THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 1: ( LOYALTY )

​THE OMO OLOORE STORIES

 

STORY 1: LOYALTY

Don’t be in a haste to get your reward.

 

When I was elected into the 8th Assembly of the House of Representatives in 2015, the run for the seat of the Speaker was between Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. The APC both at the National and Oyo State had subtly passed a message at the time that APC members in the house should support the bid of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. 

The process ran its course and, in the end, My candidate Hon Femi Gbajabiamila lost while Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged as Speaker of the 8th Assembly.

 

As usual,people whom we had stood in solidarity for Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila soon began to court the Newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Yakubu Dogara’s camp for favours and juicy appointments. 

For me, I chose to stick with Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. I knew very much what I had signed up for and I was willing to stay the course till the end,especially because our society is one where people tend to abandon those who seem to have had a setback somehow.

Beyond just accepting party decision and obeying the instruction, I believed in the person of Hon Femi Gbajabiamila to deliver as the Speaker.

It must also be pointed out that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elected at that time Hon Yakubu Dogara and Hon Lasun Yussuf respectively did a fantastic job.

 

Throughout my time in the House, I steered off the Speaker’s camp. When I needed to get my bills/motion signed, I chose to go through the proper channel of communication which was longer - even though going straight to the Speaker could get it done faster. 

I spent four years in the House and in that time I never stepped into the office of the Speaker. I did my time and, when the tenure was over, I left  and returned to Ibadan.

 

Then Hon Femi Gbajabiamila got elected to lead the 9th Assembly.

The first time I communicated with the Speaker after I left was when I sent him an SMS to congratulate him upon his emergence as Speaker.

After that, there was no communication again until a friend of mine got in from London and I had to pick him up at the Muritala Muhammad International airport in Lagos.

Somewhere inside Lagos,I sighted the convoy of the Speaker and so I called him. We got the greetings done and I mentioned that I’d seen his convoy.He said he had just got into Lagos and he wished me well. That was it.

On another occasion, I was in Abuja yo renew my American Visa and I decided to visit a Honourable member friend whom we were in the House together. 

He asked if I’d spoken with the Speaker recently and I said No. “You should speak with Mr. Speaker,” he opined. He dialled his number, spoke with the Speaker and handed the phone to me. We exchanged pleasantries, the Speaker and I, and we wished each other the very best.

 

In November 2021, Stakeholders of the APC were summoned to Abuja after the state congress. I called a friend in Abuja who also works with the Speaker to ask if he could arrange a car to pick me at the airport. Few minutes after,he called me back: “Mr. Speaker says he will like to see you once you land in Abuja,” he said.

 

I touched down in Abuja, went to my accommodation, freshened up and then went to see the speaker in his office. We talked about things generally. He jokingly told others in the room that that was my first time in the office of the Speaker even though I had been a member of the House for four years. We all laughed. 

Thereafter he requested that I joined them to a member’s office who was celebrating his birthday which I did and I left for my hotel afterwards.

 

On November 17, 2021 I received a call from one of the media people covering the National Assembly who said “Congratulations you have just been announced as the Special Assistant - Political Matters (South West) to the speaker”.The rest is history as they say.

I remember vividly during our conversation while I was with the speaker he said “You’ve been with me since 2015, you never bothered us with anything, you remained loyal till the end.

As much as I am enjoying myself and having a good time out of office as anyone who knows me closely will know that I work extra hard when I am in any office either appointed or elected.But I see this as another call to serve and so will I take it.

There are over 200 million citizens of this great nation and when you are recognized and called to serve,you must take up the challenge humbly,roll up your sleeves and get on the job without wasting time.

 

The motive behind this story is to show that LOYALTY PAYS.

Don’t be in a haste to get your reward. The Speaker does/did not owe me a dime, we never signed any agreement in 2015 that he’d give me anything in return for my support. He only recognized loyalty and the reward for that loyalty took six years to come - 2015 till now. We must learn that not all rewards are immediate but they will surely come in due time.

 

(join me again next Wednesday and every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)

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