28th December, 2017
Alonge Olufemi Alonso
"Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real"- Thomas Merton. As I was pondering on the reasons my town, Ilogbo-Ekiti, was sidelined again in the present political permutation in our local government, I was imbued with a lot of ideas on the humility and loyalty of Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Professor Kolapo Olusola.
Just like Mignon McLaughlin said; " The proud man can learn from humility, but he will be proud of it". Thus, I am presenting this piece as my Christmas gift to our young people around and to those who are fond of boasting about their material and educational feats to learn from the gentility of a professor who is 100% loyal to his boss.
No doubt, Ekiti values education but if formal education alone is the yardstick to measure who should be in power, Ekiti State would have been governed by at least two or three professors since the state was carved out of Ondo State in 1996.
Let me say if master of success and game of politics are all about educational qualifications, Prof. Kolapo Olusola won't be in the position he occupies today.
Many people will not like to serve under a man with less educational background. And if Fayose's deputy had toed the path of those noisemaking elites in Ekiti State, he wouldn't have left academics and agree to serve under a man with a Higher National Diploma (HND).
He became the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State as an Associate Professor but he is now one of the professors which the state is proud of.
Fayose was quoted immediately after the swearing-in on 16th October,2014 that he would leave the office in 2018 together with his deputy. Then, the Deputy Governor was still a new person to his boss.I was not told but I knew the thought behind the statement of Mr. Governor was that his deputy would definitely rock boat with him the same way Surveyor 'Biodun Aluko did during his first tenure and no political leader would like to vouch for a follower who is not submissive or loyal to him.
But after being together in office for the first year of their tenure, the governor could not stomach what he had studied from his deputy as he began to heap special praises on him in public.
I was baffled the first time I saw Gov. Fayose thanking his deputy at a function. I began to wonder what could have been the rationale behind the special appreciation of Mr. Governor to his deputy but I got to know the real reason behind that during the foundation laying ceremony of the fly-over bridge.
At the foundation laying ceremony of the legacy project, the governor began his speech by saluting God who gave him a deputy whose loyalty and humility is equal to none. As the governor was talking, the humble deputy stood up until the governor told him to have his seat. I have witnessed this on many occasions.
To know more about humility of our dear Deputy Governor, I wasn't in Abuja during the last Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention but those who were there briefed me on the action of Senator 'Biodun Olujimi against Prof. Olusola. I learnt Sen. Olujimi who was once a deputy governor of Ekiti State intentionally assaulted the number 2 citizen of her state and pushed him when it was turn of Ekiti delegates to cast their votes for their candidates and instead of him to react, the humble man asked his security aides to ignore the barbaric attitude of the Senator.
I was on the entourage of the deputy governor to most towns in Ekiti State during the distribution of Christmas gifts to children in the state and I was lucky to listen to the comments of the people about the Ikere-Ekiti son and all they were saying was about the young professor and his humility.
As a christian, I will agree that it has been destined that Prof. Olusola would work under Fayose but let me state it clearly that the duo would not have had mutual understanding had it been Eleka is the type that sees life the way some elites in Ekiti State see it.
What I am trying to say is that Eleka convinced his boss with his humbleness and loyalty; and no politician will have a man like Eleka as deputy and go elsewhere to look for who will succeed him.
Apart from the messages which Chief Ayodele Fayose continually say he receives from God, loyalty and humility of his deputy are part of the reasons the governor makes himself number 1 supporter of his deputy as he has commenced rallying support for him ahead of 2018 election in the state.
I don't know what the Qur'an says about humbleness but via Holy Bible, I know whosever wants to be great must humble himself in the sight of the Lord. I think our youths who had started using the same cup of pride of Ekiti elites to drink should read James 4:10 and learn from Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
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