I received a call from a popular radio presenter yesterday demanding to know the raison detre my open support for Oloye Adelabu Adebayo despite our different party affiliation. He furthered asked the leading question"is it because he is your childhood friend and classmate in secondary School?". He was shocked to the bone marrow when I frankly told him ,not because of being my friend,I may decide not to support a friend,if the friend does not deserve my support..The conversation ended abruptly as the caller ( the one and only Mayor Isaac Brown) promised to call back someday.
To put the record straight, one major factor that endears Oloye Adelabu Adebayo to me right from our youthful age is his Great Vision and imagination. He has abundant zeal to make desirable achievable. With commitment and courage he translates his vision to reality. If you put Bayo under the stratification of a leader, he, without , argument,fits snugly into the cadre of a "Transformative leader". When Chief Arthur Mbanefo writes " for leadership to exert desired and lasting impact on society it must be visionary from antiquity to modern times,it has been leaders with great vision and wisdom that have led their societies to new heights of achievement, "Oloye Adebayo readily comes to mind.
When you see a leader says Charles Galloway,you see an organization. Adelabu even in his private enterprises insists on quality, applying what Management experts call "TQM", ( Total Quality Management) he will not accept above average to mean excellent. You may then wonder why his hotels are always booked to the brim on a daily basis. His farm remains one of the top ten and other businesses thriving even in a blustery economic weather.
That Oloye Adelabu Adebayo has a good mind to move Oyo state to the next level is beyond doubt,if only giving opportunity to apply it well. He has set the wide goal of making Oyo state a Numero uno and has developed workable blueprints to actualise the goal. He is vewing politics from both intensive and extensive perspective. He represents what the philosopher ,Karl Jasper calls " pressing beyond everything objective". He demands reason for all actions and provide for a why for any step he takes.
Sometimes in 2016, I was with him at Bayse one Hotel for a meeting. Before the meeting started ,some corporately dressed gentle men entered and without any delay settled down in front of us . I was about asking for their mission,when one of them ordered for a bottle of choice wine and hot plates of pepper soup for everyone. Apparently aiming at maximising the moment, Bayo looked into my direction and set the ball rolling" It may suprise you Kehinde that you are meeting my friends here for the first time,it was deliberate, they are not here for a wine bibing binge, but a serious mission to discuss how we can , identity our constraints and overcome our myriads of challenges beseting Oyo state for our dear state to reach a point of our collective dreams. "very few outcomes in this world of cause and effect come perchance, we need to stategise and recommend ways to improve outputs and boost our engagement efforts". He said.At this juncture, both Alhaji Taiwo Akande and Barrister Mutalubi Ojo joined us. It was an assembly of Eggheads on a mission to put Oyo state on a rightful pedestal along path of development and progress. It repaid the effort.
The discussion with the refined brains who i later knew are top managers in their respective callingsstarted around 11 pm that fateful night and it covered wide spectrum of developmental issues. We started from discussion on Lautech and how education system can be improved in Oyo state using theglobal best practices index.
We moved stealthily to health delivery, economic growth, social justice etc. When I checked my time piece,it was almost 3 am . As if foraying into my mind,our host cum moderator said "Kehinde,don't worry,I have reserved a room for you here".' I am energized already by the trajectory of the discussion,my chair". I replied smilingly.
The unplanned round table dialogue later became a regular feature in Bayse one. I enjoyed every bit of it. Bayo has this exquisite enthusiastic attitude about driving Oyo state and his personal magnetism was unmistakable even before he entered political arena. He is not just lucky to have clinched the APC party ticket to vie for the Guber race, he has come to increase the tempo using TQC, total quality communication. He is a case of an opportunity meeting preparation. As he always assure " There is no obstacles we won't overcome".
I don't have any reason at all to doubt him. Not that I love other contenstants less ,but that I love Oyo state more.
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