Celebrating Return of Akogun Tai Oguntayo to Full Time Govt Business
My dear kinsman from Okemesi -Ekiti and good brother, Tai Oguntayo, an amazingly accomplished journalist, legal mind, teacher, administrator, businessman and publisher, a couple of days ago, was appointed among the very long list of new appointees of Ekiti Government, as Technical Advisor, Public Communication (Political), by the visionary and result-oriented Gov. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State.
Since then, all known social media platforms had been alive with endless congratulatory messages that ordinarily touched the hearts.
In the midst of the celebration, i did not immediately know where to start, what nicest form of English to pen down, or how best to express how delighted i was in joining the crowd of his well wishers. So, i needed to take my time.
While adopting root also leaf, all the good things that people said about him, i recall that the Akogun of Ipole-Iloro, his amazing wife’s hometown, is not new to such well deserved appointments, as he is merely returning to a familiar, not strange terrain.
Several years back as a young man, luck smiled at him, becoming Supervisor of Health of our then Ekiti West Local Government, only to return some years later as Secretary to the Local Government.
He was also appointed Special Assistant to the State Governor some years ago, and also later became Special Adviser on Media to the Speaker of the Ekiti State Assembly, both in the last two administrations.
Also nly recently, the Ekiti State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), where he was once the State Chairman, honoured the pioneer State Chairman of Association of Nigeria Authors, (ANA), by naming the Secretariat Building after him! The list is inexhaustible, as i can go on and on.
While not sounding frivolous, Akogun, by my estimation of him, using all indices humanly possible, is indeed a special breed, deserving of all of these, and even more!
A very brilliant master strategist, Akogun is no doubt synonymous with courage, adventure, perseverance and hardworking individual, who does not take a “no” for an answer.
Words to describe the uniqueness of his qualities cannot be picked from the gutter. He is simply indescribable! A gentle giant, he carries his seemingly huge frame with measured of royalty and assured dignity.
He handles life and its affairs with keen sense of responsibility, reliability, thoroughness and unimpeachable dependability.
I got attracted to him in the 80’s during his days in the same secondary school i attended in our hometown, Okemesi Ekiti, for a number of factors, and he has continued to defend such class of attributes, identifiable with him ever since!
He is one of the finest users of the English language, my best area of life, both in its written and spoken forms. He has a mastery of the deployment of the language, and, as a public affairs analyst and public speaker that he often is, he understands the nitty-gritty, such that if it is in football, he is eminently qualified to compete title with a Ronaldo!
He also excels in the use of Yoruba language, especially Ekiti, and perhaps better, if he is with the locals, dishing out Okemesi proverbs and idioms.
It was very evident in his younger days, which i witnessed, that he would go very far in the ladder of life, given his huge brain, his unusual resilience, his very visible leadership qualities, his kind spirit, his very sociable and charming personality, and of course, his commanding use of words.
As a politician, to which he later ventured, after years of journalism practice, as we are told by our home-based brothers and sisters, Akogun is vast in the trade, and many people of Okemesi, especially those who share his ideology and beliefs, usually gravitate towards him whenever he visited home, as he seemed to have a magnetic pull of his own section of followers, or supporters.
Without necessarily having to mention names, i have a couple of other close brothers who are also good, and doing quite well in their chosen parties, and are in firm control of their section of supporters and followers in the town. That is good for any community that wants to grow. I am proud of them all.
Akogun remains a powerful force in Ekiti NUJ and his section of party politics in Ekiti
A loving husband and caring father, Akogun deserves a thunderous applause for his landmark accomplishments, and it is my hope that he will use this latest call to service, to the glory of God, development of Ekiti and Okemesi-Ekiti.
Congratulations Akogun on your appointment, and wishing you more of it!
Idowu Ariwodola
Assist.Editor-In-Chief, (AEIC)
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)