Ebi (Family-Head), is a kind hearted man and a great mentor to me and the rest of my siblings. He sacrificed a lot to ensure we all had remarkable academic careers. After he completed his secondary school education, he taught for two years before proceeding to offer two years Advanced Level, after which he taught for another two years before proceeding to the University of Ibadan for his degree. My other elder brother, Prince Bamidele Macdee Adeniji, is more of a friend to me. All his friends were my friends sort of and vice versa. While growing up, he was a bit playful and was not really serious with his education. After the completion of the Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE) degree, he began to teach in a Public Secondary School in Lagos State. He used to (he still does) dress quite well as a teacher. He was simply a classy personality. He had an old Suberu car that he was riding. He supported his school's Principal in the

3 THE BEGINNING

running of the school. I will like to share a little of his story to encourage the present generation of youth to aspire for greatness. I am sure he will not be offended as I share the bit because we had joked severally about the issue. At a time, in the course of his teaching career, some food items were distributed to teachers. But it was being done in accordance to Grade Level (GL). Being an NCE holder, my brother was on a lower Grade Level. Consequently, the portion given to him was relatively small, in-spite of his hard work and supervisory roles at the school. Indeed, one of the teachers who noticed it made a joke out of it by saying that my brother who acted as if he was the Principal of the school was a mere junior staff. That incident really touched my brother so much that on the second day he went to UNILAG to enroll for his first degree in Adult Education and immediately capped it up with his Master's degree. The underlining message behind the story is that in his adult years, he regained all the opportunities he lost while he was very young and eventually moved on to greater heights in life. Thus, he picked the pieces of his life and moved on strikingly. He retired as a Director at the National Primary Health Care Agency, Abuja. In same vein, it is not too late for anyone to move up the ladder of life. It doesn't really matter where you are now. With determination, focus and divine backing, you can get to the very top in the journey of life. My younger sister, Mrs. Adunni Godfrey, clocked fifty recently. She is happily married with two grown up boys, Kelechi and Chukwunonso. She is a Nursing Sister with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). My two half-sisters are hale and hearty. One of them, Mrs. Funmilayo Ijamakinwa is sixty years plus. She retired as a

4 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

teacher in a public school in Kaduna State. I relate very well with her. My other half-sister is Kike and we are age mates. She lives in Abeokuta. I am blessed with a closely knitted family. The bond among us is great and we cherish it so much. Glory to God for the kind of family I come from. My prayer is that as many of my siblings that are yet to experience salvation, will soon be touched by the mercies and saving grace of the Lord Jesus.

The Mystery of Death Death is the last crowning glory of every man's sojourn on earth. The fool will die. The wise will die. The rich will die and the poor will also not escape the deadly and cold grip of death. The deadly thing about death is that it will come when it will come. Some die at birth while some die in their prime. Some die in their old age. Some die in their sleep while others die bathing. Some die in five stars hospitals while others die in miserable dispensaries. Some die unsung while others are celebrated even in death. Some die plotting against death while some are trapped in the cobweb of death for some inexplicable reasons. That is death for you! It (he?) is so ruthless that it gave no room for negotiation between itself and its victims. Except for, perhaps, King Hezekiah in the Holy Bible, who God gave the luxury of re-negotiating his exit date, death daily moves rounds the world, with so much pride and arrogance, to pluck from among men whom it wants. The one thing we can really count on is today. No one is really sure of tomorrow. It is, therefore, quite strange that many go to any length to acquire wealth, power, influence and all sorts of ephemeral material stuffs. Some enter into occultic covenants, whose terms might be eventually injurious to their

5 THE BEGINNING

generations yet unborn, just to remain relevant in a world where one is forgotten immediately one is gone. The Holy Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes 3, aptly summarizes the sojourn of man on earth when Solomon, perhaps, the wisest king ever, refers to life as vanity. Nothing but the grasping of the wind! If only leaders of Third World countries would take counsel in the summation of King Solomon about the vanity of life, perhaps, their people would not have to grapple with so much misery in their various countries. Leaders, and followers alike, who relish in cornering the commonwealth for personal ends, should remember that we came to this world with nothing and will absolutely return with nothing. Individuals that daily live lives of worries and anxieties to the detriment of their health, need to take things easy because life will eventually go on with or without them. Those that engage in all manners of wickedness should remember the day that they will stand naked before the judgment seat of their creator. Every man, irrespective of status, shall one day stand before God in judgment.

Just think about this! My immediate senior brother and immediate younger sister passed on at a relatively younger age. They were both unmarried when death struck and snatched them in their prime. Adebayo Adeniji was killed by a hit and run vehicle in Sabo, Yaba, Lagos. He was a staff of Mushin Local Government at the time of his death. He was a very quiet and unassuming young man. He had great hopes and aspirations, but death ensured those were never fulfilled. May he continue to rest at the bosom of the Lord till we meet to part no more. His untimely death occurred about two weeks to my wedding and we had to postpone the ceremony because of the pain.

6 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

We also lost my immediate younger sister, Omotunde Adeniji, to Hepatitis B. She also died unmarried. She was a staff of LAWMA. Thus, death effectively snuffed life out of two of my siblings whom I love so dearly. That is the way of death; wicked, arrogant and inconsiderate. My father passed on at 64, during my final examinations at UNILAG in June, 1984, while my mother also passed on to glory in 1996, at the age of 66. She had her last breath at my elder brother's house in Magodo, Lagos. My parents were loving, wonderful and caring. They taught us courage, honesty and love. May the Lord continue to bless their loving souls. I thank God that my generation has broken the siege of early death. Glory be to God, my elder brother is now seventy-three and the second one is sixty-seven; while yours truly is a few months to sixty.

7

CHAPTER TWO

IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

Books and our pens are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution- Malala Yousafzai

9 IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

ducation plays a major role in the growth and progress of a society. It is a process of continuous learning which Ecan be acquired anywhere at any time and any age. It is the fundamental right of every citizen because it promotes empowerment and ensures development. According to John Dewey, education is synonymous with light, as it banishes ignorance, which, in contemporary society, is considered as darkness. Education is useful in uplifting the society since it helps elevate the social and economic conditions. It is one of the key components that can make or mar the advancement of any society. In any society, the educated makes significant contributions in diverse walks of life. Many governments across the world have recognized the importance of education as a tool to enhance progress and make the world a better place. This explains why lots of investments are being committed to uplifting the standard of education across the world. Education gives people the confidence to stand up to life challenges and tough situations. It also helps in improving people's networking and decision-making abilities. Many researchers have proven that in countries where women are subjected to gender bias, education helps them stand up against marital violence, improved their decision- making capabilities and help them take charge of their own lives. To quote 23 year old Nobel laureate and Pakistan born child right activist, Malala Yousafzai, “books and our pens are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution”. In any society, education remains a vital tool through which

10 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

the citizenry could positively contribute to nation building. It is on the basis of this conviction that our founding fathers gave prominent attention to education. They had the foresight to realize that desired high quality workforce, an enlightened citizenry, without which national development is impossible, could only be guaranteed by investing in education. This is particularly true of the defunct Western Region under the leadership of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Education is an essential for economic, social and cultural development of all societies. Without it, the citizens cannot flourish and the nation cannot record consequential development. It is, therefore, incontestable that for individuals, education is the ladder of opportunity. For communities, it is the base of common values that holds diverse people together. For nations, it is the engine of economic growth. And for all who believe in freedom, education provides the moral foundation for democracy guided by respect for individual dignity and the rule of law. The benefits accruable to a child, if properly educated, are, no doubt, enormous. For one, good education could easily translate into increase in the number of children with the prospect of securing high profile jobs as well as higher earnings. Consequently, they would be productive and able to live independent lives, without necessarily being burdens to others. Perhaps, more importantly, they won't have to endure the pain of being side tracked when it comes to taking part in vital nation building process. The implication of this is that they could become productive professionals in any choice field, thereby contributing their own quota to national development. With good education, they could get involved in the political process and make huge impact in public governance as being experienced in many developed nations.

11 IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

Similarly, in the area of birth control, the educated, due to the light education beams, understand the health and economic benefits of family planning. Through this, they would be able to give birth to fewer and healthier children. This is in sharp contrast to the uneducated who do not understand the real essence of family planning; thereby giving birth to underfeed and unhealthy children. Poverty, occasioned by severe economic hardship, ignorance, influence of traditional belief and custom, erratic government policies among others are some other factors responsible for the decline in education in the country. The way out is for government to improve the nation's economy and reduce poverty to the lowest level in the land. Equally, there is need for strategic public enlightenment campaigns specifically designed to get children back to school. All stakeholders such as faith based bodies, traditional institutions, government agencies, child right advocates, the media and NGOS should be involved in this noble course. If our nation is to really attain unrestricted growth across all sectors, this is the time to decisively address the issue of decline in education.

The Foundation In our time, most parents, especially those who were privileged, like my father, to work in the public sector, were ready to spare nothing to give their children the best of education. My father cherished education and was not ready to compromise on giving his children quality education. He had the olden days’ Standard Six Certificate while my darling mother read up to standard three. Consequently, thanks to my parents, I began my search for the light that education gives when I began my primary school education at Bisije Primary School, Funtua. The school had

12 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo pupils. But I must confess, Hausa pupils were quite few. It used to be an Anglican school attached to the Anglican Church, but was taken over by the government. The school was fun. We had very good teachers who were mostly Yorubas. We even took some free Yoruba lessons, though it was a Northern school. We did not have any Hausa teacher. I was involved in some extracurricular activities. I personally loved the drama group and I was involved in a few drama activities in the school. For me and, indeed, for most of my colleagues then, school was a huge fun, especially because it gave us opportunity to play. Of course, once you get home, you are under lots of restrictions. I was at the school for seven years. It was at the school that the foundation of my education was firmly laid and I thank God for the experience I had there. It really helped to shape my focus and outlook later in life. That is why I can conveniently relate with people from any part of the country because of the experience I had at the school where pupils from different ethnic backgrounds attended the school. I wish our country could go back to this nationalistic path. It would boost understanding and comradeship among the younger ones.

A Communal Setting Thereafter, I was admitted into Ilofa Grammar School in Ilofa, Kwara State, where I spent two memorable years. The story of how I got to the school is quite interesting. While in primary six, I was fairly used to reading newspapers. One day, as I was going through a copy of newspaper, in the company of two of my friends, Dada Sanusi and Soji Adegoke, we came across an advertisement about Ilofa Grammar School, seeking to have students from all over the country. Three of us applied and were admitted.

13 IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

That shows the level of independent mind that we had then. The examination was conducted in our school and the three of us were admitted but only two of us attended the school. It was a community school and we had a good time there. My stay at Ilofa was, however, short-lived, as I had to return to Funtua due to health reasons. Subsequently, I continued my secondary school education at the Government Secondary School, Funtua where I spent another three years. My experience in the secondary school was very beautiful. We ate together and did things together in a communal setting. The school (Ilofa Grammar School) had no hostel. Those of us from outside the community stayed in homes donated by the community. The arrangement was that each family in the community provided a room for students from outside the community. But ten, we used to have our meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner- in school and then retire to the homes of those families to sleep at night. That was how we were living. It was difficult to spot the difference between boarding and day students. That was the kind of society I grew to know. Ilofa was mostly a small farming community. We had lots of fun. We played football, got involved in literary and debating as well as drama activities. Sadly, my stay at the school was short-lived because of health challenge. Being AA, I suffered from several bouts of malaria. Therefore, in order not to jeopardise my health, I had to return to my parents at Funtua.

Back to Base That was how I found myself at the Government Secondary School, Funtua where I completed my secondary education. Since I grew up in Funtua and my parents were there, settling down was not difficult. Students from different parts of the north were in the school and it was another experience to mix

14 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

with assorted people and learn new things from them. I was fairly brilliant and was able to win few prizes during our valedictory programme. I was the Second Best in both English Literature and Economics. Sadly, in my West African Examination Council (WAEC) result, I managed to have just two credits and four passes. It was quite shocking to me. Unsurprisingly, I had F9 in Mathematics which I hated with passion. Then, in the North we were mostly taught by teachers from India. In-spite of my poor result, my parents did not put undue pressure on me. They encouraged me to retake the examination. So, I had to go to the Federal school of Arts and Science, Sokoto. It was an Advanced Level (A/Level) school where you are to spend two years, but could also have opportunity to retake your Ordinary Level (O/Level) examinations if you so wish. In our time, there were many of such A/Level schools across the country. Once you are able to successfully complete your two-year A/Level programme, you would secure direct entry admission into any university of your choice where you are to start in Year Two. So, in those days, A/Level schools were quite competitive and more like a preliminary for university education. Fortunately, I passed the A/Level examination with credit in History, Economics and Government. I passed all the three at once. That was in 1981.

Tertiary Education Since I grew up in the north, it was natural that I wished to attend the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. The tradition then in the north was to attend either ABU or Bayero University, Kano. Most of my friends were already at ABU. But for my elder brother who insisted I should have my

15 IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

tertiary education in the south-west, I would have attended ABU. My elder brother had studied History at the University of Ibadan (U.I.). He, therefore, persuaded me to run my degree programme in the south-west, saying it is good for me to also have a feel of the south. That was the origin of my coming to the University of Lagos, (UNILAG). Initially, I had wanted to study Law. But I could not since I did not make nine points in my A/Level examinations. Since the points I had qualified me to be admitted for my second choice, I was offered admission to study History. Originally, my plan was to go back for Law after my first degree in History. Indeed, that was what some of my classmates did. But I could not go back to study Law because my elder brother who was partly responsible for sponsoring my university education felt I should start a career so I could begin to fend for myself. He called me one day and said: “Segun, I've tried my best for you. You need to start working. Then, if you have the means you can go back to study Law''. My friends who went back for Law were Adeola Ipaye (former Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State and now Deputy Chief of Staff - Presidency, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Odusanya - Min. of Justice - Alausa, Mr. Muyiwa Oladipo - former Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Bamidele Adeleye (TARIK) Private Legal Practitioner, Tokunbo Somoye (UK). We all graduated from the History Dept. in UNILAG in 1984 and are still in touch. Although I made effort to do part-time in LASU, but the admission did not come. Also, the fund was not available. That was how and why I abandoned my pursuit of Law degree.

16 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

Fond Memories I have many fond memories of my stay at UNILAG. I made a number of good friends from the school. One of such is Fola Adeyemi (who retired as Permanent secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy). He was a year my senior and was in Mass Communication class. Another was Segun Ajibade (currently Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Lagos State) who was then the President of the Palmwine Drinkers' Club. Fola Adeyemi was also a leading member of the club. They were both in 200 Level while I was in 100 Level. We spent good time together in the Club. I became a member in my first year, but after my first year I quit because it was too much fun. I had to call myself to order so I would not lose sight of my main purpose at the school. Though my other friends were able to successfully cope with the fun and their studies, I could not. So, the best thing to do was to take a bow. The fun in the Palmwine Drinkers' Club was so electrifying. We used to move from one campus to another, all across the country during weekends. There were many places I couldn't have known, but for my several escapades at the club. But the club was a huge distraction to my studies. At the end of my first year, my result was not too good. This was partly responsible for my quitting the club. I needed to face my studies squarely. But then, on a general scale, I had real fun at UNILAG and I could boldly affirm that I went through UNILAG and UNILAG went through me. I was involved in a little bit of campus politics. In my 100 Level, I was a member of the Student Representative Council. Professor Akin Adesola, was the Vice Chancellor during my time. One of the lecturers who made a lasting impression on me was Professor Tajudeen Gbadamosi (T.G.O). He was then the Chairman of the New Hall. He put an inscription on top of

17 IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

the hall. It read thus: 'Not the first, but the best'. I can never forget that inscription, as it propelled me to strive for the best throughout my time at UNILAG and beyond. Other lecturers who I could not forget in a hurry include Prof. Adefuye of blessed memory, Prof. K.K.C Anyanwu and late Prof. (Mrs.) Sophie Oluwole, Prof. Omoregbe among others.

Rebel with a Cause While growing up, I had a little bit of radicalism and a non- conformist instinct in me. I could be subtly rebellious when it comes to standing for what I believe in. While at UNILAG, something happened that really brought this to the fore. In my Department, there was a policy that was geared towards making students to be research minded. A mainstay of this plan was to encourage students to be interested in francophone based researches. Consequently, French was made a compulsory course of study for us. For many reasons, that did not go well with me. For one, I did not do any French in my secondary school. Second, I was already 21 at that time and I felt it was not fair for anyone to force me to start learning such a complicated foreign language at that age. To frontally attack this idea, I led a group of students that vehemently protested against its implementation. Our argument was that the plan should not be made mandatory. It should be optional. We wrote a letter of protest and sent it to the appropriate quarters. The plan was reversed, in my second year, it was overturned and made optional for only interested students. However, it had already affected my result because I did four core French courses. Out of these, one was facilitated in English while the other three were done in French. In view of

18 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

my very disadvantaged French background, I failed woefully in those three courses. In-fact, during the exams, I just wrote my name on the answer sheet and walked out. Although they were compulsory courses, but you could graduate without really passing them. So, I was firmly secured. The incidence earned me the appellation 'French Must Go' by some of my colleagues. It must be stressed that some of my colleagues were not really against the policy. This is probably because they had a good background in the subject while in the secondary school. Indeed, some of them did score an 'A' in the course. As they say, different strokes for different folks. On the whole, UNILAG was fun. I was a member of the Kobo Press Magazine. It was headed by Muyiwa Ogunlaja who recently retired from the Public Service. He was in final year (300 Level) while I was in 100 Level. Some of my UNILAG colleagues with whom I still relate very well include Segun Ajibade, Fola Adeyemi, Toyin Odusanya, Funmilayo Blaze, Sunday Obafaiye, Segun Balogun and a host of others. I graduated in (B.A.Hons History) 1984 at the age of twenty- four. But then, my academic pursuit did not really end there. Years later, I did my Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos. By then, I had started working at LAWMA. I opted for LASU as against UNILAG because the MPA programme was more expensive at UNILAG. I was also privileged to undergo a Diploma Program in Youth Development at the University of Abuja - courtesy the Lagos State Government.

19

CHAPTER THREE

GOLDEN FLEECE

But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1Timothy 5:8) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, no device, nor knowledge, no wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

21 GOLDEN FLEECE

n our time, securing employment after graduating from the tertiary institution was not as difficult as it is today. IUnlike now that a graduate finds it so tough to get a well- paid job, then, we had options.

Service to Fatherland My work career actually began in 1984 with the National Youth Service Corps programme (NYSC). The programme was created by the General Yakubu Gowon's led Federal Military Government on May 22, 1973. The idea behind the initiative was to develop and encourage better connection among young Nigerians with a view to ensuring national unity. Part of the goals of the scheme include inculcating discipline in the Nigerian youths by instilling in them a tradition of industry and patriotism. Others include raising the moral tone of the Nigerian youths by giving them the opportunity to learn about various aspects of our national culture and tradition. Like all government's policies and programmes, despite its various shortcomings, the NYSC scheme has over the years succeeded, in its own little way, in fostering unity in the country. Through the programmes, a few inter-tribal marriages, which ordinarily might not have taken place, have been consummated. Equally, some of the corps members, seeing the limitless possibilities for prosperity in their host communities, have stayed back in those communities (irrespective of tribal and ethnic differences) to earn a living through various legitimate means. Similarly, through various means of social interactions, a few of the corps members have been able to learn, speak and

22 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

understand the languages spoken in their places of primary assignments. Also, lots of the corps members have been exposed to various customs and traditions of diverse parts of the country through the NYSC scheme. Indisputably, therefore, the scheme has been a uniting factor in the country. It is, however, gratifying to note that the coordinators of the scheme now deploy the platform to empower corps members for better economic opportunities, especially after the completion of the scheme. This is a quite smart and creative move by the leadership of the scheme, particularly in view of the astounding unemployment situation in the country. I had my service at Ugwashi Ukwu in the defunct Bendel State (now Delta State). I did my primary assignment at Adaigbo Secondary School where I taught History and Government. Fortunately, the school had a fairly good residential quarters for corps members. It accommodated three of us and we had real fun partying from one place to the other. We were paid a monthly stipend of N200 per month as allowance by the Federal Government. Back then, that was a huge amount of money. It was at a time when the economy was buoyant and the Naira was quite powerful. May the Lord restore the glory of our nation in Jesus name. Amen. I was able to save N100 monthly from the stipend. There was a First Bank branch in the town and I opened an account with them where I was saving N100 every month for nine months. By the time I concluded my NYSC programme, I had had enough money in my savings account. It was through the savings that I was able to buy a suit for my graduation as well as other essential items. Indeed, a travelling box that I bought at Onitsha is still in my custody till date. That is where I have been keeping all my vital documents since 1985.

23 GOLDEN FLEECE

A Noble Beginning Universally, the teaching profession is considered a noble vocation. Without a doubt, teachers are quite important to the society as they hold the key to the future since they help mould future leaders. Their professional knowledge and skills are the most important factor for quality education in any society. Today, teaching has become easier and yet, more difficult because of the ubiquitous availability of communications technology. Whether it is social, business or instructional, technology now makes it easier, faster, more affordable and more intuitive to communicate. Teaching is essentially about communication and the attractiveness of communications technology in an educational setting is difficult to resist. While some of these technologies may constitute distractions, there is broad consensus that, if properly harnessed, the adoption of communications technology in education is advantageous in a number of ways. Thus, the question that confronts the 21st century policy makers is the extent to which existing and rapidly evolving technologies should be adopted and utilized to facilitate the communication between a teacher and his/her students. I began my work career on a noble level when I started working as a Teacher on Grade Level 08 in October 1985. My appointment was with the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission, TESCOM. We applied, had an interview and several of us were employed. I was posted to Amuwo-Odofin Secondary School. Initially, I was posted to Oriwu College, Ikorodu. But I went there only once and never returned. What happened was that I swapped with a woman who stayed in Ikorodu and was posted to Amuwo-Odofin. The arrangement was perfect for both of us because I was living at FESTAC. My stay at Amuwo- Odofin Secondary School was a brief one (October-December, 1985).

24 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

Persistent Caller That same year, 1985, I got another appointment with the then Lagos State Waste Disposal Board (now LAWMA) as an Administrative Officer, on Grade Level 08. My brother had been with the Lagos State Public Service for several years. He was at the Cabinet Office. Every day, he used to come home with varieties of newspapers. As previously indicated, I had been addicted to newspapers right from my primary school days. I was always looking out for vacancies since I did not want to stay too long on the teaching job. One day, while on my usual job search in the newspapers, I came across an advertorial by the Lagos State Waste Disposal Board, and I promptly applied. Along the line, my brother gave me a note to someone at the Board. I met the person and later became a regular caller at the place. Whenever I closed at Amuwo-Odofin Secondary School, I would go there to make enquiries about the status of my application. I kept repeating that process until I was eventually invited for an interview. We had three sets of interview, and at the end of the day I got my letter appointment on the 18th November, 1985. The same day I got the Appointment Letter, I resumed and abandoned the teaching job. In those days, when you are newly employed by any government establishment, you have to work for three months before you could earn a salary. At the end of the three months, you would be paid three months' salary altogether. Fortunately, I got the new appointment in the middle of my first three months on the teaching job. So, I just collected the salary and tendered my letter of resignation. That was how I began a new chapter in my work career. Then, the Chairman of the Board was Mr. J.O. Ajayi while the General-Manager was Engr. Adedayo Adeyemi of blessed

25 GOLDEN FLEECE

memory. Both later were appointed as Permanent Secretaries. I served in the administrative section of LAWMA for 15 years. I was in charge of Appointments, Promotions and Discipline throughout that period. In 2000, during the era of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some Senior Officers from outside the mainstream of the Public Service were brought into the mainstream. I had earlier applied twice to transfer to the mainstream, but my application was not considered. I was really desirous of making that switch because I was almost becoming bored with my activities at LAWMA. I needed a new lease of life. I did not fancy spending my entire Public Service career at LAWMA. I wanted a change. Fortunately, it was around that time that Mr. Fatai Olukoga, a seasoned Public Servant, made the switch from LAWMA to the mainstream and he was a Director at the Office of Secretary to the State Government. That gave me hope that I also could follow in same direction. In the meantime, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had appointed Engineer Adebisi Adeshina as the General Manager of LAWMA. He was brought in from America. By that time, I was acting Assistant General Manager (AGM) in charge of Administration / or Acting Director Admin & HR. Along the line, for reasons best known to him, the new GM was not satisfied with some us who were Senior Management Staff. Subsequently, we were deployed to the mainstream.

Breathe of Fresh Air For me, the deployment was like a breath of fresh air. It was something I had been longing for. So, when it came I promptly grabbed it. At that point, I was on GL 13. But I was due for GL 14.

26 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

For the first three months, we were reporting at the Public Service Office, PSO, awaiting further directives. Finally, I was deployed to the Office of the Special Adviser on Education (OSAE). Prof. Idowu Shobowale was then the Special Adviser. I was there for one year and four months (14th January, 2000 - 24th April, 2001). It was a new Office, so I had to set up the administrative apparatus and all that. But essentially, our activities were mostly field based. We were attending to complaints from all public and private schools. We would investigate and file in our reports to the Special Adviser. It was a different kind of experience like I had always wanted. It was challenging and exciting. I also engaged in representational duties from time to time, having to stand in for the Special Adviser. It was real fun and I was able to know more people in the Ministry of Education and other Agencies of government across the State. This had always been my desire and I was quite thrilled. As it is often the case in the Public Service, on 4th April, 2001, I was deployed to the Lagos State Sports' Council, Yaba, where I served till May 2005 as the Council Secretary. I was still on GL 14. It was another line of experience altogether. We had the Chairman, Mr. Deji Tinubu of blessed Memory. After him we had Mr. Agboola Pinheiro. The Chairman was the political head of the Council while I was in charge of all administrative matters. At the Lagos State Sport Council, I was priviledged to participate in the National Sport Festivals in Benin “Edo 2002”, FCT - Abuja 2004. After I have been posted out of the Sports Council, I was invited to coordinate some of the activities in the Ogun 2006, Kaduna 2009, Port-Harcourt 2010 and Lagos (Eko 2012) Sports Festivals respectively. It was great fun moving around the Country assisting in sports development.

27 GOLDEN FLEECE

Different Kettle of Fish From the Sports Council, I was redeployed to the then Management Services and Reforms Office (MSRO), now OTCI. Mrs. Adedamola Akran was then the Permanent Secretary. I had a very good working relationship with her. I was then an Assistant Director, GL 15. The Office was like an appendage of the Ministry of Establishments, Pensions and Training. It eventually became independent. I was there for two years, from May, 2005 to January, 2007. It was like a research and consultancy outfit. I so much loved it there. I was privileged to be assigned some assignments. For instance, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development wanted to create the Rehabilitation Department. Their Social Welfare Department was so large that they felt it needed to be unbundled. Also, many officers had risen to GL 17, yet they were all under one Director. So, there was a need for an additional Department to give other Directors opportunities. They brought the request and we gave them our terms of reference and charges and they paid. The Head of my Department then was Mr. Owolabi Amisu of blessed memory. I was next to him. We did the assignment together, but I was responsible for it. Eventually, Government acceded to the prayer and the Department of Rehabilitation was created for the Ministry. Another Assignment I took up was the creation of the Nursing Services Department. In the Medical Sector, there were lots of challenges. The Nurses wanted to have a Department of their own, just like the Doctors, Physiotherapists, and Pharmacists etc So, they sent in a request in this respect and I was privileged to be an integral part of the whole issue. We did a thorough job.

28 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

We visited a few places such as the Ministry of Health, Abeokuta to find out what was obtainable there. I also visited Abuja for same purpose. At the end of the day, we submitted our report and it was eventually approved. At a time, the Statistics Bureau in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget also made a request. They wanted the Bureau to be independent with its own distinct head, something like the Director—General / Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Bureau of Statistics. They wanted something similar to the Federal Bureau of Statistics that also had a Director General. We did the job and recommended in their favour, but it did not see the light of the day up till now. Maybe in the nearest future it may still come up. I visited Abuja to make some findings. I saw the need for the Bureau of Statistics to be on its own in terms of having a leader as Director General or Permanent Secretary under the same Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget because it is a great job. With the population of Lagos and the quantum of work we have, if Lagos State Bureau of Statistics stands alone it won't be a bad idea at all. That was my conclusion then, and I still stand by that. Working at MSRO was, indeed, a most memorable experience for me. We worked as a unit and like a family. It wasn't about an individual. Mr. Adewale Ashimi, now a retired Permanent Secretary, was like a born consultant. He had worked at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, ASCON, Public Service Staff Development Centre, PSSDC, as well as the Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pension. He was very much at home with consultancy. He was quite very humble. I enjoyed working with him. I used to send my reports to him for his inputs, which were always insightful and pointy. Till date, we are still very good friends.

29 GOLDEN FLEECE

Serving at MSRO was a complete new ball game for me. I was so fulfilled working there. It gave a broad view of the Public Service. It was a great privilege working at the place. After all, my yearnings to be at the mainstream was bearing good dividends. I was enjoying being a Public Servant, contributing my own modest quota to human capital development. What else could I have asked for?

The Beat Goes on After my roller coaster experience at MSRO, I was deployed to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development to assist the then Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mr. John Oluseyi Coker. Six months later, I was deployed to the Directorate of Youth Development as an Acting Director. I was still on GL 15, but almost due for promotion to the next grade. I was there for four years, from 2007 to 2011. We had collaboration with volountary organisations such as the Boy's Scout, Girl's Guide and others. It was a great experience. Youth Centres were already in existence in Lagos State, but new ones were also constructed. I worked with Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB) and late Prince Ademola Adeniji Adele who were variously Honourable Commissioners.

Mr. Kamal Junaid was the Permanent Secretary while Dr. Dolapo Badru was in charge of Youth Development as Special Adviser. There were numerous activities such as Youth Parliament, State Youth Council and a host of others that took the youths to different parts of the country. Also at the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Social Development I was priviledged to lead some staff to attend the National Council of Youth Development in Calabar (2008), Abuja 2009 and Osun

30 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

2010. The Council is the Policy making body of the nation for youth development in Nigeria. So, as it was at MSRO, my exciting Public Service experience simply lingers. No more stereotype of having to deal with same work schedule (Appointments, Promotions and Discipline) all through. I was faced with new challenges, fresh opportunities and stimulating prospects.

No Longer at Ease Things happen wherever human beings are. Be it at work, places of worship, family settings and what have you, for various reasons, human beings often complicate things. While at my previous place of assignment (Youth Development), the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Junaid, reportedly took my name to the PSO, saying he no longer wished to work with me. So, I was recalled to the PSO for further directives. I couldn't fathom Mr. Junaid's intention because, to the best of my knowledge, I had a good working relationship with him. But then, upon deeper reflection, I discovered that he could have been aggrieved because of the issue relating to the construction of a Youth Centre in either Ajegunle or Apapa. He even issued me a query on the subject. With my background in administration, I did clinical justice to the query. Truly, I knew nothing about the issue in question. In- spite of being the Director who should know, nothing about it ever passed through my table. I neither see nor sign a single memo on it.

A Workhorse After one month of idling away at the PSO, I was eventually redeployed to the then Ministry of Rural Development as a Deputy Director in the Administration Department. I served at the Ministry from October 2011 to November 2013.

31 GOLDEN FLEECE

The Commissioner was Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi from Ojo, in the Badagry Division of the State. He is a very active, responsible and passionate leader. He is different in many perspectives. First, he loved the people. Second, he was genuinely committed to grassroots development. Third, he was honest and considerate. Fourth, he had an unbelievable penchant for hard work. He was simply a workhorse, or in local parlance, a 'German Machine'. His countryside background influenced his desire to transform the rural areas. Being the former seat of government in Nigeria and the commercial nerve centre of the West African sub-region, the metropolitan outlook of the city of Lagos has often been mistaken to be devoid of rural settlements, but approximately 12% of the people in Lagos State dwells and earn their living in non-urban neighbourhoods, country sides and remote villages! In order to transform the city of Lagos to an enviable model megacity, we implemented programmes and projects intended to improve the standard of people living in the rural areas. These initiatives have the propensity to decongest high density areas and subsequently bring a reduction to the pressure on infrastructures in the urban areas. We embarked on various rural projects which contributed immensely to the steady and considerable development in local economy and the quality of life of rural households. It was during the administration of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and I must confess that significant attention was accorded the transformation of rural areas. Every Thursday, we were on projects' monitoring across the State. I thank God I was part of such productive venture. My Head of Department was Mrs. Elizabeth Abiodun Ashiru, who later became a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment. I enjoyed working with her. She

32 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

is a selfless woman; simple, easy-going and very good on her job. By the way, her daughter later worked with me while I was the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology. Everyone referred to her as my daughter. I told them that her mother is my Mummy. That, to me, is nothing but the truth. And that is the beauty of life. We keep meeting, one way or the other. That is why people must never allow the office they occupy to erase their humanity. No condition is permanent. No one lives forever, except the Living God. Whatever office anyone occupies is just by the grace of God and it is for a limited time.

33 GOLDEN FLEECE

Table Showing Activities of the Ministry During the Period of my Sojourn (1) RURAL CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

S/N PROJECT 2013 2014 2015 TOTAL 1 Construction of Rural Roas din 4 7 2 13 various Communitie s 2 Construction of Jetties/Bridg es 2 3 - 5 3 Construction of Hydrant structures 7 3 2 12 (Waters & Drains ) 4 Rehabilitation/Renovation of 2 2 3 7 Community Halls andP alace 5 Lateriting of identified Communit ies 2 60 & 10 72 above 6 Constructions of Rural Housi ng 2 2 - 4

(2) RURAL ELECTRIFICATION DEPARTMENT

S/N PROJECT 2013 2014 2015 TOTAL 1 Rural Electrification Wor ks 120 135 49 304 2 Transformer Procurement & 200 150 - 350 Installation 3 Solar Powered Electrificatio n - - - -

(3) RURAL WATER & SANITATION DEPARTMENT (RUWATSANT)

S/N PROJECT 2013 2014 2015 TOTA L 1 M anagement/Sustencaen of M icro W ater 18 28 28 - Scheme 2 Construction of M icro W ater Sch eme 1 - - 1 3 Rehabilitation of M icro W ater Sch eme 8 3 1 12 4 Construction of Small Scale W ater Sch emes (i) Solar Powered M odified Type A W ater 8 - - 8 (ii) M odified Type A W a ter 13 5 3 21 (iii) Type A W ater 3 2 - 5 5 Rehabilitation of Small Scale W ater Sch emes 6 4 19 29 6 Construction of Toil ets (i) Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) T oilet 2 1 - 3 (ii) Solar Powered Communal To ilet 1 1 - 2 7 Construction of Solar Powered W Sacthereme - 11 - 11 in Lagos Barracks (Police & Ar my)

34 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

A Bitter Lesson An incidence occurred slightly before I was posted to the Ministry of Rural Development that taught me a great lesson. It involved the then Permanent secretary, Engr. Babatunde Oshodi, who was retired due to an innocent error. A Director brought a document to him, which was a copy and paste version. He never thoroughly looked at the document before signing it. It wasn't an issue of fraud. It was just an honest mistake. Sadly, the then Governor (we called him Headmaster) was a very thorough character, who reads through every document line by line and page by page. He sighted the error and that was it. The man was fired! Unfortunately, there was no way anyone could have saved him. I was deeply touched by his predicament. The lesson herein is that we must never be in a hurry when it comes to signing documents. Consequently, at a retreat in Badagry, the Commissioner innocently “appointed” Mrs. Elizabeth Abiodun Ashiru as Acting Permanent Secretary. This was also an error because he doesn't have such power. He also instructed me to take over from Mrs. Ashiru as the Head of Admin / Human Resources. Suddenly, a query came from the PSO requesting Mrs. Ashiru to explain her functioning as acting Permanent Secretary. The query caused some stirs, but thanks to God she was eventually appointed a Permanent Secretary in her last months in the Service. We were all happy for her because she was a great leader.

A cul-de-sac? While still at the Ministry of Rural Development, there was a posting that took me to the Civil Service Commission. It was a circular posting, and it specified the Directorate I should serve. At the Directorate, there was already a GL17 officer.

35 GOLDEN FLEECE

Though I was on GL16, but I had had my promotion exams and was merely awaiting my promotion letter. Naturally, I neither lobby for nor reject postings. So, I took the circular to the Commission's Chairman, Dr. Ososanya of blessed memory. He was a friendly and jovial man. He asked me why I was posted to the Commission to which I said I did not know. He also demanded for my Grade Level and I told him I was awaiting my GL17 promotion letter. He took another look at the posting circular and told me there was already a GL17 officer at the Directorate I was deployed to. He, therefore, wondered why I was being brought in. To him, the posting was not logical. He subsequently put a call through to Mr. Lekan Akodu, the then Permanent Secretary, PSO, whom I had worked with at the Ministry of Youth and Social Development. Somehow, he did not pick the call, but the Commission Chairman insisted the posting was not right. Afterward, I intimated my Commissioner, Mr. Ojelabi, of the development. He asked if I had lobbied for the posting and I told him I didn't. He put a call to Mr. Adeseye Ogunlewe, the then Head of Service, (HOS) and told him I was useful to him at the Ministry and would love to have me around. Not quite long after, I got another letter instructing me to remain at the Ministry. In all honesty, I didn't plan to influence the posting. I merely wanted to brief him about the situation as my Commissioner. I must, however, confess that I did not want to go to the Commission. I was already heading a Department at the Ministry of Rural Development. I thought it was not logical to go elsewhere and be under another officer on the same Grade Level. The whole incidence was like a cul-de-sac, but I thank God that He resolved it in His own way.

36 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

On the March Again In November, 2013, I was redeployed to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, as a GL 17 officer. At the Ministry, Architect (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Ajayi (mni) was the Permanent Secretary while the Commissioner was Tpl. Toyin Ayinde. I had a very good working relationship with both of them, though they were both not having a cordial relationship. I was able to survive the intrigue at the Ministry, especially between the Commissioner and Permanent Sectary, only by the special grace of God. TPL-Toyin Ayinde was very hard working and a thorough professional. My relationship with Mrs. Ajayi was so excellent that even after I left the Ministry, she attended my daughter's wedding as well as my 55th birthday. I learnt vital lessons from Mrs. Ashiru and Arc. (Mrs.) Ajayi. They were both welfarists. They loved to make people happy. It is through them that I got the motivation to always assist the younger ones, as much as I could. Life should not always be about winners' take all or about the famed Civil Service axiom of “wait for your turn”. There is no other joy as the joy of helping others to fulfill their dreams in life. This, to me, is the whole essence of life. While at Ministry, I had the privilege of coordinating the various Departments. This is not possible in other professional Ministries, where every Department functions independently. With all sense of humility, I was able to unite and coordinate other Departments and we all had a wonderful working relationship. Indeed, when one of the Directors in the Technical Department, Tpl. Joseph Adediran was appointed as Permanent Secretary, MVAA, he willingly handed over some pending issues (finance) in the Department to me. I see that as a mark of respect and trust. You cannot achieve that without humility.

37 GOLDEN FLEECE

The Soothsayer From the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, I was redeployed to LAWMA as Director of Admin and Human Resources. Considering that I began my Public Service career in LAWMA, going back there was somehow concealed in mystery. In 1986, a Youth Corper, Engr. AbdulWahab Ogunbiyi, served with the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, emerging as the Best Corper in his set. He was given an award and letter of recommendation to be employed by LAWMA. At that time, I was in LAWMA's Personnel Department as a GL 08 officer. His letter came from the GM to me, with the directive to employ him. He was also employed on GL08 and we became friends. While I was in the Personnel Department, he was in the Engineering Department. When I left LAWMA in 2000, we remained friends and always keep in touch. In 2002, he also came into the mainstream at the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. Whenever he had something to write, he would bring it to me for vetting. We continue to interact well and our bond became stronger. One day, he told me: “Adeniji, I have an inkling that, in the nearest future, I would be the General Manager at LAWMA. When that happens, we will be there together and you will handle the Administration Department”. I did not take him seriously. On another occasion, while I was at the Ministry of Rural Development, he repeated the same thing with an unbelievable aura of finality. Eventually, his foretelling came to pass, as he was appointed the GM, LAWMA, in July, 2015. He reminded me of his earlier prophecy and how he would be needing me to assist him to manage the Administrative Department of the Agency. Subsequently, he went to the PSO

38 A PRODUCT OF GRACE

to formalise the process of my redeployment to LAWMA. That was the genesis of my second coming to LAWMA. I was the Director, Admin and Human Resources and automatically the number two man at the place. Really, I did not like going back to where I had stayed for 15 years. I was always wishing it away whenever he spoke about it. But no man can fight anything that is divinely ordained.

39

CHAPTER FOUR

THE HAND OF GOD

And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by the strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. (Exodus 13:3)

41 THE HAND OF GOD

continued the second phase of my career at LAWMA, assisting my friend and brother, Engr. AbdulWahab IOgunbiyi, to make a success of his tenure as the GM. It was tough working at LAWMA, at that particular time, especially in view of my closeness to the GM, as well as the huge responsibilities of being second in command.

A Moment of Drama It was so tough that I hardly had time for vacation. At a point, I had to plead with the GM to give me a week vacation so I could have some rest and rejuvenate. Cheerfully, he approved the request. So, I planned to spend that one week with my wife at Mount Carmel, a cozy Prayer Resort of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), at Ifewara, Osun State, Nigeria. We set out on the 28th of June, 2016. But on our way, we decided to first visit our son who was schooling at Oyo. As we were almost approaching Ibadan, I received a phone call from my friend, Mr. Lanre Rufai, now a retired Permanent Secretary, with whom I started my career at LAWMA in 1985. We were also at UNILAG together. On that fateful day, he was instructed to come to the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja around 9:00am and at about 2:00pm he was also directed to call me. So, he demanded for my whereabouts and I told him I was in Ibadan. He promptly told me to head back to Lagos. That is sometimes the way things happen in the Public Service, especially as one moves up the ladder. You can hardly talk of having a special time for yourself and the family. Once the call of duty comes, wherever you are, you must comply instantly. I had seen colleagues cut short family vacation

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outside the country for the call of duty. Mine was still good. After all, I was at Ibadan; only an hour journey to Lagos, all other things being equal. So, I promptly made the journey back to Lagos and headed straight to the Lagos House, Ikeja around 4pm. My friend, Rufai, was still waiting and yet to meet with the then governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. Fortunately, it was when I arrived that he was called in. As soon as he went in, one of the governor's Personal Assistants was told to also call me in. We met with the governor. It needs to be stressed that I and Rufai were well-known to the governor because we all began our respective career at LAWMA. The governor wanted to know how long I had been at LAWMA since my second sojourn and I told him it was for a year. He also asked how I got there and I told him it was through my friend, Engineer Ogunbiyi, the GM, who invited me to come and assist him. It was then that the governor told us about his intention to reform LAWMA and the urgent need for a change of leadership. He said: “I want you to be the new GM that would help manage the reform”. I was rattled! My heart was pacing like that of a cow that was about to be slaughtered. I was confused. Ogunbiyi, the then GM was my bosom friend and associate. Indeed, like I had earlier stated, he invited me to LAWMA as his number two. Wouldn't he feel I stabbed him in the back? As if the governor was reading my mind, he gently cleared his throat, looked at me straight in the face and said: “Yes, I know. Your friend might think you betrayed him, but that is insignificant right now. What must be done must be done”. He then went ahead to ask if I was ready to do the work. That was, perhaps, the most dramatic moment of my entire Public Service career. Here I was, being asked to confirm if I

43 THE HAND OF GOD

was ready to take over the job of my bosom friend. It was a tough situation. But then, could I have told the governor that I wasn't ready? I veered uneasily where I stood, took my eyes away from the governor and said: “His Excellency, I am ready Sir”. The then Head of Service, Mrs. Ademola Olabowale, was also at the meeting. I was asked to pick up my letter of appointment as the General Manager of LAWMA the next morning. So, the following morning, while Engineer Ogunbiyi, my friend and confidant, was at the PSO to receive a letter recalling him back from his post as the GM LAWMA, I was also at same place to receive a letter instructing me to take over his job. So, at about 8:30am, the two of us met face to face at the PSO, but for different reasons. The night before, he had called to intimate me that he had been asked to come to the PSO. Although, I already knew what would transpire there, but as an Admin Officer and in-spite of our closeness, I was not bound to reveal anything to him. It was such a complicated situation that I always don't want to remember in a hurry. Meanwhile, I was the first to see the HOS. As soon as I collected my letter, I was no longer emotionally strong to feign ignorance. I called my friend aside and spilled everything. He is a very good Muslim, humble, easy going, very calm and understanding. He said: “Adeniji, it's one of those things in life. I am happy for you. The most important thing is that I was not removed based on any fraudulent act or other such disgraceful practices. I wish you well in this new endeavour”. We pat each other on the back and departed to our various ways, ready to face whatever was ahead. Naturally, I was troubled. But I had to brace up in order to see the positives of the complex situation. I was convinced that

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I had not betrayed him and I had faithfully and devotedly served him. He also had a lot of trust in me. Engineer Ogunbiyi retired from the Service in 2019. We still maintain a good relationship. Till date, what happened and how it happened remains a mystery to me. But then, as a child of God, I had to take solace in the fact that God knows about it and might, even, have ordained it. Indeed, I can see the hand of God written all over the whole issue because only His hands could have successfully pulled such strings.

Days of Trouble As aforementioned, the Ambode administration wanted to reform the waste management sector for optimal performance and Visionscape, a private entity was brought in to kick start the process. It was in the midst of this fresh impetus that I became the GM of LAWMA. Sadly, as good as the vision was, it ran into troubled waters. Meanwhile, at LAWMA, we were also able to do our bit within our resources to optimise government's intervention. But as much as we tried, we were enmeshed in lots of controversies generated by the new initiative and its seeming defections. In view of the disagreement between the State government and Private Sector Participants (PSP) in the sector, waste management became a huge burden in the State. Major roads and highways were littered with loads of filth. LAWMA was under severe pressure. There were times that I and my team did not sleep for weeks. We were always on the road trying to salvage the situation. However, as much as we tried, heap of filths remained a permanent feature on major highways and roads across the State. Those were, indeed, days of troubles.

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It was easier when I was the Assistant General Manager. Despite the enormous support that I gave the GM, I could still abdicate some of the tasks to him. That was why I was able to go for a week break. But now that I was fully in charge, I had to be at the center of it all. Sadly, as much as we tried, our best was not good enough. It was, indeed, one of the most turbulent periods of my career. On my appointment as the General Manager (LAWMA) on 28th June, 2016 we were to birth and run the Cleaner Lagos Initiative. My mandate was to birth the initiative, ensure that the system worked and that LAWMA was gradually unbundled so that Visonscope could take over effectively while LAWMA would remain a regulatory body. I was also to ensure that the city was kept clean. The mandate was followed with a promise of promotion, if attained. Whether the mandate was achieved or not is left for posterity to judge. The unbundling of LAWMA to a regulatory Agency implies that the 1,022 staff with another 500 on temporary month to month pay would be reduced to only 100 or less. In the first week of my appointment as the GM; I was practically working at the PSO with the Permanent Secretary to ensure a list of all those to be deployed to the mainstream was compiled since the Governor pledged that no LAWMA staff would be retired for no just cause. The list of the affected staff was diligently compiled and handed over to the Permanent Secretary (PSO), why and how it was not implemented at the time of my appointment remains a mystery. In early January, 2018, the Governor invited me to a meeting and demanded why I had not obeyed his directive to deploy the staff. This almost cost me my job, in-spite of having done

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the needful in the first week of my appointment. After the meeting, the directive was eventually implemented by the appropriate authorities with the deployment of LAWMA staff on 15th January, 2018 as follows: (i) 107 staff were retired (ii) 811 were deployed to Local Government Councils (iii) 104 retained in LAWMA.

At this time, the Cleaner Lagos Initiative was not moving on as expected, the trucks expected were arriving in trickles while waste bins arrived in great numbers. Also, waste continue to mount on the streets of Lagos. In mid-April, 2018, we were invited to a meeting on how to salvage the situation and we recommended that waste trucks should be bought locally and the following ensued: •April, 2018 -30 fairly used waste compactors were purchased •August, 2018 -40 fairly used waste compactors were purchased with 12 Tipping Trailers for mass evacuation of waste. •Also in September2018, LAWMA purchased a fairly used Bulldozer to augment landfill operations. It, thus, became imperative to employ required staff to man the new equipment. Fortunately, the government graciously allowed 140 and 60 staff among those who were earlier deployed to Local Government Councils to return to LAWMA in April and August, 2018 respectively. However, at the period, waste management was not the only headache of LAWMA, but also that of the Governor and some members of the State Executive Council (EXCO) who were deeply involved with LAWMA. In the process of daily monitoring, some EXCO members saw how tedious and demanding the manual operation of LAWMA was. Consequently, I was invited by the then

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Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prince Adeniji Kazeem (SAN) to come up with a proposal for welfare package for staff within twelve hours or thereabout. My team came up with the following recommendations: (I) Early Riser Allowance = N500 /Day/ Staff (ii) Public Holiday Allowance = N400 /Staff/ Month (iii) Milk Allowance = N250 /Staff-Operations/ Day (iv) Night Duty Allowance - Not approved. Waste Management has several components. The three that were critical for efficient and effective operations are waste collection, transportation and disposal. Unfortunately, the disposal facilities were and are still grossly inadequate in Lagos State. Lack of appropriate disposal sites and most importantly modern technology for the critical component makes the job of waste management very difficult. To worsen the situation, Olusosun Dumpsite (not landfill) got burnt and the State Government banned its further use. Also, palliative remediation process of the site commenced A few months after the closure of the Olusosun Dumpsite, I called Prince Adeniji Kazeem (SAN), who had earlier told me to feel free to call him anytime I have challenges. I told him of the urgent need to re-open the Olusosun Dumpsite or the refuse situation would get worse. To the glory of the Lord, on the evening of same day, we got approval to start using the site and it was a big relief. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Prince Adeniji Kazeem (SAN) and other EXCO members who appreciated the hectic task of Waste Management. Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare (then Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of the Environment), Mr. Babatunde Hunpe (then Special Adviser, Ministry of the Environment), Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi Etti (who later took over from Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare as

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Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of the Environment) and Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye (then Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment). They were all my hard working and reliable principals whose shoulders were always made available for me to lean on. God bless them all. I look forward to the time when we would have a mechanized system of waste management. This is what obtains in advanced climes. Until we begin to really explore the prospect of waste to wealth, we might not be able to effectively combat waste issues in Lagos State. The possibility of generating renewable energy through waste should be explored. Revolving waste into energy is an established technology that could help provide a major amount of domestic energy needs. This will, no doubt, transform waste management into a more lucrative venture that will attract more investors into the sector. It is, however, pertinent to state that no matter the level of public and private sectors' investment in waste management, the result will amount to little except every stratum of the society plays its part. Hence, the citizenry needs to come to terms with the significance of an improved environmental habit.

49

CHAPTER FIVE THE CROWNING GLORY

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

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n the 12th of December, 2018, I received a letter instructing me to start reporting at the PSO daily. A Ocloser scrutiny of the letter showed I was addressed as Segun Adeniji, Director, Admin/Human Resources. As an Admin person, the import of that is that I was no longer the GM of LAWMA. Naturally, I felt bad. It was not my wish to leave LAWMA and return to the mainstream as a Director of Admin/Human Resources. Every human being desires promotion. I am not an exemption. My wife, in particular, was stunned because she had been praying for me. But, as someone who believes strongly in God, I took the situation with philosophical calmness. While serving as the LAWMA GM, the then governor was always encouraging me to give the job my very best shot, often hinting that he was going to give me a better assignment at the Secretariat. He once told me: “Adeniji, continue to put in your best on that job. Remember that I had made you a promise of a higher job”. My suspicion then was that he was probably going to make me a Permanent Secretary because that was my definition of a higher job as at that time. Initially, the governor had wanted me on the LAWMA job for six months. The calculation was that the Visionscape project would have effectively taken off and stabilized. But that was not to be. So. I had to stay a bit longer. Meanwhile, a former GM of LAWMA and a colleague, Mr. Ola Oresanya, was brought in as Consultant. Having heard of my redeployment from LAWMA, he confided in me that he was travelling to the United Kingdom for two weeks and, therefore, enjoined me not to leave LAWMA until his return. Having crosschecked from both the Commissioner and

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Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment respectively, if I could tarry as demanded by Mr. Oresanya, I remained in charge for another twelve days, till 20th December, when I finally left and began to report at the PSO.

A Precious Gift In the meantime, as we approached the festive period, I and my wife decided to embark on a spiritual retreat at the RCCG Mount Carmel Prayer Resort, Ifewara, Osun State on December 24th, 2018. On our second day at the Resort, I received a call from Rufai, my friend and colleague, about the Christmas party at former Governor Ambode's country home in Epe. Despite my closeness to the ex-governor, I had never attended the annual party because of the hectic nature of my job as well as church activities. Top government officials usually gather there to celebrate Christmas/Ileya with the former governor and his family. According to Rufai, in the course of exchanging pleasantries with guests at the party, the former governor asked about me and said publicly: “Tell him that he is now a member of the Body of Permanent Secretaries”. I later learnt that, right away, the former governor directed one of his Personal Assistants to inform the then Head of Service to immediately issue my letter of appointment as a Permanent Secretary. On hearing the good news, I and my wife burst into uncontrollable joy, singing and offering praises to the Lord for his favour and mercies. That same day, we quickly set out on the journey back to Lagos. What else should we be doing? After all, the good Lord had answered our prayers. We left Ifewara around 6pm and got back home around 10:00pm. That was on the 26th of December, 2018. From that moment, everything moved so quickly. On

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Saturday, 29th December, 2018, I was given my letter of appointment dated 28th December, 2018. The swearing-in ceremony took place on Monday, December 31st, 2018. We were sworn-in same day with the current Head of service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola. It was like a New Year/Birthday gift for me because my birthday is on the 6th of January.

A New Beginning The Health Service Commission was my first place of deployment as Permanent Secretary, and I was warmly welcomed by everyone. My first official assignment was the annual First Baby of the Year event, which was commemorated on January 1st, 2019, along with Mrs. Bolanle Ambode (then the outgoing First Lady) and Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu (then the in-coming First Lady). On the whole, I spent 5 months and 10 days at the Commission. It was like a new beginning for me, because it was my first place of assignment as a Permanent Secretary and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

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SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS AS PERMANENT SECRETARY, HEALTH SERVICE COMMISSION – 29TH DECEMBER, 2018 – 6TH JUNE, 2019

S/N DESCRIPTION NUMBER DISCIPLINARY MATTERS (SANCTIONS) 1 TERMINATION 5 2 DISMISSAL 4 3 SUSPENSION 3 4 WARNING LETTER 3 5 DEMOTION IN RANK 1 6 REVIEW OF GRADE LEVEL (APPROVED) 1 LEAVE 7 LEAVE of ABSENCE (APPROVED) 1 APPEALS 8 APPEALS (APPROVED) 2 ESTABLISHMENTS MATTERS 9 REGULARIZATION OF APPOINTMENT (APPROVED) 2 10 REGULARIZATION OF APPOINTMENT (DECLINED) 1 11 RE -ABSORBTION/RE -INSTATEMENT (APPROVED) 3 12 CONVERSION 1 13 ADVANCEMENT 11 14 UPGRADING 1 15 TRANSFER of SERVICE 5 16 RENEWAL of CONTRACT APPOINTMENT 6 (APPROVED) 17 RENEWAL of CONTRACT APPOINTMENT (DECLINED) 2 18 CONTRACT APPOINTMENT (APPROVED) 2 19 CONTRACT APPOINTMENT (DECLINED) 2 20 CONFIRMATION of APPOINTMENT 75 STAFF PROMOTION 21 SENIOR STAFF 1,215 22 JUNIOR STAFF 217 RECRUITMENT 23 CLINICAL & NON -CLINICAL STAFF 233

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Prospect of a Technologically Driven Lagos By 10th June, 2019, I was posted to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Though the Ministry is highly technical, I had no problem working there since my job is purely that of a manager. From experience, once you get the personnel right, you will get the job done. More so, technology has made things easier by enabling unlimited access to vital information on any sphere of human endeavour. Also, I have friends, colleagues and associates who are quite versatile in the field. Once I needed to be briefed on any grey areas, I simply contacted them. Perhaps more importantly, my Commissioner, Mr. Hakeem Popoola Fahm, and the Special Adviser, Mr. Olatubosun Alake, are tech savvy and are very passionate about the profession. The Commissioner had a vast experience from the United States where he worked in a University. He had once served in the Ministry in same capacity in the administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. So, all I needed was just to give them the required managerial backing. Considering the vision of the current administration to drive governance through technology, the Ministry is, no doubt, quite essential to the realization of the Greater Lagos vision as envisioned in the T.H.E.M.E.S (acronyms for Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21ST Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism and Governance and Security) Developmental Agenda. It is, thus, not surprising that the Sanwo-Olu Administration is keen on making Lagos the fortress of digital enterprise, an urban hub of innovation and commerce. With a well-designed roadmap, the Administration is poised to improve the efficiency of city services and eliminate

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redundancies in major sectors as a sure way to make the city livable and more productive. Towards the realization of this, Governor Sanwo-Olu launched the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC) to be chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, while also setting aside N250Million start-up funds for investment in research and development of tech-focused solutions across the six pillars of his administration's development agenda. The establishment of the Council and innovation Funds officially began the process of implementing strategies that would help in the realisation of the Smart City initiative of the State. No fewer than 1,500 young innovators and tech solutions developers attended the Art of Technology (AOT) Lagos 1.0 Conference organised by the Office of the Governor's Special Adviser on Innovation and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology. With the N250Million seed capital earmarked for technology and innovation, tech start-ups and young innovators in the State now have the opportunity to push their entrepreneurial skills to the next level. The innovation funds would also be directed to support Information and Communication Technology (ICT) research, focusing on solving issues of national significance. Governor Sanwo-Olu also launched Open Government Initiative, Innovation Master Plan and Lagos State Solution Hub to further drive synergy between policy makers in the public sector and innovators in the private sector. The master plan would be addressing the challenge of access to data and funding for innovations. Now that the process has begun, both local and foreign investors can now leverage on the opportunities provided to

57 THE CROWNING GLORY synergise and network with other innovators towards developing life changing software that would transform healthcare, agro-business, transportation, food security, housing and education in Lagos. The long-term goal is to foster the gains achieved by the Art of Technology 1.0 to enhance and empower the residents and investors in Lagos toward bridging the gap between governance and innovation. Consequently, the government and the private sector could now work together to proffer technological driven solutions to some of the age-long challenges in the State. For instance, digitalizing the healthcare system would significantly improve the quality of life through the provision of high- quality services that are cheaper for patients to access. Similarly, investing in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) for coordinated and smarter use of transport network would inadvertently alleviate the concomitant hitches in the agricultural sector. Perhaps, the largest potential benefit of technology will come from enhancing residents' quality of life. These opportunities cover a broad range of issues, including housing and security, educational services, environmental conditions, banking and financing and community relationships. A reflection of this was seen during the COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos when the State Executive Council (EXCO) organized the first ever virtual EXCO meeting in the country. It was facilitated by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Similarly, the smart-city project is moving on well as work is advancing on the six thousand kilometers of fiber laying which is projected to be completed by 2021. That, of course, is the first phase and the foundation of everything. Once the fiber is laid, internet connectivity will be very easy throughout the State.

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Also, the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (ABAT) Centre, which came into existence about 18 years ago, during the Administration of former Governor Bola Tinubu, is currently undergoing upgrading. It is the Center that spearheaded e- revenue collection in the entire country.

59 CHAPTER SIX

THE HOME FRONT

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord (Proverbs 18:22).

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n accordance with the biblical quotation overleaf, I have, indeed, obtained the favour of the Lord in my one and only lovely wife; Oluwatoyin (God is worthy to be praised) I th Omolara Adeniji. My darling wife was born on the 29 of June, 1964 to Mr. Albert Olusola Onajobi and Mrs. Dorcas Omowunmi Onajobi (nee Akindele). Both parents hailed from Igbehin, Abeokuta. They met and married in Lagos.

Once Upon a Time I met Oluwatoyin in Mafoluku, Lagos, at a social function in August, 1983 while I was about to commence the final lap of my under graduate education at UNILAG. She was and still of moderate body stature with everything in the right proportion. Oluwatoyin is a well-focused, disciplined and a no- nonsense lady. Though a quiet woman, she is on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite being the only girl of her parents, she was well-trained in good etiquette and the fear of the Lord. She lost her father at age eight and the family faced some hardship, thereafter. When I surfaced in their home that fateful day, her mother and senior brother never believed in me. They saw me as a mere boy. However, my wife loved and believed in my future. Events have since proved her right. I need to mention Olumide Onajobi, my wife's younger brother, who prophetically told her: “Brother Segun is ok and looks good. I think you will not have any regret if you marry him”.

The Virtuous Woman I will not forget the lady I dated in my 100 level at UNILAG. We met at the Palm Wine Drinkers Club. She was a student of the School of Nursing, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. We had a good

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time together in the one year we were together. But she was a bit on the high side in her taste. Each time we went out, it has to be by cab and it was purse draining for a poor student like me. Each time we visited the National Theatre, Iganmu, I would go in Danfo or Molue (local commercial busses) to Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, pick her in a cab to and from Ikoyi, and will return home in Molue or Danfo; just to manage my little resources. I did not like the arrangement. But then, when Oluwatoyin came to the scene, she was ready, like the biblical Sister Ruth, to move round with me in Molue and Danfo. She never hassled me for anything, always contented with whatever I had to offer. She prayed ceaselessly for my academic success, even while I was fast asleep, snoring. Oluwatoyin depicts the proverbial virtuous woman, very hard working and very strict. She delicately combines the strictness of my father with the love and care of my mother. I married her by traditional rites in Ibadan in 1986 because we had no money for any elaborate wedding and because I lost my immediate elder brother. It was in 1988, after the birth of our first two children, that we went to the Somolu Marriage Registry to give the Oyinbo (western) touch to our marriage so that my wife would be really assured that she is properly married. She completed her Diploma in Catering Certificate at Dof Catering Institute, Lagos. She was operating her private catering business. At a point, she was employed in LAWMA as Account Clerk for about ten years. She resigned from LAWMA in order to fully take care of the home front. In the interim, she learnt sewing. She later enrolled at the Nigeria Teachers Institute, Orile- Iganmu, Lagos, from where she proceeded to the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka. She subsequently

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attended the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Lagos where she earned a B.Sc. (Ed) degree in Home-Economics. She was at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for her Master in Education (Home Economics) degree. She got a job at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, as a lecturer. She is pursuing her Ph.D. at the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. My wife is a very prudent home manager. We often went to the Mile-12 Market together to buy our monthly foodstuffs in bulk in order to have savings. Now that we are even more blessed; we are still quite prudent so as to be blessings to others. Oluwatoyin and I had our fair share of quarrels and disagreements. My wife is strict to a fault, because of her strictness many misunderstand her. Some don't even like her, but I know that she can never hurt a fly, though she freely speaks her mind out on issues. I have the grace of some measure of quietness and simplicity. I hardly feel hurt by people because I have the grace to overlook a lot of things and I am less bothered by a number of things. While she is the main disciplinarian of the children, I am a balancer. Toyin, I know that some people do not like you. I have always counseled that you should overlook such silly things and that you should be conscious and adopt my popular prayers of God for Abraham Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee”. Oluwatoyin finds it difficult to overlook things. She will react and say it straight, while I overlook or correct mildly. This attitude endears a lot of people to me, and may be construed to mean weakness by some. But my staff, everywhere I have worked, know that I may be

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gentle, but there are certain lines they cannot cross. I strongly believe in flexibility of work. Work values states that staff should resume at 8:00am and close at 4:00pm. In view of the heavy traffic in Lagos, some staff resume work between 8:30am and 10:00am. If flexibility is allowed, some may be allowed to resume a bit late and to close later than 4:00pm. The Public Service should please look into it.

Godly Heritage Psalm 127 verses 3-5 says: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate”. Ours is a blessed marriage with biological and spiritual children spread all over the world. By the grace of God, our union is blessed with four biological children. Omolade, now Mrs. Obadina, the only female, was born in April, 1987. My wife was very happy because she desired her first child to be a female child. However, in the subsequent three matches (laughs), I convincingly scored three great goals that brought forth Toluwalase (1991), Anjolaoluwa (1996) and Victor Boluwatife (June, 2002). After the third child, we decided we have had enough, but the Lord gave us a bonus who arrived via a Caesarean Session (CS). The eighteen-year-old Victor, while he was about ten- year-old, used to tell us that he is special because of the manner of his birth. Omolade studied Environmental Management and Toxicology at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. She worked briefly with the Lagos State Government, before moving abroad with her family.

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Apparently, she doesn't have the patient of staying put in the Public Service. All we can do is to continue to support her and her family with prayers for the good countenance of the Lord to always be upon them. Her younger brother, Toluwalase, is also doing very fine. He studied Civil Engineering at the Yaba College of Technology, Yaba where he earned the Ordinary National Diploma (OND), before moving to the Ajayi Crowther University where he studied Computer Science and graduated by God's grace with a First Class. He moved to Canada for his Masters and has since gotten a good job there. Our third child, Anjolaoluwa studied Theatre Arts at the Redeemers' University for Nations, Ede, Osun State. He did his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture. He is presently self- employed, running a logistics outfit. But then, his elder brother in Canada has been luring him to come over, saying he does not want him to waste away in the country. But then, I am quite convinced his business will become profitable in the long run because it is viable. The truth is that no business starts by making profit instantly, but the younger ones are always in a hurry. The 'baby' of the house, Victor Boluwatife, is in 200 level at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State. This implies that I still have to pay school fees for one year after my retirement. But I am sure the Lord is more than able to see me through, as in the past. It is, however, important to stress that my wife went through child birth about ten times. Most of them ended in still births. It was a big challenge, but the Lord saw us through. This is to state that the world is a battlefield and there is no discharge from the battle. The word of the Lord in Romans 8: 37 says; “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through

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him that loved us”. So, what are the challenges you are facing? Are you troubled or overwhelmed in the battles of life? Is the water of affliction almost swarming you? Beloved, never be despair, the, Lord is near unto you. He is the Master of Situations and Circumstances (M.Sc.) and he will give you all round victory. From my experience, a true wife is a pillar that holds her home firmly by building it like a wise person. On the contrary, the foolish woman is like a caterpillar that destroys her home. I am favoured to have married Oluwatoyin and together we shall continue to sing praises to the Lord. My admonition to couples is to be patient and loving to each other. The secret of the success of my marriage/home is rooted in patience, love, sacrifice and above all the fear of God.

The Turning Point One evening, before I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I was returning home after work, at LAWMA in Ijora, passing through Orile to Mile II where we lived. I was with a girl-friend in my Volkswagen Beetles car and my eyes met with those of my wife's at Alaba-Suru Bus-Stop, where she had gone shopping. I drove pass her to go and drop the girl-friend at FESTAC and went home to meet her. All that she did was to pray that I experience the salvation of Jesus. Her prayers were answered because that was a turning point in my life. She won the battle on her knees and today by the special grace of God, I can boldly say that I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, if you are still very deep in all manners of sin; I pray you will have a turn-around like I did in Jesus name. Amen.

66

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE GRAND MASTER

The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (Psalm 24:1-2)

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hile growing up, I attended St. James Anglican Church, Funtua with my parents. I loved attending Wchurch because it offered me escape route for something different and also time to play. In my secondary school days and all through to the university days, I turned away almost totally from the church. I loved Fela Anikulapo's songs, especially where he scorns Bishops, Pope and Imams. I tilted towards free thinking like the likes of Professor Wole Soyinka and late Dr. Tai Solarin. I read Patrick Wilmot's “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” and I began to see Ministers of God as cheats who were milking people for their selfish end. Throughout my undergraduate's years, I never stepped into the Chapel. The Palmwine Drinkers Club and Kobo Press (a Campus news magazine user) were my past time. In my early adulthood, the only church service that I loved to participate in was watch night, especially the last one hour of the out-going year. On such occasions, I will prepare and enter any church around to praise and thank God for the out- going year and pray for His provision and protection for the New Year. I always joked and mocked my wife that my one service in a year is equivalent to all the church services she attends. I also always remind her that most people in churches were worse than those of us who don't attend churches. However, when the children started growing up, I began to drop my family off once in a while at the church and at times go back to pick them. I was never a massive drinker (alcohol). I only drink once in a while. However, on two occasions that I will never forget, I got drunk and it was messy. On the first time, my family and some of my friends (Mr. Rufai and Mr. Sijuade of blessed

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memory) went to the Bar Beach to catch some fun. We bought soft drinks and a bottle of brandy to spice it. After the fun at the Beach, I drove my family to Lanre Rufai's house and slept off on the steering. Rufai organized someone to drive us back to our home at Palm-Grove. The second occasion was on a particular first of January, when we went to the Lagos State Government Staff Quarters in Ikeja to felicitate with my first brother. I also took soft drink and brandy and lost my senses and slept there with my family for the night. The two experiences were horrible and I never had such ever since. Proverbs 31:4-6 says: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts”. How many bottles do you drink? Are you still in the habit? Watch it, alcohol kills. At about age forty, I became a bit sober and started following my family to the church. But I was always hurrying them up whenever I felt the service was dragging for too long. All this while, my wife was praying for my conversion. She would say in Yoruba: “Pakute Jesu mu e tan die lo ku” (meaning you will soon surrender your life to Jesus). The prayers of my wife and those of others were finally answered when I eventually surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ at the Redemption Camp when Pastor E.A Adeboye preached on “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Thereafter, I registered for The Redeemed Christian Church of God Bible College so as to know more about God and the Bible. One Sunday morning, long after my graduation from the Bible College, Pastor Kola Aiyedogbon conscripted me

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into the church's workforce and I had to attend the Workers Training and that was the beginning of my new walk with the Lord. As a believer, you have the spirit of God dwelling in you. The conscience is alive and active, so doing contrary to God's will is out of the equation. Psalms 111:10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever”. I was ordained a Deacon in August, 2000 and an Assistant Pastor in August, 2008 and a full Pastor of the RCCG in August, 2012.

The Almighty Suddenly, my eyes were opened and I got to have an entirely new understanding of History, the course I studied at the University. This was to the effect that History as a word can be divided into two parts viz-a-vis HIS and STORY. I had a conviction that History is simply His Story, i.e. God's Story. Everything in the universe is about the story of God. The whole universe belongs to the Almighty God. No wonder, a song says: He has the whole world in His hand. In Psalm 115:3, the Bible says: Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. Similarly, in Psalm 61: 11, the word of God says that God hath spoken once; and twice have I heard that power belongeth unto God. God is the Grandmaster of the universe. He owns and controls all things. He rules in the affairs of men. He governs the universe as he desires. The COVID-19 pandemic experience has shown that God is firmly in control of the entire universe. He must, thus, be feared and widely reverenced by all. Who would ever think that the whole world would embark on a compulsory holiday or have a problem that would

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confound even the most advanced nations of the world? Indeed, God is the Grandmaster of the entire earth. It is a privilege to know and serve the Lord. I can boldly affirm that being connected to the Lord has been a huge blessing to me in all perspectives. One thing that I have learnt is to always put my trust in the Lord, no matter the situation. It is better for peace and the simplicity of our trust that we should be content to cling to the faithful word and promise of God and just believe Him. We need to trust Him so completely without troubling ourselves about His way of perfecting His purposes in our lives. In a ship, passengers don't bother themselves about the route the ship would take to arrive at the destination. No! They rather leave that to the captain of the ship. Beloved, if Jesus is truly the Captain of the ship of your life, you don't need to bother yourself about how He will take you to your expected end. Just trust in his Word and promises and you can be sure that all will be well.

God's Vineyard “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). There was hardly any evangelical outreach programme of the RCCG, especially the Let's Go-a-Fishing that I missed. Also, I hardly miss any Holy Ghost Services at the RCCG Redemption Camp. Ditto for the Special Holy Ghost Services in March and Congress in December of each year. Those programs are awesome and we often experience real power of the Living God. In December, 2001, I was appointed the Parish Pastor of Victory House where I served till June, 2008 and later posted to Porters House and subsequently to Soul Winners Cathedral. It is worthy of note that Victory House Parish started on the little

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space in our house (Church in the house) and indeed it was the beginning of the Arc of God in our house. In 2011, we were posted to Revelation Assembly as Area Pastor and was there till 2016. But in 2016, when I was appointed as the General Manager - Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), I could no longer combine ministry and secular work because the LAWMA job was tedious and it was telling on my health. Since, it was about the peak of my career, I decided to step aside as an Area Pastor, while I remain an Alter Minister with lesser commitment. From November, 2017 till date, I am in RCCG Destiny Sanctuary (Lagos Province 38), Egbeda as an Alter Minister as well as one of the Provincial Evangelists and a member of the Family Affairs Clinic. I give all thanks, glory and honour to the Lord for His mercies, provisions and protection. Working for the Lord is good and commendable. I have since found out that if you don't work for the Lord, you will work for the devil because there is no vacuum in life. The Lord Jesus Christ went about doing good (Acts 10:38) “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him”. A worker in the house of the Lord must go about doing good, not only in the church, but all places. This is quite possible once you have the spirit of God in you.

73 CHAPTER EIGHT

REMINISCENCES

“So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy”. (Romans 9: 16)

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Divine Favour

he story of my life is that of grace, favour and mercy. It is that of the triumph of grace. That is why I always refer to Tmyself as a 'Product of Grace'. In my Public Service career, I enjoyed the goodness of the Lord. Though it was not all rosy, but the Lord graciously saw me through. And I can raise my head high and say: 'Thus far has the Lord helped me'. During my period as General Manager, LAWMA, not less than five General Managers of other Agencies were removed. It, thus, became a prayer point for me and my wife that I would not be removed unceremoniously. Trust my wife, she prayed earnestly and by God's grace I was not ridiculed. One other thing that intrigued me (though it is not really strange because as an administrator you are trained to manage both human and material resources) is how a B.A. (Hons) History degree holder like me was able to cope leading two vital science based organisations viz-a-viz LAWMA and the Health Service Commission. But by the grace of God, I can manage human and material resources and coordinate both well to achieve organizational goals. Similarly, in my first year at LAWMA as an Administrative Officer (GL 08), before the confirmation of my appointment, I had started acting as the Personnel Manager (though without commensurate pay). The substantive Personnel Manager then was unceremoniously abandoned by the leadership of the Authority on the allegation of receiving two bottles of Gulder larger beer from a prospective applicant. That was how I was mandated to take over his responsibilities. Thus, the entire task of Appointments, Promotions and

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Discipline fell on my laps. I had to do all the rudiments for the management to take the final decisions. I handled the assignment for years by the grace of God. But it must be emphasized that the Officer I replaced never displayed any animosity towards me. The man was relegated until his retirement. Thank God for special mercies, he was not angry with me. I became a bit popular because the assignment exposed me to the low, the high and mighty. We had a high turn-over of staff because of the nature of the mandate of the organisation. In the course of the assignment, I was detained for four days at the Pedro Police Station, Somolu, based on the disappearance of a LAWMA Legal Officer, Mr. Adelaja, from Office for about a week without excuse. At that period, a LAWMA Waste Truck was stolen and the matter was reported at the Somolu Police Station. In the course of investigation, the Legal Officer was needed, and since he was not available, the police needed his personnel file to obtain his home address, which sadly was not found. Logically, the police perceived that the disappearance of the truck may be an internal thing. I was released by the management to go with the Police since I was the “Officer-in- charge” of all personnel files. Fortunately, the Legal Officer re-appeared after four days and his missing file was found on his table. He had earlier applied for one week leave and mistakenly took his file to his office and locked it up. About six months after, the same truck was found at the Mile-12 Market with a Borno State Registration Number. The vehicle was recovered and legal process was taken against the purported new owners. In 1999, when the strategic and innovative political leader,

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Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, became the Governor of Lagos State, I was already on GL 13, awaiting promotion to the post of Chief Administrative Officer G/L.14. My immediate boss Mr. Tesi Gbolahan Ojora, a fine gentleman and highly business minded personality, was posted to the Secretariat, Alausa in the tsunami posting of the new Administration when the top echelon of some Parastatals and Local Governments were all posted to the mainstream of the Service purposely to give way to fresh younger officers who would work with the newly elected/appointed politicians. The leadership of the Directorate of Administration and Human Resources fell on my laps and I had barely done the job for a month when one Mrs. Akintola from the Ministry of the Environment “worked” her way into LAWMA as my new boss. Not more than a month after her resumption, I was deployed to the mainstream of the Civil Service. I had mixed feelings because after fourteen years (18/11/1985 - 30/12/1999) as the acting Personnel Manager, the slightest opportunity for me to head the Department came and it was snatched away in a jiffy. However, I strongly believe that the posting was an answer to prayers because on two occasions in the past I had applied for transfer to the mainstream of the Civil Service. The reason for the application was that I had been in the same organization for fourteen years and each time I visited the State Secretariat at Alausa, I had always wanted to be in the mainstream like my other colleagues and several school mates in the mainstream who had the opportunity of being deployed from one Ministry/Agency and Department to another after every two to four years. There is a lot of fun learning, unlearning and re-learning in

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moving round different Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs), so I knew I was missing that opportunity. My advice to those who think they should remain in same Organisation/Department for long is to have a rethink because they are only placing themselves at a disadvantaged position. The truth is that the more places you work, the better you become in terms of knowing fully the mandate and activities of the government and being able to properly articulate government's policies and activities, which is a kind of preparatory ground for greater and bigger responsibilities and assignments.

The Torch Bearer The Lagos State Public Service is, no doubt, the torch bearer in the country. I have a few friends from both the Federal and several States Public Services across the country. They all know and agree that Lagos State is ahead in everything. Succeeding administrations in the State, especially since 1999, have done a lot to improve the system. However, a lot still need to be done to sustain and surpass the current tempo. This explains why the State government equates itself with cities such as New York, Los Angeles and London among others. This is to ensure that it competes favourably with the best across the world. Considering its huge population and other challenges, the State still has a long way to go, but the good thing is that the foundation has already been laid. One thing that the State must keep doing to stay ahead of others is to continually embrace innovation. For any government worth its salt, innovation is a key ingredient of governance. Aside being a necessary tool of governance,

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innovation is a continuous thing as it has no finishing point. Hence, the Lagos State government must keep thinking and working to improve the lots of the people. Innovation is a continuous process that has no finishing line. Consequently, to integrate innovation into its daily activities, the State government must take on a leading role in promoting science, technology and innovation as core policy areas that not only hold the key to the State's future, but could also make it one of the continent's innovation leaders. The beautiful thing is that the State government is not resting on its oars.

Mystery of Problem German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein is one of the most accomplished scientists and philosophers of the modern era. His work is known for its influence on the philosophy of science and he published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works. When he was asked about the secret of his phenomenal success, he simply said: “It is not that I am so smart, it is just that I stay with problems longer”. By this, what this genius implies is that, the secret of his success is that he loved tackling difficult problems. This is quite instructive. According to American diplomat and author, Harlan Cleveland, “Leaders are problem solvers by talent and temperament, and by choice.” Sadly, those who run away from problems easily forget Henri Kaiser's claim that: “Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.” Universally, problem-solving mentality help to add value and make huge difference in the way we live. Developing the problem solving mind frame is one of the essential skills that are needed in our contemporary world. According to workplace strategist and author of Simple Life Strategies, Zoe

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Brendan, the mind frame for successful problem solving calls for lesser focus on the solution and not the problem. Neuroscientists have, indeed, proven that the human brain cannot find the right solutions if it focuses mostly on problem. When the mind focuses too much on problem, it is fed with negativity which in turn activates negative emotions in the brain. These emotions block potential solutions. This is not saying that one should 'ignore the problem.' Instead, it helps to first acknowledge the problem and then move one's focus to a solution-oriented mindset where one keeps a fixed gaze on what the 'answer' could be instead of lingering on 'what went wrong' and 'whose fault it is'. In developing the suitable mind frame for problem solving, it is crucial to always view problem neutrally by not trying to view it as 'scary' issue. Really, a problem is just a feedback on the current situation which is sounding as a reminder that something is not currently working and that there is a need to find new ways around it. In life, problems are the pathway to success. Successful men across the ages have come to see problem as opportunity in disguise. Hence, while failures run away from problems and prefer their comfort zones, consummate problem solvers easily climb the ladder of success.

Simplicity Personified By the grace of God, throughout my Service career, I embraced an open door policy. I love being simple. I don't like putting the grandeur of the office I occupy above my personality. This is because of my conviction that nothing lasts forever, except the grace of the Lord. I never fancy the Public Service culture of people rising for you whenever you come into an office. If you come to my office and stand you will pay “a fine”. Also, if I come to your office

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and you stand, you pay “a fine”. To the glory of God, I demystified that idea. I am not God. Only God deserves to be that reverenced. That is why I fancy the idea of the present governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu referring to himself simply as Mr. Governor, doing away with the usual 'His Excellency' stuff. It shows humility and deep understanding of the concept of leadership. That was also my approach to the welfare of staff. I don't believe in the principle of 'wait for your turn' or winners take it all because everybody has needs in life. When I got to LAWMA as AGM, I met a lopsided system in the distribution of running cost and promptly rectified it.

Looking into the Future I bless the name of the Lord for his mercies and goodness over my life and family these past years. I will never take this for granted because it is of the mercies of the Lord that we have not been consumed (Lamentation 3:20). Though the past years have been quite eventful and remarkable, but like Apostle Paul, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching unto those things which are before (Philippians 3:13). So, the past is now gone and the future is ahead of me. At 60, I had entered into a new phase of my life. It is time to deploy all the experiences that I have garnered in life to start touching lives. I am excited about the future. It is true that I might not know what the future holds, but I am not afraid of the future because I know who holds the future. Halleluiah! Since the Lord Jesus is in control of yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8), I am so certain that my future is very much secured in him. I so much love the song of the American Gospel singer, Kirk

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Frankly which says: No matter what may come way, my life is in your hand. How sweet life becomes when you have Jesus Christ in the boat of your life (Luke 5:1-11). So, with Jesus in my boat, the future can only be better. It is not that there would not be challenges or even storms. Not at all! But the reality is that with Jesus, the storm calmer, by my side, I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8: 37). The fact that his grace is sufficient for me is what has always made me a 'Product of Grace'.

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APPENDIX Dear sir/ma, Please be informed that by 18th November, 2020, I would have served Lagos State for 35 years and would be 60 years' old on 6th January, 2021.I am putting together my memoirs and would appreciate a few lines of your candid views about me. I am convinced such would serve as a learning point for me and many others. Thanks for your anticipated response.

Segun Adeniji

TESTIMONIES A PRODUCT OF GRACE Congrats to my one and only loving, caring, trustworthy husband, father and spiritual leader. I met Segun in 1983 at a friend's birthday party in Mafoluku, Oshodi. He was then a History student at the University of Lagos. The very moment my younger brother, Olumide, saw him, he confirmed him as my husband. Despite that, I took time to fast and pray for divine confirmation before saying 'Yes'. Today, I thank God that I have no regrets. We got married in 1986. The beginning was very rough. We had nothing, but the prophecy I heard from the beginning kept us moving and today my song is "to God be the glory, great things He has done”. As a husband, Segun became faithful and upright to his marital vows the moment he gave his life to Christ in 1993. I can boldly compare his lifestyle to that of Joseph. He is God fearing, disciplined and striving to obey the scripture because that puts an end to most of our arguments.

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God gave us the grace to train our children in the way of the Lord. Agape love reigns in our home. There is no office where Segun had worked that his family was not noticed. He is a God fearing man to the core and he loves everyone around him. Even if you do him evil, he will never retaliate but rather do good. He will support outsiders and scold his loved ones rather than fight. He has a grace upon his life that binds people together in love. He watches and guides people to succeed in their God given talents. I got married to him with a Diploma in Catering and Hotel Management, but today by God's grace and his support, I am working towards my Ph.D. in Clothing and Textile. To the glory of God, all our children, both biological and other wise, are well-educated by his unending encouragement and supervision. Segun hates stagnancy and will always encourage everyone around him to move forward. He is attentive to people's cry, a great leader to many, he is simple to a fault, quiet and talks less, but bold and courageous in the Lord. Indeed, he is a product of Grace, which has brought him thus far. He is down to earth, ready to say sorry till eternity, a great counselor, always full of life and relate with people easily. Concerning his work, he is diligent, determined to give his best and remains focus. My love, my prayer for you is that you will finish strong and when the roll is called yonder, none of us will be missing. It doesn't matter what we face, God's will shall prevail. March on to greater heights! I say congratulations for successful thirty-five years in the Public Service and happy 60th birthday. Love you always, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Adeniji, Wife

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WHAT WOULD DADDY DO? I am grateful to God to have you as a father and also a mentor. Your method is simple: You teach and lead by example. In all I do, I find myself asking one question, which is, 'what would my Daddy do?' I have known you as a man of integrity because your word is always your bond. You are also very hardworking. Little wonder, God has helped you to the peak of your career and I know more will follow. You are compassionate to everyone around you. The most important thing I have learnt from you is that anything is achievable, if I set my mind on it, and never to be afraid to give anything a go in life. You are one special gift to me from God. I am grateful to God that I came out of your loins. I am grateful for the training you have given me till this point. You are simply the most amazing father. I am the woman I am today, thanks to you, Dad. I couldn't have prayed for a better Dad. Your encouragement is second to none, especially when I face the trials of life. You taught me the path to Christ, you preached it and lived it. You are a great example, not just to me, but to many. May the Lord grant you all your heart desires. “Isu omo ajina fun yin je”. You will keep living to fulfill divine purpose and drawing men to Christ, which is your goal. God has just started with you and all eyes will see it and marvel. I bless you with my whole heart. Congratulations and God bless you Dad! I love you so much. Omolade Obadina, Daughter

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I COULDN'T HAVE WISHED FOR A BETTER DAD! Dear Dad, my heart is full of gratitude to God for the successful completion of your 35 years in the Public Service and also for the life he has given you, the strength and most especially the influence to create a positive change. Although, it is the end of a phase, I am confident it is the beginning of a greater phase in your life. Everyone that has come in contact with you can affirm the goodness of your heart towards others, the humility that you possess and your love for God. You have bequeathed such a great legacy to me. If I have seen any further, it is because I stood upon your shoulders, Dad. I pray God will continue to increase you in all your endeavours. Congratulations!!! I love you. Toluwalase, Son.

MY ROLE MODEL My loving father and my role model, I express my appreciation for all you have done for me and what you are still going to do. You are a very hard working man, a loving husband and a caring father. You are so committed to whatever you set your mind to do. That is what makes you a victor. There is no problem that can stop you from winning. As a loving husband, you have thought me to take good care of my future wife and children in godly ways. As a caring father, you always tell me "readers are leaders", "time is money, time is life and time is of essence." You have taught me integrity and commitment. These principles made you what you are today and I am very proud of you. May God bless all your efforts and take you to higher grounds in Jesus name. Amen. Victor Boluwatife Adeniji, Son

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INSPIRATIONAL DAD In my 24years on earth, I have not known any man better than you. Being my Dad has made life easier for me. Thanks for raising me to be an upstanding member of the society. Dads like you are rare, which makes me the luckiest son in the world. Much of the blessings I enjoy now is because of what you taught me. You are a hero in this family. We feel safe and loved with you. Being a good father is difficult, but you are so amazing at it. Every memory I have with you has imparted in me a sense of family, love, tradition and pride. You are loving, wise and kind. I know a lot of people have over emphasized about your values of integrity, hard work, discipline, decency, and humility, but for me what I have mentioned is the major highlight of your life. You are a very inspirational father who set great examples for others. Your voice gives me comfort, your stories are always my favorite. You are so reliable that I know I can count on you always. You have always made our house a home. You are an amazing listener who always give the best advice. I don't know what I would do without you. Your care and love mean the world to me. I Love you Dad. Sincerely yours, Adeniji Anjola

A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION You have been a source of inspiration to us in the family. God has used you to be our helper in words and deeds. As you retire, may you enjoy the fruits of your labour and experience God's favour now and always. We also pray that God's love, peace and joy will never cease in your home and that most importantly, you will make haven. We love you and wish you all the best. Bamidele Adeniji and family.

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I AM BLESSED TO HAVE YOU Egbon mi, I am privileged to have come from same parents with you. I have no regrets whatsoever being of the same blood with you. As a brother, you chose my career for me and I am still enjoying the benefits. You supported me as a young lady and you are still supporting me till now. You have been a blessing to my life in many ways. My wish for you goes thus: You will enjoy God's goodness, peace, grace, favour and long life. Stay blessed. Modupeola Adunni Esther Godfrey (Sister)

THANK YOU GRANDPA Happy retirement Grandpa. God bless you and thank you for your love and for always calling me to hear my voice. Thank you for giving me your name Oluwasegun because God has been helping me to win battles. Thank you grandpa. Oluwasegun, grandson

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AN ASTUTE ADMINISTRATOR Mr. Adeniji, Segun Olufemi is an easy going amiable gentleman whose positive impact throughout his 35 years’ sojourn in the State Public Service is a matter of public record. An administrator per excellence, his knowledge and wealth of experience in Public Sector Management is second to none My relationship with Mr. Adeniji, a fine resourceful and highly disciplined Civil Servant, has been cordial and warm since his elevation into the esteemed club of Permanent Secretary in Lagos State. A natural leader and advocate of excellent work ethics and high moral standards, Mr. Adeniji is a dependable, firm and highly principled on personal conviction. His contributions across numerous Government Agencies where he had sojourned will certainly endure the test of time. As a member of the Body of Permanent Secretaries, his contributions to the Body's deliberations on issues were usually clear and decisive, often leading to the outcomes which have impacted positively on major policy decisions of the government. Without a doubt, his contributions would be greatly missed. An astute Administrator, Mr. Adeniji has demonstrated a high sense of commitment, loyalty, dedication and uncommon courage in confronting challenges encountered over the course of an illustrious public service career. I wish to particularly recall his tenures as the General Manager Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) as well a Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science & Technology. There is no denying the fact that Mr. Adeniji is still very active, agile and resourceful, whilst I wish him a restful and fulfilling life in retirement, I remain confident that he would bring his wealth of experience to bear on his future endeavours. Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Lagos State, Head of Service.

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A GREAT PARTNER I have known Mr. Segun Adeniji for over one year, and even though it is short, we have had an excellent, collegial and friendly relationship. I have always respected his integrity, both as a person and as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology. He is a wonderful human being and a great partner. It has been an honor for me to work in the same Ministry as Mr. Adeniji, and I wish him and his wife happiness and health during their retirement. If you put in as much effort enjoying your retirement as you have been doing for the State Government, it is sure to be a success! Congratulations on your retirement! Wishing you blessed days with your friends and family, and may the Almighty God continue to bless all of you. Aameen Hakeem Popoola Fahm Honourable Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology.

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MAN OF MANY PARTS I rarely accede to writing tributes, because of my belief that rather than depict the character of the personality involved it becomes a eulogy. In as much as this might be so, there is always an exception when called upon to say a few words about Segun Adeniji as he proceeds on retirement after his meritorious years of service to the Lagos State Government. I met Segun for the first time in January 2018, when I was deployed as Commissioner for the Environment, Lagos State, which had supervisory oversight of LAWMA, where he was the General Manager. This was during the turbulent period of waste management in the State and all hands had to be on deck working 24 hours round the clock. We both prowled the streets of Lagos along with other colleagues, checking the indiscriminate dumping of waste and monitoring the dumpsites to ensure effective functioning with a view to proffering solutions to the attendant problems. During this period, I was opportune to learn a lot from him as a marginal entrant into the sector. One thing that never cease to amaze me was his solid knowledge of the operational aspects which was reinforced with calmness, confidence and efficiency. Segun became a dependable and loyal ally that you could leave on the field at 3am and that same morning before 9am you have your reports on the table, which exemplifies his passion and dedication to duty. Confidentially, I had to enquire from my then Permanent Secretary, if he was an engineer, I was surprised to learn he was a graduate of History. Segun, you are a man of many parts, much is better said than written. I am glad to have come across somebody like you in the course of my journey in life and can continue to pray for you and your family as you embark on your retirement. I am sure the

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almighty will guide and direct you in your future endeavours Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi –Etti, Former Commissioner for the Environment, Lagos State.

A MAN OF PEACE Providence brought the path of Mr. Segun Adeniji and mine to cross in 2013. The then, Director, Finance & Admin (DFA) of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olajide Tairu, had just been redeployed, and his replacement was Mr. Segun Adeniji. When he was introduced to me by the Permanent Secretary as the new DFA, he cut the picture of a very humble personality. Those who would truthfully comment on the relationship at the top echelon of the administration of the Ministry then would say that it wasn't too smooth between the office of the Honourable Commissioner, where I was privileged to serve, and that of the Permanent Secretary. When Mr. Adeniji was, thus, brought to my office, I was wondering how he would survive the storm. To my amazement, I found him, like a man of peace that he is, coping effectively with the situation and putting in all of his efforts to ensure that there was calm. His personal calmness was indeed infectious, the mien with which he skillfully administered not only his Department, but the whole of the Ministry. I will forever cherish the moments we shared together as colleagues and the role he played in initiating, anchoring and executing the first-of-its-kind “APPRECIATION PARTY” for any political appointee, in my honour, as I was about to complete my term in office. This unusual event was a signature of endorsement of a meritorious service faithfully delivered. His penchant for the welfare of staff is worthy of emulation. No staff under his watch fell ill without his noticing it. He saw to it that a conducive working environment was always promoted.

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As Mr. Adeniji, my PS as I fondly call him, bows out gracefully after 35 years of diligent, meritorious and untainted service to Lagos State, my prayer is that he will reap the fruits of his labour, and find his retirement a springboard to greater heights in Jesus' name. Tpl. Olutoyin Ayinde, Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (2011-2015).

REAL VALUE ADDED In the pursuit of efficiency, few come close to Mr. Segun Adeniji. In his capacity as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, I have seen him as an astute administrator and a significant value added to the Lagos State Civil Service. My first encounter with Mr. Adeniji, as we were being sworn in gave evidence to his non pronounced but deliberate drive to get things done. He had brought important files to brief and appraise me of certain projects, initiatives and happenings in the Ministry. He explained in detail and made sure I understood and was clear on a number of the Ministry's objectives. Determined to make sure I wasn't witnessing a choreographed first impression exercise, I proceeded to watch closely and observe the consistency in behavior. To my absolute delight, the consistency in drive, determination and desire to add value was consistent throughout subsequent interactions. Mr. Adeniji, I believed, was someone I could work with. In Mr. Adeniji's next chapter, I am sure he will exhibit tremendous contributions to whatever he lends himself to next. Retirement from the Civil Service will not stop his value

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contributions as this will take whatever entity, group he belongs to next a notch higher. Tubosun Alake, Special Adviser, Innovation and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology.

A FRIEND INDEED I respect Segun Adeniji and admire his enduring commitment and outstanding contributions to the Lagos State Public Service. I have known him for about 38 years from our days at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as members of the Palmwine Drinkers Club (KEGITES CLUB), ILYA LAGOON where I served as Chiefo 82/83 Keg Year. Segun has remained the gentleman he is, not minding serious gyrations and opekerisations. He is also quite unassuming, kind-hearted, cool and calculated, charming, generous, intelligent and very assertive. He is a friend in need and indeed. As he retires from the Public Service, I wish him long life, joy and happiness in good health including his household. Wishing you a fulfilling retirement phase. Samson Olusegun Ajibade (Mr.), Permanent Secretary, PSO

MY BROTHER AND FRIEND I wish to congratulate my brother and friend Mr. Adeniji, as he bows out of the State Public Service after 35 years of meritorious service. My first encounter with him was in 2015 when I was newly appointed as Permanent Secretary and was deployed to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. There I was fortunate to have him as my Director (Admin and Human Resource). His wealth of experience, advice and humility

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facilitated my early settling down on the job. It had always been my fervent prayer that one day he would be appointed a Permanent Secretary because of his sterling qualities and that came to reality on 28th December, 2018, when he was appointed as Permanent Secretary. I am happy that he brought his good qualities to bear in the discharge of his duties as a Permanent Secretary and he has been able to leave his imprints on the sands of time. I wish him more years of service in good health, joy and happiness. Arc. Adebayo Dipe, (Permanent Secretary MPPUD)

AN INCURABLE OPTIMIST We have had cause to relate superficially as Administrative and Human Resource Officers, but not as closely as when our paths crossed in the Ministry of the Environment in 2017. Then, you were the General Manager, LAWMA. It was a period when waste management was plagued in the State. Beyond our clearly defined schedules, we both became waste evacuators, monitors, engineers, managers, etc, all rolled in one. We worked round the clock, yet nothing seemed to work. Each day's work extended far beyond midnight; we took risks and had exposures that could have resulted in fatalities, but for God's mercy, we are alive to tell the story. All through, you demonstrated unfailing commitment, passion and determination. You were a team player and an incurable optimist. You rose to every occasion and never lost your calm. You always leaned on God when the going gets tough. It is heartening that you are ending this race stronger and on the path of honour. As you join the league of senior citizens, I wish you good health and peace of mind to enjoy this new status.

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Congratulations. Abiodun Bamgboye Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pension

MR. INTEGRITY Mr. Adeniji is an icon, a model of godliness, a mentor, a good leader and a thorough administrator. He is integrity, simplicity and humility personified. He is a giver who remembers both his superiors and subordinates, even after they have left the Service. I pray that the power of divine direction takes you to your place of further favour and God's goodness. You shall not experience any form of setback in your future endeavours and your relationship with God. You shall continue to be strengthened spiritually, physically and financially in Jesus mighty name. Mrs. Elizabeth Abiodun Ashiru, Rtd. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment

A COMPLETE GENTLEMAN I came across Mr. Segun Adeniji when both of us were serving as Directors at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development between 2013 and 2015. He was the Director of Finance and Administration. He is humility personified. I was not surprised to find out later that he is an ordained Minister of God. His door was always open to all cadres of staff. He paid attention to the welfare of the staff and followed up on difficult issues to the satisfaction of all. He will take your counsel if he finds it superior. His diligence, loyalty and integrity contributed to his reaching the peak of his career.

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I wish him a fulfilling, healthy and prosperous retirement. Tpl Ayo Adediran, FNITP, Rtd. Permanent Secretary

ONE GOOD DEED LEADS TO ANOTHER (OORE MA FA OORE) Mr. Adesegun Adeniji, an Administrative Officer II signed my letter of Automatic Employment as a Mechanical Engr. II on behalf of GM, LAWMA in 1987. This brought me into the service of the then Lagos State Waste Disposal Board (now LAWMA) and because of the love I have for the offer (Automatic Employment), I have special interest in the officer who signed the letter as I resumed in LAWMA. Fortunately, Adeniji was also interested in that young engineer that got such a special offer. And so friendship started automatically. As young officers, along with others like Daramola, Daniju, Oresanya, Rufai, and a host of others from Admin, Engineering, Operations, Landfill Departments, etc, we worked, talked, chatted, spent and jolly together. To me, Adeniji is different. He is a pleasant, humble, open, dedicated, reliable and resourceful person, working to solve any problem anywhere at any given time. We were like that till 1999/2000 when the house was 'scattered' and each member landed in different MDA(s) at the Secretariat, Alausa. Glory be to God, in 2015, I had the opportunity for 2nd term at LAWMA and this time I had the honour, as GM (LAWMA), of signing the letter of request that brought Segun Adeniji back to LAWMA as AGM. He accepted the offer and went with me to LAWMA without minding his seniority. He did the work very well that eventually led him to move from the position of AGM to General Manager of the Authority (LAWMA). But why did I invite him for the job? I did so because of all I have known of him during our first term in LAWMA. Also germane to

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my decision to request for his service is that he is a Pastor, as I am an Alfa. Also, I have the trust that he has the fear of God. And that combination balanced the authority in the organization (LAWMA). Thanks to the Lord Almighty, we did not, for any reason, regret our ties all through the period and after. God has continued to move us (both) from glory to glory. May He (the good Lord) accept our thanks and adoration and continue showering His blessings on us for the benefit of mankind and to His glory. Congratulations, Adesegun Adeniji on your statutory retirement after 35 years and 60th birthday in advance. HRH, Engr. AbdulWahab Ogunbiyi, FNSE, the Eleku of Odo- Eku Isin, Isin LGA, Kwara State and former GM, LAWMA,

A WELL-BRED AND PLEASANT PERSONALITY Sege is an icon and a rare gem, a well-bred and pleasant character and a lover of God. There is hardly any time he visits our residence that he would not conduct prayer session for the family. The visit is usually accompanied by token gift to us. Segun, your wife and children are a force to reckon with. They give you the peace of mind to concentrate on your mission in the world. God bless them all. Amen. We wish you happy retirement from the Lagos State Civil Service as well as the attainment of the age of sixty. May the Lord, who lifted your head and carry you, thus far, continue to grant you joy unspeakable. Amen. You will live many more years in peace, divine guidance and favour, amen. Elder Moses Olutola Adeniji, Elder (Mrs.) Omotanwa Adeniji and Elder (Mrs.) Mariam Abeniade Adeniji A REAL GENTLEMAN

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Pastor Adeniji is a real gentleman and a consistent Christian who will not engage in any assignment halfheartedly. He is very reliable. We rejoice with him and his dear wife, Pastor Mrs. Toyin Adeniji, their blessed children and grandchildren, as he attains and celebrates his Diamond Jubilee. May the years ahead be beautiful and glorious for him, as his days are, so shall his strength be in Jesus name. Happy 60th Birthday! Dele and Moradeun Jayeoba Pastor in Charge, RCCG, Lagos Province 38

A RELIABLE MAN I give God the glory for my Oga's life. He taught me to be disciplined and hardworking. I once prophesied that he would reach the zenith of his Public Service career. He is a reliable and truthful man who is always working hard and helping others. Oga, as you move on in the journey of life, I pray that the God that has been with you will not desert you. Amen. Kemi Adelaja, Chief Admin and HR Officer, Lagos State Treasury Office

A TRUE CHRISTIAN LEADER Daddy, you have really built a legacy with your name as a great example of a Christian leader. Virtually everyone at the Health Service Commission misses you. I will love to learn more at your feet to imbibe your spirit of humility and modesty. You are always celebrated sir. Opeyemi, Yusuf-Adebayo (Pharmacist)

DESTINY HELPER I never thought I would be able to further my studies after my Diploma, but for your intervention, encouragement and support. And this is what I call: “When you are down to nothing, God is up to something”. Now I am B.Sc. holder in the making. Sir, I can

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never thank you enough. May you continue to find favour in the sight of God. Amen. Ajayi Oluwafemi Babatope, Ministry of Science and Technology

EPITOME OF EMPATHY Pastor Olusegun Olufemi Adeniji is an epitome of empathy, selflessness, humility, patience, and contentment. May I seize this opportunity to congratulate you and your lovely family on your glorious retirement and landmark 60th birthday. May you continue to enjoy more grace in the Lord's vine yard. Mr. and Mrs. Seyi Onajobi

JUST THREE WORDS Pastor Segun Adeniji can be described in just three words: simple, humble and patient. Personally, I have learnt from him the importance of the virtue of patience and how it can take one to the epitome of one's career. He has been nothing but a wonderful uncle and father to me and my entire family. I wish him nothing but the best as he begins life after retirement. Damilola Onajobi

A VISIONARY MENTOR You have been a visionary mentor and daddy figure to us. You have dedicated your life to the service of humanity and God. Thanks for relaying hope and faith to the younger ones. This is yet the beginning of another wonderful phase in your life! With your enthusiasm and approach to life, surely you will always triumph! Anjola and Boluwatife Onajobi

HE HARDLY GETS OFFENDED Segun is a very honest, gentle, patient, compassionate, humble, hardworking and sociable person. He hardly gets offended, and on rare occasions that he may be offended, he quickly forgives

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and keeps the relationship going. As you bow out of the Lagos State Civil Service after 35 years of meritorious service, I wish you God's abundant blessings and favours in retirement. Dr. AbdulFatai Adetunji Jimoh, friend and brother, Kaduna State University

A LOYAL FRIEND I have known Segun Adeniji since 1981 and he has always been very serious minded, reliable and responsible. As a born again Christian, he loves the Lord and is a good family man. He is not pompous or proud, despite reaching the peak of his career. He is extremely humble and respectful. He is very loyal friend. I pray that as he clocks the age of 60, the Most High God will continue to remember him for good and single him out for uncommon testimonies in Jesus name. Amen Congratulations! Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Odusanya

LIVING EPISTLE I knew Mr. Segun Adeniji when he was posted to the Health Service Commission as the Permanent Secretary. On his assumption of duty in HSC, he came with retinue of Pastors and it was unlimited praise and prayers to usher him into the new office. He is an epitome of humility and always ready to help in all possible legal ways. He is a man that cannot be pushed around and always ready to defend his Directors while at the Commission. When I got to know that he is a Pastor in The Redeemed Christian Church of God, I believed what the scriptures say about us being living epistles. His life preaches Jesus Christ. He is a good family man and I have met his adorable wife a

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couple of times. I wish him a blessed retirement in good health. Congratulations sir. Dr Bolaji Adebiyi, Director Medical Services, Health Service Commission/Church Growth Officer, RCCG, Lagos Province 6.

A GOAL-GETTER Pastor Adeniji is our friend of many years. He is a focused goal- getter who is ever ready to do his best to solve problems. He is also a hard working minister of God and a responsible head of his household. As you reach a milestone in life and career, please continue on the path of honour. May the latter part of your life be better than the former. We wish you good health, wisdom and more strength in the service to God in Jesus name. Amen. Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Gbenga Mabo

A TRUE BELEIVER Pastor 'Segun Adeniji is a beloved child of God, who through divine grace displays virtues of a true believer. My family met him when we moved to the government quarters in Amuwo Odofin, Mile 2 area of Lagos state. He was taking my husband to work around Ijora initially, and later also took me to their church. He has a large heart and he is a loving person and a good listener. We left Amuwo Odofin years ago but his humble attitude has kept us together. Sir, as you retire, God will begin a new thing in your life and family. You will not retire into penury, affliction and sorrow in Jesus name. God will grant you length of days and you will make heaven with every member of your household in Jesus name. Engr. and Pst. (Mrs.) Olalere Farombi

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A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW Segun Adeniji is well-known to me right from our university days in the early 1980's. We shared the same room in Makama Bida Hall. He was full of life and has a care-free attitude. He was a member of Palm Wine Drinkers' Club. He once confessed that he was a free thinker and believed in all that the Palm Wine Drinkers' Club stood for. However, he took his studies serious and never missed his lectures for anything. Segun was generous to a fault. He freely shared his meal tickets with us, whenever we had exhausted ours. Though fun loving, Segun was not a womanizer, he never had any serious relationship with the “Opekes” in the Palm Wine Drinkers' Club. There was a day he surprised us i.e. his roommates (Chucks, myself and late Bola Alley of blessed memory) when he announced that he was expecting a female visitor. It later turned out that the 'visitor is now his beloved wife, whom I call “Mummy wa” (our mummy), Pastor (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Adeniji. Segun is today, by the grace of God, a Pastor with The Redeemed Christian Church of God. We thank God for the life of Sister Toyin, for all her sacrifices to make her home a Christian family. Segun and Toyin have been very supportive of me. They are always there to lend a helping hand whether it is convenient or not. Segun may have his weak points like any other human being, but one thing you certainly cannot take away from him is the fact that he is a jolly good fellow. Segun Balogun

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CHRIST AMBASSADOR I met Mr. Segun Adeniji in the course of work about seven years ago. He is a gentleman to the core. He has this aura of ease around him that makes people comfortable around him. When l learnt he is a servant of the Most High, I was not surprised. He is a great ambassador of Jesus Christ per excellent. Sir, as you bow out of Public Service, I pray that you will enjoy your years in retirement and receive renew strength to continue in the vineyard of God. Mrs. Kikelomo Dawodu, DFA Office of Civic Engagement

LOVER OF GOD Pastor Segun has been a consistent and committed Christian and a pragmatic teacher of God's Word. He is an incurable lover of God. He is a disciplined, prayerful, loyal, coolheaded, tolerant, focused and kind hearted man, who pays attention to details and have a listening ears. He is very friendly and does not belittle the anointing upon God's people, neither does he takes undue advantage of other men. No doubt, Pastor Adeniji is a gift to this generation, a genuine man of God, a blessing to those who come in contact with him, an epitome and example of humility per excellence. Sir, the light of glory in you will shine brighter and brighter. Your leaves will remain fresh and green, in Jesus name. Happy birthday! Pastor'Folake and 'Yemi Lebi (PICP L/P 8)

SO UNIQUE In the short period that I have had to work with Mr. Segun Adeniji as my Permanent Secretary, I find him a unique, selfless and energetic personality. He is intelligent, calm and unassuming, attending to various

105 TESTIMONIES issues with ease, and not only that, always seeking other people's opinion to ensure his team excel on any assignment. As a visionary achiever, he makes leadership looks easy. He has a friendly disposition and respects both young and old alike and has a very good listening ear. I wish him good health in retirement and pray God upholds him physically, spiritually and otherwise in his sojourn on earth. Dr. Iyabo Phillips (MoST)

MANY THINGS IN ONE Pastor Segun Adeniji is an epitome of humility, fear of God, respect, generosity, thoughtfulness and kindness. He is also a goal-getter, family trail-blazer, loving husband, father and brother who is ever ready to lend a helping hand. My entire family and I will continually bless the Lord for all you have been to us. May the abiding grace and mercy of the Lord constantly keep you and all yours for us. Amen. Aseeyi Saamodun loruko Jesu Engr. and Mrs. Yomi Sofoluwe and Family

MY BROTHER, MY IN-LAW Segun Adeniji means many things to different people. We were School mates, church members, brothers and finally brothers' in- law. We were together in Funtua, then Kaduna State, now in Katsina State. When he left Funtua for higher learning, we never got to meet again, until destiny played a role in our lives, as I got into a relationship with the younger sister, it led to marriage and we became in-laws. He has remained simple, humble, kindhearted, God fearing, kingdom lover and a giver. He is a man that equates same love to

106 A PRODUCT OF GRACE all, irrespective of background, family, creed or religion. I have known him like that for over 40 years. Wishing you God's blessings always Uzoma Isaac Godfrey, Brother-in-Law

KIND HEARTED Uncle Segun is a God fearing man who always seeks to do the right thing. He is a light bearer who people look up to, he has the kindest heart you can think of. May God continue to bless him and his family. Kelechi Nehemiah Isaac

ACCOMPLISHED MAN Uncle Segun is a kind and caring man. He is a unique man of God who is blessed. He is accommodating and an accomplished man. He is also funny. I love him because he encourages others to achieve greatness in life. He is a good family man who cares for both his nuclear and extended family members. May God continue to bless and prosper him in Jesus name. Amen. Chukwu Nonso Isaac Miracle.

TRANSPARENT MANAGER Mr. Adeniji is a God fearing, detribalized, hardworking, and very simple but no nonsense servant of God. His attitude to work endeared most of us to him. His thirst to achieve results inspires people around him. I recall a time when we had to work day and night for four days without going home. His handling of government finances was so open and transparent. He prefers to open the books for all to see so it was not difficult for staff to cut down on their expectations, since they

107 TESTIMONIES already know what was in the government coffers. Despite being a God fearing person, he never shy away from applying sanctions when need arise. He is a marriage councilor and a staunch believer on Christian family values. Another attribute that easily stands him out is his strong belief in God to the extent that he takes most things to God in prayers without abusing the statutory powers bestowed on him. Dr. Essien Nsuabia, LAWMA

AN EXCEPTIONAL BALANCER Since 1987 when I first met Segun Adeniji at LAWMA on my transfer from the Federal Civil Service, l knew he was going to have an outstanding career in the Civil Service. So, becoming a Permanent Secretary is naturally a reward for his professional virtues. What stood him out was his unique and appropriate ability to consistently strike a balance between performance and reward, offences and reprimands. Privately, he is a man of strong family values and huge spiritual endowments. Providence has always positioned him at the right place, at the right time. I pray he excels more in his private endeavours, after his meritorious services to Lagos State, humanity and God. Mr. Gbolahan Tesi Ojora

A PERFECT GENTLEMAN I met Segun in 1979 at the Federal School of Arts and Science, Sokoto, where we were classmates. He was a quiet, unassuming and easy going young man. After our A levels, Segun got admission to UNILAG while I

108 A PRODUCT OF GRACE was at Great Ife, but we still got in touch with each other, especially during holidays. We reunited after we both completed our NYSC and our friendship blossomed into a brotherly relationship. To the glory of God, Segun had a fulfilled career with the Lagos State Government where he rose to the pinnacle of his career and retired without blemish. Sina Ayodeji Esq.

A GREAT LEADER My first meeting with Mr. Segun Olufemi Adeniji was when he was appointed as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology. With the time I spent working with him, I can say with every sense of humility that he is a great leader who gives you every support to succeed on assigned jobs. He loves to put smile on everyone's face, but won't fail to reprimand when you err. I appreciate every time he listens and encourages me to give in my best. His open door policy is second to none. I pray as he moves into a new phase of life, he will soar higher and live an enjoyable life. You shall be full of strength and in good health. You shall continue to prosper and make maximum impact in Jesus mighty name. Amen. Lekan-Rotimi, F.A (Mrs.) DICT-T (Ministry of Science and Technology- Digital Village)

A GOOD MAN When Nathaniel met Jesus for the first time and the Lord testified of him as a good man, Nathaniel was awed that the Lord knew much about him. The same cannot exactly be as my testimony but just like Nathaniel said, I can say Pastor Segun

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Adeniji is a good man with no pretenses. My first knowledge of Pastor Adeniji was over two decades ago at RCCG SWC where the church relied on him to make use of his personal generator. At that time he was not yet a worker, but was available to be used of God. Pastor Segun Adeniji, is a selfless, committed, supporting, caring, loyal, dedicated husband and father. It is, therefore, not a surprise that he rose to the peak of his career in the Civil Service. He is civil in his communication, respectful and very humble. He is also friendly and diplomatic in his relationship with all and sundry. Despite his rise in career, there is no air of arrogance on his part. We cannot talk about him without mentioning his wife, Pastor Mrs Toyin Adeniji, who works silently behind the scene. My wife recalls, she fondly and passionately call her husband back then 'Daddy Omolade' Segun and Toyin are Siamese twins that are divinely joined by the Most High God. There are testimonies that will forever remain permanent in my mind concerning Mrs Adeniji. The year was October 1996, the church had embarked on a fasting based on spiritual direction of our own Dear Pastor Kola Aiyedogbon. One of the persons to share testimonies was Pastor (Mrs) Adeniji, who at the time was pregnant with Anjola. The Lord opened her eyes to see the agent of death that was out to snuff life out of her on an Express Road. It took exchange of proper and appropriate words of the scriptures to gain deliverance.

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This testimony is shared to pin point God special love for the Adenijis. My family celebrates you and thank God for your glorious service to humanity and look forward to greater work in retirement in Jesus name. Amen. Agbolade and Tomi Matuluko

BLESSING TO MANKIND Mr. Segun Adeniji is a man of few words whose disposition to work is "do do" rather than "talk talk". That lends credence to the inscription on the door to his office when he was the General Manager of LAWMA: "Please be brief, others are waiting". He is a meticulous workaholic with impatience for mediocrity and expects similar disposition from every officer. Speed, effectiveness and productivity matter to him. We gave him a nickname secretly when he was LAWMA GM ("now! now!"). Mr. Adeniji is so passionate about the happiness of the people around him. He is a good listener, who is kind to a fault. He ensures that you are compensated for dedication/hard work. He is so generous even to his (obvious) antagonists, which is still a mystery to me and I believe that is one of his weapons of spiritual victory. Regardless of his seemingly stern disposition to official matters, he has an incredible sense of humour, which is quite unknown to many. Unbelievably, he jokes a lot! He is God-fearing and will never make noise about his numerous kindness to people. He is so modest in appearance, unassuming and polite in expression with unusual emotional intelligence. He is, indeed, a blessing to mankind. Tosin Dada (LAWMA)

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A PRIVILEGE WORKING FOR YOU Mr. Segun Adeniji inspired and influenced me through his caring and genuine actions. He genuinely cares about and believes in his staff which, in turn, creates a loyal team that is willing to do the very best for him. He often replaces blame with responsibility and always show genuine concern for each employee, the whole person, including their life outside of work. My PS usually makes time to personally connect with his employees, trust his officers to make the right decision and creates opportunities for them to advance and develop new skills. He has an open-door policy and regularly asks for feedback on every task/assignment. He is empathetic and always strives to maintain the self-esteem of others. He is open-minded and not quick to judge. It is a privilege to work with you sir, and I wish you all the best in life. Gbemi Kayode-Bolarinwa PMO – Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)

MY SUPER BOSS I worked directly with Mr. Segun Adenji at the defunct Ministry of Rural Development. I can say that MY BOSS happens to be a real leader, indeed. I enjoyed working with him because, I learnt a lot from him. I can say that I have never seen a boss as humble as my SUPER BOSS. Even while I was deployed to the Public Service Office, my closeness to him and his family remained strong. He helped me in so many ways both morally and financially. I can never forget his support. My story in the Civil Service cannot be complete without him.

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His positive impact in my life goes a long way. Thank you so much sir. I wish you all the best as you retire from the Service of the Lagos State Government. Banjo, Mary Adebisi (Mrs.) Asst. Chief Admin. & Human Resource Officer Motor Vehicle Administration Agency

A LISTENING LEADER Mr. Segun Adeniji is a man of God, very humble and always appreciating his subordinates' efforts. I was opportune to meet and work directly with him from June, 2019 to date and I am happy to work with him. An Administrator to the core, he makes us to work as a family. He is very friendly and never wish to hurt anybody in the course of his work. He is a disciplinarian indeed, but still courteous. He loves his work and carries everybody along. He motivated the staff and this made them to give their best in terms of service delivery. He corrected in love and insisted on due diligence. He is called "Mr. Now Now". He is a listening leader with the fear of God. This made him distinct among the others. As you leave the service, the Lord will go with you. His eyes will be upon you and your family. He will take you to greater heights. You are a role model among your contemporaries. Mrs. A.S. Oladele Director, Finance and Account, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)

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MY SEGELU Segelu is a friend, brother and mentor. I met him at the Federal School of Arts and Science, Sokoto in 1979. Segun is an admirable and amiable character. He is ever sincere with any situation. Truth is his nature which he exhibits even if at his own detriment. Segelu, as fondly called, is a very caring person who hates seeing another person moody or unhappy. He fathered many of us, despite the fact that most of us are age mates or in the same age bracket. He carried my burden solely when I was jobless. This tribute is not complete (and will be meaningless) without any allusion to his beautiful, able, caring and motherly wife. Sege, I assure you that though you are retiring from the government service, you are not tired and not retiring from the services of God almighty. You are just starting life at this stage. I am persuaded that this is the beginning of your greatness in Jesus mighty name. Shem Sunday Obafaiye, Assistant Commandant General, NSCDC, Zone F, Abeokuta

THE GENTLE ACHIEVER Segun is a jolly good friend, unassuming, amiable and a complete gentle man. Segun has been known to our family for over three (3) decades. We, (my wife, myself and Segun) started our career at LAWMA, and since then, the cordial relationship has ever been watertight and transcend beyond ordinary friendship. Segun, in conjuction with Lanre Rufai, a Rtd. Permanent Secretary, were instrumental to our marriage of 2 ½ (two and

114 A PRODUCT OF GRACE half) decades. Glory be to God. Segun is endowed with some enviable and sterling qualities to the extent that any special work/task entrusted to him, he excels in terms of adaptation, output and performance. He is a trained Personnel Administrator. Segun is a “War General” in terms of carrying all cadres of staff along with him wherever he finds himself and this has assisted him a lot in his pastoral calling. Our prayer for Pastor Segun is for the good Lord to endow him with good and sustainable health, prosper more in his pastoral assignment and to enjoy the fruit of his labour, keep his family well and make the journey in life more blissful. Wishing you a happy and meritorious retirement and happy 60th birthday in advance. Wale and Biola Liadi

A Quintessential Leader I have known Segun Adeniji since 1981 when we were course mates at the University of Lagos. He was our Class Governor for three years. That nobody doubted his leadership ability throughout our undergraduate days is a proof of his astute leadership ability. He is a good family man, easy-going person, quintessential leader, sociable and a free-mixer. He effectively acted as a bridge between the class members and the Departmental staff of the University. I remember very well how he was at the forefront of a demand for change of a course during our set. He effectively managed the situation such that there was no official misgiving on our demand and at that same time, there was no negative reaction on our part as students. It is gratifying to know that the demand sailed through, even though the change did not start with our set, at least the subsequent sets benefitted.

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With this leadership background, it is not a surprise that he became a successful Civil Servant, having served in different capacities and retiring as a Permanent Secretary. Sege, I rejoice with you for starting well and ending well with the Lagos State Government, having completed the mandatory thirty-five years. Incidentally, your retirement is coinciding with your sixtieth birthday anniversary, putting you in the class of most respected senior citizens of the country. May you enjoy your well-deserved retirement. Congratulations our dear Sege. Dr. Tunji Alao, Associate Professor, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State.

SEASONED ADMINSTRATOR It was truly an honour working with our PS - Mr. Segun Adeniji and I wish him greater successes in the future. I appreciate your leadership during my transition to the agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Your steady hand on the wheel and positive demeanour as the administrative head of the Ministry will be greatly missed, but we are thankful for the capable team you are leaving behind. As a seasoned administrator, I look forward to hearing about your future endeavors, Sir. I pray that you are able to make the most of your new-found freedom, and get to spend your days in good health. Engr. (Mrs) Ibilola Kasunmu General-Manager, LASRRA

MY EXPERIENCE WITH MR SEGUN ADENIJI I knew MR. SEGUN ADENIJI between the periods of 2016-2018 when he was the General Manager, Lagos Waste Management Authority

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(LAWMA) before he his appointment as Permanent Secretary, Health Service Commission by His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on the 27th December Mr. Adeniji is a very humble and God fearing man that is dedicated and enthusiastic about his job. He is a good listener and easily accepts and apologizes for his shortcomings. A man with high Emotional Quotient and always calm in the midst of storm, he loves and seek equality for all as evident in some of his activities as the General Manager of LAWMA. Mr. Adeniji is a man of prayer and he demonstrated a strong commitment and love to God and man. He possesses good leadership skills and considers the interest of others, he is hospitable, kind and patience. I will always applaud the salient roles you played during the policy tumble and reformation in the waste management sector in Lagos State during your tenure as the General Manager of LAWMA. Your resilience in the midst of turbulent that almost ravages LAWMA though demeaning and tasking were remarkable. We at LAWMA can attest to you super power, strong willed, indomitable resilience, kind nudges of wisdom and fierce commitment to that course. Your landmarks both physically (in the discharge of your duties) and spiritually (in the things of God) which cannot be easily forgotten but will linger for procreation to come. I am so honored and delighted to have met, worked and associated with a man like you. Your retirement from active service will be the beginning of greater things to come, keep soaring higher, the sky is the starting point for you. Yours Sincerely Dr. Olorunwa Tijani Chief Technical Officer (LAWMA)

MR SEGUN ADENIJI – HOW OUR PATHS CROSSED The first time I met Mr. Segun Adeniji was around 2009 when he was the Director in the Ministry of Youths and Sports. It happened that prior to this time, some of his visitors were erroneously directed or taken to my office only to discover that I was not the Adeniji they were looking for. The same scenario played out as some of my own visitors were often directed to his office.

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Based on the above Mr Segun Adeniji became curious to know who this his namesake was. Despite been my senior, he took the pain to come to my office, and that's how we met for the first time. Sometimes in 2019, he was posted to the Ministry of Science and Technology where I happened to be a Director. Having related and worked with him closely, I am more than qualified to say and confirm that Mr Segun Adeniji is a very simple, humane, humble and open minded personality. He relates with every staff as colleagues, he is a leader servant who is ready to assist and even take active part in resolving any seemingly difficult assignment. One day, myself and another Director in person of Mr. Osuolale were trekking to the bus stop to board public vehicle home because our cars were having issues. Mr. Segun Adeniji just met us on the road while going home and asked what happened to our cars. Having told him the situation he promised to look into it. The following day he handed over His Ministry's official car to me for our use. This is action is a confirmation of his uncommon act of humility, kindness and consideration for peoples' welfare. In all my 35 years of service, this was the first time I came across such a great but simple minded boss who is not materialistic. All the above is a manifestation of his Christian spirituality, faith and absolute submission to the teachings of Jesus Christ as espoused by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. As you take your exit from the service of Lagos State, I wish you a peaceful retirement into good health and further success in whatever endeavors you choose to engage yourself. Mr. Dele Adeniji Director (Science Policy, Programmes and Promotion) Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology

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BABA SEGE, 'THE ACTIVIS' I have known Mr. Segun Adeniji, simply as Baba Sege, since 1981 when we all met at the Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos. We were the new recruits at the Department of History, coming from various far flung places and sitting together as friends for the first time. He was of course not the grown man and high public officer you all see now. He was just a cool and calm young boy trying to adapt to his new environment as best he could. We got on very well and were soon in constant touch, supporting each other through the rough and tumble of undergraduate life. But something happened that soon revealed the activist in Baba Sege. We were told at the Department that we had to study French. No one bargained for that. Many of us had a bad scrape with French at the secondary school and were glad to be rid of it. Those that liked it were already in the Department of Modern European Languages. So why were we being corralled to study French now? In the spirit of the French Revolution, an anti-French movement soon grew in the History Department, of which Baba Sege was one of the arrow heads. Needless to say, the Department eventually proved stronger; the movement lost the battle. We did do French and many failed it with reckless impunity. Happily, that didn't hold us back. Baba Sege held fast to his studies and we all graduated in due time. Segun had of course shown more maturity than the average boy in the class. I recall that he was one of the first among us to get married and settle down to a steady family life. Then he embarked on his tour of duty in the Civil Service, which itself is a study in calm consistency, diligence and integrity. No one could have doubted that he would get to the peak untainted, as he has today. Over the years, we had established a ritual of getting together at 'Ileya' time when he would visit my family house and we would have our other classmates around to reminisce on old times and see how our several families were doing. Unfortunately, my relocation

119 TESTIMONIES to Abuja has now disrupted that. But I have kept in touch with Baba Sege and his beautiful family and I am happy for them today. I pray that you will continue in strength, good health and happiness in whatever assignment God Almighty may have next for you. Ade Ipaye, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State.

SELF-MADE PROFESSIONAL An intellectually endowed person, humble and full of energy, Mr. Segun Adeniji is a self-made professional. Though he could be rigid in accordance to his principle and belief, but he could sacrifice his last resources for those he believes and trusts. His honesty is inviolable. He values integrity and has never been accused of purloining in all the MDAs he had worked. He is an honest manager of resources and he is very patient even in face of any provocation. He is a motivator, mentor, kind, compassionate, full of wisdom, love, care, gives moral & financial support. A rare being with large heart. He has demonstrated an exceptional cerebral ability all through his career without blemish. I am privileged and honoured to have worked with 'OGA', as he is fondly called by all. He has a good relationship with all and sundry irrespective of age, ethical tribe, position or background. He is a doting father as well as a good husband to his amiable wife. He is very committed to his family member as a whole. I pray the Almighty God continue to abide with you and your household all the days of your life. Songs of Praise and Testimonies of Good news shall not cease in

120 A PRODUCT OF GRACE your life. By 6th January, 2021 when you will be Sixty (60) years, we shall all raise our voices to shout Halleluiah! Your sister and daughter, Janet Olajumoke Ladipo

TO GOD BE THE GLORY I give all the glory to the Almighty God for all your kind words about me. The glory of my life goes up to Him and Him alone for without Him, no man can do anything (John 15:5). The purpose of the feedback from you, my beloved family members, friends and associates, is not for self-glorification or adulation, rather it is meant to learn more lessons of life and allow others to also learn. I am just a mere mortal who is not perfect. I, therefore, return all the glory to God who made me a Product of His Grace (Romans 9:16) Segun Adeniji

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