09022021 - Afenifere, ACF, MBF, PANDEF back Soyinka

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14 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021
A protégé’s
outpouring in
tribute to Pat
Utomi @ 65
By UBONG ESSIEN
ONE moment he’s addressing a group of
youths seeking inspiration and the
next moment he’s off to the airport to catch a
flight to speak to a senior management team,
only to thereafter be on his way to listen to a
group of widows with barely time to catch
enough rest for the next day’s class at the Lagos
Business School. Then add the endless media
appearances and unending smattering into
politics and civil society causes. This is how
Pat Utomi’s life runs, typically.
Call him a ‘Master Dabbler’ and you won’t
be wrong. With the unending penchant to
foray into virtually every human sector, Pat
Utomi continues his quest for his holy grail
couched in the terminology he ever so fondly
bandies as ‘the common good’. Utomi’s
propensity for contribution to virtually every
sector of national life is phenomenal. His sheer
capacity to possibly be all things to all people
and the ease with which he so often fits into
various contexts is nothing short of a gifting.
It is difficult to aggregate, let alone try to
quantify, the contributions of Professor Utomi
to the Nigerian project. From business to
education to religion to entertainment to
politics to social reengineering, Pat Utomi
easily passes for the quintessential generalist.
This modern day scholar continues to defy time
by sustaining an exceptional sense of national
relevance for over four decades.
Meeting Pat Utomi was purely providence.
My late uncle and mentor, Capt Ufot Udo
Ekong of the then Nigeria Airways, in his bid
to push me firmly into my entrepreneurial
calling of publishing and motivational
speaking figured it out. He reasoned that if I
was truly serious about not getting a job and
striking it out on my own, having just
completed my NYSC, then Pat Utomi should
be one great person to meet. So, as he was
wont to do, he gave me his business card with
a note – after all he was a captain and no one
was going to turn him down.
Upon arriving the Lagos Business School
that fateful December 19, 2001, I met the place
a near grave yard only to be disappointed by
the security staff who informed me that the
school had closed for the Christmas and New
Year holidays and I would have to return in
January. God would appear to have other
plans. Barely two minutes after walking away
dejected, I heard a shout from one of the security
staff running to catch up with me only to tell
me that surprisingly, Pat Utomi had just driven
into the premises
to pick up some
papers he forgot
to pack for work
during the
holidays. I
wasn’t going to
let this pass me
by as I raced
back to the LBS
Patito has a
contribution for
almost every aspect
of national life and
this is what perhaps
makes him an
interviewer’s
delight
premises to
hand him the note from my uncle. The rest is
history too long to recount within this space.
I would go on to interview and feature him
in the Achiever’s Manual and he in return would
ask me to stick around for various projects
both at work and at home, thus transforming
me into both protégé and understudy. Before
long, he had smuggled me into his famed
flagship programme, Patito’s Gang, first as an
observer and thereafter a full induction as a
gang member. He even went a step further to
ask me to create a version of the programme
for more youthful gang members known then
as Patito’s Gang Phase 2 which featured a host
of his other protégés such as Taiwo Akerele
who would go on to become Chief of Staff to
the Edo State Governor, Linus Okorie of
GOTNI, Fela Durotoye who ran for president
recently, Dr. Elevis Ukpaka, Niyi Adesanya,
amongst several others.
As a ‘Generalist’ of our time, Patito has a
contribution for almost every aspect of
national life and this is what perhaps makes
him an interviewer’s delight. Like him or hate
him, the man clearly has the uncanny capacity
to be all things to all people. From industry to
•Prof. Pat Utomi
industry, nobody plays the shapeshifter better
than Pat Utomi. And from location to location,
I have yet to find a Nigerian with as much a
footprint given his ever-ready disposition to
get up and go practically everywhere. This is
clearly one aspect of his life that I deliberately
chose to not nip into.
Pat Utomi has been criticized for having his
hand in many pies, yet many can’t seem to
make out how he manages to stay relevant to
an ever expanding spectrum of groups and
stakeholders.
Criticized by some for having his fingers in
many pots, the Utomi brand has nonetheless
held up quite well. He has managed to
participate in his many and varied pursuits
without being stretched thin – he continues to
have something to offer whenever called upon
and with genuine willingness. Apparently, his
stock has continued to rise. Not many can boast
of so much dabbling without the existential
consequence of a tradeoff.
For some of us close enough who have tried
to encourage him to slow down in a bid to
manage him out of this ‘madness’, we have
failed most woefully, painfully realising that
the best solution is to simply let him be. After
all, Patito, as he is fondly called, is a gift that
keeps on giving.
Upon reflection about why he is such a
moving target, I think I have managed to come
to the realisation that it comes down to service
and a deep personal quest for, in his words,
‘immortality’. What will the next generation
think of my role? Was I just part of the numbers
or did I speak up or raise others? Did I change
society or was I complicit by looking the other
way? These are the questions he battles with
daily.
How about his imperfections? Sure, he has
them aplenty for he is human after all.
Admirably, he is very often the first to own up
to them. In this era of sycophancy, this tribute
does not seek to sing out all tunes in praise of
Pat Utomi. He very often opens up about his
weaknesses and oversights in a rather relaxed
manner of one embracing such inadequacies
and with a willingness to just keep trudging
on. Contrary to misconceptions in some
quarters, the Pat Utomi I know never plays the
self-righteous card.
There is a running joke in my family
whenever I call my mother and ask how my
dad is doing. She always responds with ‘which
of them?’ The Black one or the ‘Oyinbo’ one?
Such was the extent of his influence that even
my parents couldn’t but attest. Little wonder
during my wife’s birthday in August 2016 at
my residence, my father (now late) on sighting
Patito embraced him joyfully while uttering
the words: ‘thank you for finishing the work I
started on this boy’.
In the end, the best way to judge a leader is
by their contributions. Some leaders are
considered eccentric, others egocentric, Pat
Utomi is ‘other-centric’. In my almost two
decades as his protégé and understudy I have
watched him consistently and unhesitatingly
give of himself in service to others. Prof Utomi
has served more than he has been served.
Service to others is part of his DNA. This is
what drives him – To Serve is to Live. I have
watched him take many, train them and table
them as near equals and without strings
attached. A lot of what I am and where I am
today, I owe to this Godsend. Prof, I am truly
proud to call you my mentor. Here’s wishing
you a truly happy 65th birthday and continued
service to humanity.
•Essien, CSP, West Africa’s only certified
speaking professional is currently the
Special Assistant on Communication and
Strategy to the Director-General of
NIMASA.
TRIBUTE
Fayemi: Celebrating a soldier of
peace at 56
By YINKA OYEBODE
IN one of his most recent interviews with a
national daily, Governor Kayode Fayemi
was asked to state for the record, who between
former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu and former governor of Ekiti
State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, brought him into
partisan politics. The intention of the reporter
was two-fold: First, to further the debate on
the topic, which had been generating interest
on social media for about a month. Second, to
get a fresh angle to the story, exclusively for his
newspaper. The question was neatly wrapped
as a follow up question and should naturally
provide him the opportunity to go full blast -
to give credit to one above the other.
But Governor Fayemi calmly threw the
question back at the reporter: “What does it
matter who brought me into partisan politics?”
adding: “The point is that I am in partisan
politics. I benefitted from the tutelage of both
elders that you mentioned.” He stated further
that he had the privilege of working with both
leaders and other leaders at different times
and levels on development projects,
emphasising, however, that both have been
quite supportive of his rise to political
prominence. "And I owe them a lot for bringing
me into the partisan political space,” he said.
That calm answer did a lot to calm down the
reporter who realised that a screaming
headline he had envisaged was no longer
possible. That is quintessential Kayode
Fayemi, a man who holds a doctorate in War
Studies but believes in the biblical injunction
of doing everything possible to live peaceably
with all men, as contained in the Biblical Letter
to the Romans. A leader who believes that
public office is not a popularity contest but an
avenue to impact positively on the lives of the
people. He believes that no development can
be achieved in a rancorous environment. Thus,
his actions and policies are targeted at ensuring
development that is sustainable with emphasis
on peace
building as a
v i t a l
ingredient.
Regarded
as an
emissary of
peace, JKF, as
he is fondly
called,
Fayemi believes that
public office is not a
popularity contest but
an avenue to impact
positively on the lives
of the people
demonstrated
his statesmanship and penchant for peace and
social justice when he accepted the outcome
of the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti
State in 2014, where he lost his re-election bid
in a controversial manner. That was the very
first time a sitting governor would readily
concede an electoral defeat and bow out
gloriously. It was a sacrifice he had to make to
avert a major crisis that could have arisen as a
result of the highly compromised electoral
result. He was emphatic in his appeal for calm,
stressing that his ambition was not worth the
life of a single Ekiti person.
His reputation as a lover and promoter of
peace has been on the rise since then, making
him the number one choice for conflict
resolution with outstanding results. The need
to make peace a precursor to development
made him initiate policies that addressed some
inequalities and lop-sidedness in the mining
sector during his stint as Minister of Mines
and Steel Development between 2015 and
2018. Key among these was the win-win
approach he engineered to address the
contentious issue of land ownership. Through
the right mix of policy, advocacy and
consultation with the people, the exclusive
right of the Federal Government on minerals
and mining was retained, but a creative way
was found for the States to be able to benefit
from the resources in their domain, while the
host communities also get their deserved
compensation.
As the Governor of Ekiti State, Fayemi’s
annual town hall meetings across the 16 local
governments to get the people’s contributions
to the yearly budget has been hailed as a model
that has enhanced peace, progress and
prosperity within the state. This is even as the
creation of new local council development
areas as well as granting of autonomy to some
communities are seen as strategic peace
initiatives aimed at fostering good
neighbourliness. His ability to bring together
adherents of different faiths and people of
diverse ethnic groupings in the state has also
earned Ekiti State the reputation as one of the
most peaceful states to live and do business.
Under his watch as governor, the vulnerable
in the state are protected through legislations
such as the Child Rights law, Gender Based
Violence law, among others.
Governor Fayemi has also extended this
peaceful approach to knotty issues to other
sister states, where he has deployed his peace
building skills to stem hostility. The recent
intervention in the herders versus Ondo State
Government issue, his intervention in the
alleged demolition of a mosque which was
becoming a major crisis in Rivers State in
2019, and several others only point at his
avowed belief that it is always better to jawjaw
than to war-war.
Regarded as a consummate intellectual in
government, Fayemi’s strength lies in his
ability to initiate and pursue peace processes
to logical conclusion and finding creative ways
to ensure every peaceful step taken is trailed
by sustainable development. Among his first
meetings as Chairman of the Nigeria
•Gov Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State
Governors’ Forum, NGF, where he wears the toga
of a trusted mediator, was with top officials of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC, to consider ways to strengthen
transparency and accountability in the oil sector
and address the dwindling trend in federation
revenues.
As noted by NGF Director General, A.B
Okauru, Governor Fayemi followed up this
with meetings with the Joint Tax Board and
the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Customs,
Federal Road Safety Corps and other agencies
to raise a common front to solve the revenue
crisis in the country. With Fayemi at the helm
of affairs at NGF, the forum became a “problem
solving group”, what with several interventions
that have helped to crack many knotty issues
of socio-economic and political significance.
And like Ralph Waldo Emerson, American
essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who
led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-
19th century, said: “Do not follow where the
path may lead. Go instead where there is no
path and leave a trail.” For Fayemi, going
where there seems to be no path is a familiar
pastime. And leaving a trail- an impact, a
legacy comes to him naturally.
He combines integrity, creativity and
sincerity with passion for excellence and
development. JKF stated this much in one of
his books: Reclaiming The Trust. He admits
that what he has brought into governance is
the kind of trust that is based on and compels
competence, openness, concern and reliability.
“Trust is a public good; we cannot do great
things collectively without trust. But trust has
to be earned,” he stresses.
As JKF turns 56 today, the question is no
longer about what he is capable of doing as a
leader and peace maker. For he has been able
to demonstrate his capability as an
imaginative, innovative and diplomatic
leader. Rather, the question will be about what
he would not do as a leader as many believe
that his past has adequately prepared him for
the present and the future.
Born on February 9, 1965, John Kayode
Fayemi received his first degree in History and
Politics from the University of Lagos in 1985,
a Master’s degree in International Relations
from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi
Awolowo University), in 1987 and a doctorate
in War Studies from the King’s College,
University of London, UK in 1993.
He was inaugurated as Governor of Ekiti
State on October 16, 2010.
Continues online:www.vanguardngr.com
•Oyebode, Chief Press Secretary to
Governor Kayode Fayemi, wrote from Ado
Ekiti, Ekiti State