Former Secretary to Ondo State Government, Dr. Rotimi Adelola, provides some insights on why the state has, in the last eight years, been experiencing development reversals. He also speaks on his recently published book, titled “Working Under The Sunshine,” in commemoration of the 70th birthday of a former two- term governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. Blueprint reports
Excerpts :
What’s the significance of the book’s title?
The title of the book “Working Under the Sunshine : Reminiscences on How a State Government in Nigeria Created Values for the People” is a creative presentation of my experiences during the eight years l worked with the Mimiko administration as Secretary to the State Government. As you know, Ondo state is commonly referred to as the “Sunshine State”. This nickname was coined by Rear Admiral Abiodun Olukoya who served as the military administrator of the state from September 3, 1990 to January 3, 1992, during the General Babangida’s military regime. “Sunshine State ” has since become a popular reference to Ondo state.
The nickname “Sunshine State” must have been coined due to the state’s abundant sunshine throughout the year, lush vegetation and fertile soil, beautiful beaches along the Atlantic Coast in Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas, rich cultural heritage and warm hospitality of the people. Therefore, the period l served as SSG in Ondo State was analogous to working under the Sunshine. Besides, l have recreated in the book the circumstances that resulted in the phenomenal customer-oriented achievements of the Mimiko administration.
…What benefits for readers?
Cicero, a Roman statesman and philosopher, in his book “De Oratore” published in 55 BC. , stated that “History is the teacher of life.” This statement emphasises the importance of learning from the past to inform effective decision-making in the present and future. This idea is particularly significant in the context of political leadership where understanding of historical events, trends, and consequences can help leaders to make informed choices in developing strategic plan for result-oriented governance.
One benefit to readers of “Working Under The Sunshine ” is that they are learning from the story of how Governor Mimiko reinvented government in Ondo state through the strategic deployment of a Customer-driven model of governance.
Most people in government are not familiar with the word ‘customer’ in their day-to-day activities. What occupies their consciousness is the satisfaction of the requests of the constituted authority to whom they have allegiance – the president, governor, legislators, commissioners and other heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies . Customer- oriented engagements are the preoccupation of profit-making business organisations. As once stated by the legendary Peter Drucker, “…the purpose of a business is to create and sustain customers.” This precept doesn’t apply to politicians and the government they form at national and sub-national levels. Therefore, successive elected governments thrive on the legacy of not being Customer-driven because the ultimate test of an effective government is re-election. While private business organisations focus on achieving results for customers because they will go out of business without doing so, governments do not go out of business. Failure in government is not failure to achieve results for the people, but failure to secure re-election. For this reason, politicians focus on propaganda and perception management and not on how well their government create values for their customers, the citizens.
Reading “Working Under The Sunshine ” will be an inspiration to a sitting governor, an aspiring governor, and other progressive-minded political leaders because it will equip them with the tools with which they can re-calibrate the process of governance.
Furthermore, reading the book will expose readers to the leadership strategies that enabled Governor Mimiko to motivate people to work together collaboratively to achieve great outcomes. Readers will know and inculcate the precept that “Vision precedes power.” They will learn that to be successful in any endeavour, either in business, politics, professional career, or governing a nation, state, or local government, a person must have a vision and a set of desired specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Like Dr. Mimiko, the person must develop a calendatised action plan for attaining his or her desired outcomes. Such calendatised plan must be ready before the person is sworn into office. Reading the book will enable a discovery of the inspiring story of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko’s remarkable achievements, his exceptional leadership skills which enabled him to inspire collaboration among individuals and groups, foster a culture of inclusivity and empowerment, build strong relationships with community leaders, healthcare professionals, educators, and other stakeholders.
In Ondo state, the book is a clarion call to the incoming administration, that will emerge after the November gubernatorial election, to reactivate some of the people-centrist projects of the Mimiko administration that were applauded by local and international organisations such as the World Bank, UN Habitat, World Health Organisation, and the development agenda for Western Nigeria.
Why is the book coming out when Dr. Mimiko clocked 70?
It was not a coincidence that the book was announced when Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, CON, turned 70. The book is my modest way of celebrating a great leader of leaders. It is designed to honour him and acknowledge his hard work, dedication and accomplishment as an effective manager of the public’s interest . Celebrating a great leader like Dr. Mimiko will inspire other leaders because his story will motivate them to strive for excellence in whatever exalted positions they find themselves.
Why eight years after leaving office?
There is no difference between today and eight years ago to a normal adult who is writing about his experiences. Time is an illusion and there is a commonality of perspectives on this truism in science and philosophy. Williams James, a celebrated philosophical psychologist, posits that only the present moment exists; our experience is rooted in the present; the present is the only moment where changes occur; and the past and future are mere mental constructs. Therefore, what is of paramount importance is what a person is doing at this moment and not what he should have done yesterday or will do tomorrow.
There wasn’t any memory loss of details while writing the book as the Mimiko administration has a strong institutional memory. As a former SSG, l had access to historical records and documents; was familiar with the administration’s strategy, policies and procedures. And when in doubt, l contacted the bureaucrats who worked with me, senior political appointees, and my former colleagues at the Executive Council.
Impact of the Mimiko administration and those discontinued by other administration (s)
There were some of the people-centrist projects of the Mimiko administration that were discontinued by the succeeding administration. This might have been due to differences in ideological orientation. The Mimiko administration operated on the parameters of egalitarianism and social democracy which influenced its vision, strategy, choices, policies, and actions.
The people-centrist projects and achievements of the administration were in healthcare revolution, education reforms, civil service reforms, rural community development, urban renewal, wealth creation, agriculture, artisanship development and empowerment, tourism, sports and youth development, aggressive capitalisation of land resources, and infrastructure development. Space would not permit a review of more than two or three of the projects that were discontinued by the succeeding administration.
The Cocoa beans from Oda was produced into the Oda 70% Single Estate Chocolate bars which won a Silver Award at the 2015 London Academy Of Chocolate Awards. This achievement brought Ondo state to the consciousness of the International community as a potential producer of high premium chocolate. As a follow-up, the Cocoa Catalytic factory at Idanre was approved and renovated as a chocolate factory. This would have become a major competitor in the local and international chocolate market if the succeeding administration had not discontinued the Cocoa Revolution Project.
The Abiye Safe Motherhood project was conceived to ensure that “pregnancy may no longer be a death sentence in Ondo state.” This was achieved through the provision of free and adequate healthcare to pregnant women and children of five years age and below. The programme was so successful that the World Bank officially listed it on its website as one of the success stories coming out of Africa.
The Ondo State Emergency Medical Services Agency (ODEMSA) was created to provide swift responses to road accidents and prevent premature death on the highway. Within two years of operation, ODEMSA successfully rescued 1,055 accident victims from highways across the state.
On Nigerians’ reading culture vis-a-vis quality of the nation’s political leadership
With adult literacy rate of 64%, reading culture in Nigeria is above average , and there is a positive correlation between literacy rates and democratic participation. Literacy rate and reading culture in Nigeria will continue to improve as government at both the national and sub-national levels invest meaningfully in education and capacity building. One expects this to influence governance because a culture of reading promotes intellectual curiosity and critical thinking and informed citizens are more likely to demand better governance.
However, there is the need for government at all levels to encourage local authors, establishment of libraries and bookstores as well as digital literacy and improved Internet penetration.
What would you have done if not making movies or writing books?
My ardent affection for film-making and book writing is essentially intrinsic. It is based on my love for creative endeavours and this dates back to my teenage years. In fact, my initial interest was to study film-making or dramatic arts at the undergraduate level. I recall that l had one tiny camera with which l was producing photo-stories which then was a requirement for admission into certain film schools in the USA. I would write a script and assemble my friends as cast while l was the photographer, director, and producer. I was popular along Onitire Street, Itire, Surulere in Lagos as the boy trying to produce a publication similar to ATOKA and SUPER which were the reigning photo-story magazines at that time. In 1976, I missed the entrance examination for admission to read Theatre Arts at the University of Calabar. During my teen years, there was no day l would not watch Indian movies in Rainbow cinema at Mushin or Super Cinema at Akerele, Surulere. And whenever l was in Ondo City, l was a regular visitor to Rex Cinema at Oreretu beside the Osemawe’s palace.
It is easy to switch from film-making to book writing because the two endeavours require the same skill set and ability : theme development, storytelling, visual imagination, research and fact-checking, self-editing and revision, creative problem-solving, attention to detail, time engagement, personal discipline, persistence, resilience and ability to make things happen.
What next?
I am going to be producing movies that are metaphoric expressions of my actual and vicarious life experiences. I am also working on books focusing essentially on the applied psychology of personal success. Currently, l am a secondary school teacher, teaching personal development to teenagers in order to enhance their physical, emotional, social and cognitive growth.