Ibarapakan’s Leadership Philosophy: A Must-Read Article by Hassan Olaoniye

In my previous articles, I detailed the impeccable attributes, global experience, charisma and forbearing attitude that Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju possesses. I appreciate the calls from all and sundry urging me to publish a book about the political journey of a man who represents the very best of Ibarapa’s promise, a true leader and a steadfast beacon of hope in turbulent times, leading with wisdom, compassion and heart that aligns. This piece, just like those written in the past, focuses on the results-oriented approach of Hon. Adepoju, the skill he applies in his everyday life.

During one of his working hours, sometime in September 2024, a Director-General of an Agency in Nigeria paid him a visit in his ever-busy office at the National Assembly of Nigeria, Abuja.

After exchanging pleasantries and offering a cup of coffee, he said it would be bad of him to visit the National Assembly without dropping by to greet the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Character. The conversation started and as a spokesperson for Hon. Adepoju and one who studies his principal’s choice of words and way of life every day, I paid utmost attention, like a student whose life depends on the lecture being delivered by his lecturer; not even a call from heaven would make me miss the moment.

The DG expressed his disappointment over the last recruitments the previous administrations did in the agency he heads, making the organisation overstaffed. He lamented that the development had caused inefficiencies and increased costs for the agency, saying that he was devising means to address the issue, as he had lost sleep dealing with the situation of things.

Experience, they say, is the best teacher; for a while, Hon. Adepoju winked; later, he let out uncontrollable laughter. He said, “My friend, should I burst your bubble?” The DG said, “Go on.”

“I was once in your shoes, but it takes a man who can grasp the nettle and bite the bullet to correct a mistake in public service,” Hon. Adepoju remarked. According to him, in April 2020, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Water Cooperation Board in Oyo State, a privilege extended to him by his most cherished and hard-working political mentor, Engr. Seyi Makinde. He stressed that it did not take him up to two weeks upon his resumption of office to notice redundancy and that the board housed a lot of members who had no role to play in the ministry, saying the habit was affecting the few ones who had a role to play.

“I sat down in the office, thinking about what to do. I said to myself, in this office, I only need just a few people, but there are a lot of people receiving salaries from the government but doing nothing; other ministries are short of staff; they can work there. I can’t allow this to fly; this cannot happen in the US; we must transfer some workers out of this board for them to be engaged. I met someone to report the matter; he warned me about the consequences of taking such an action; all his explanations fell on my deaf ears.”

“A few weeks later, many of them were transferred to different ministries; they cursed as some of them insulted me profusely. I never knew it didn’t end there.” The decision, he said, made operations flow in the board without anyone disturbing another. He maintained it was very easy for him to set a target and get the desired result later without unnecessary red tapism or bureaucratic inefficiencies that are the bane of civil service.

“I thought that the battle had finished, not knowing these people still had me in mind. In the buildup to the 2023 general elections, someone must have informed the aggrieved civil servants that I was contesting in my constituency, and as it is required of anybody working under government, you need to resign when you are participating in an election as a contestant.

“They were all fully aware I was resigning on that day; they came with sponsored protesters, holding placards with different inscriptions, calling me all sorts of names, ‘thief’, ‘wicked man’, as I was making my way out of office. I was seriously laughing when I saw the video online as people were giving different captions to it. The opposition party took it up then and also gave it their own narrative after all; that is the way of politics here.”

He turned to his friend, whose mouth was already opened in shocking surprise, and asked, “Do you still want to go ahead with the retrenchment or transfer of staff?” The response to the question was met with the loudest silence. Hon. Adepoju maintained that leadership is not for the faint-hearted and that Nigeria demands a leader with focus and intention to change the country’s trajectory both in leadership and other important components that make up a nation. He reiterated that the decision he took then was in the interests of the state and a way to reward those who were truly working, not minding the consequences of the decision he took. “As an authority in public service, if you are the type that is strict with an uncompromising stance on regulations, that kind of hostile send-off is not far from you, but you have your conscience to please and a nation to defend,” Ibarapakan said.

And such is the type of man I have been fortunate to work with for the last 2 years. He is result-oriented and will go to any length to achieve results. He has recounted many times that when you contest in an election, you go with the mindset of winning and losing; he says often that if the former is the result, you celebrate, and if the latter is the result, it will not weigh you down. To him, a serious politician uses his defeat to study what goes wrong and tries again. He often narrates how coming a distant third in the 2019 general elections prepared him for victory in 2023, saying that defeat is part of the game of politics and that he spent more in the election he lost than the one he won, a reminder for every career-oriented person that the journey of life is never straight, but in between the zigzag, there are hidden blessings to celebrate for those who can peel back the layers.

Among all these, Hon. Adepoju’s calmness regardless of the situation and the happiness he finds even in defeat make him a distinct breed of public servant. There are many things that are provocative in nature that I think to myself should infuriate him, given that he is a man who reads everything and follows trends. What you think he didn’t see, he saw; he works like a spirit and reminds you of every development. There are times when he calls me in the dead of night to check on things, even after a hectic and busy day at work, and I wonder if he sleeps at all. When he sits alone in his office, he thinks about what to provide for his constituency; he deprives himself of quality family time even during recess to catch up with events on the streets of Nigeria just to bring home the bacon for his constituency.

As the first two years of his stewardship as a member of parliament clock in, I see a man who is very fulfilled, having succeeded in bringing true dividends of democracy to his people, proving the naysayers wrong in all ramifications—that legislation truly has nothing to do with experience but with individual capacity and ability to leverage influence to better the lives of people, as there can never be a second time in office without a first time. Every ranking lawmaker started as a first-timer. As someone who has worked in both the executive and legislative arms of government over the past 4-5 years, I see a man full of success stories to share and a body full of sustained injuries in his bid to adhere strictly to regulations and officialdom. He is indeed a hero whose portrait deserves to be hung in the Hall of Fame, serving as a symbol of public service and honour. The future truly belongs to the people of Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency, for they have found a sleepless liberator and a man who prioritises their interests above anything else.

Hassan Adesodi Olaoniye
Special Adviser to Hon. (Dr.) Adebayo Adepoju
(Media and Publicity)
June 29, 2025