Gov. Adeleke: We Won’t Sack You for Loving Your Job
By Kunle Awosiyan
About 30 years ago, I nearly lost my job at Fototek Industry because I loved what I was doing.
At the time, the late one-man band maestro, Dipo Sodipo, popularly known as Pope, dominated the airwaves. His songs were always playing in our Ebute Metta office on Cemetery Road, where I worked in the laboratory, mixing chemicals to print photographs on the Noritsu machine.
One day, while joyfully dancing and working at the same time, the company’s Technical Manager walked in unexpectedly. To him, my dancing reflected unseriousness. He immediately seized my staff identity card and returned to the headquarters in Opebi to prepare my dismissal.
Fortunately, my Branch Manager, Mr. Biodun, and the Human Resource Manager, Mr. Sunny Ikioya, saw things differently.
When I arrived at the headquarters, the HR Manager smiled and said, “Your Branch Manager told us that you are always relaxed while working and that, despite the dancing, you remain one of our most efficient staff.”
Then he added words I have never forgotten:
“We won’t sack you for loving your job.”
That experience came back to me as I reflected on the administration of Governor Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke of Osun State.
For a long time, I never appreciated Adeleke’s style. His habit of dancing at public events made me see him as someone who turned serious occasions into entertainment. Like my former Technical Manager, I mistook style for substance.I was wrong.
After nearly four years in office, Governor Adeleke has demonstrated that beneath the dancing is a leader focused on delivering development. His administration has embarked on projects that have changed the landscape of Osun State.
For me, the most symbolic is the flyover in Ile-Ife, my hometown. For the first time in the city’s history, such infrastructure now stands as a landmark, transforming both its appearance and road network.
Adeleke’s achievements go beyond partisan politics. This is no longer about the APC, PDP, Accord, or any other political platform. It is about governance and development, which should always be the true measure of leadership.
In my assessment, Governor Adeleke has outperformed the administrations of his immediate predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola, in terms of visible infrastructure and the impact many residents can identify with.
Although Osun politics has become increasingly tense and sometimes violent, many observers still consider Adeleke the most popular contender heading into the next political contest.
As an indigene of Ile-Ife, I have every reason to appreciate what his administration has brought to the ancient city. His developmental strides have rekindled my pride in the town that shaped my youth and have given me even more reasons to look forward to returning home.
Sometimes, we judge people by their style instead of their results. Governor Adeleke may be a dancer, but like I once did in that photo laboratory decades ago, he has shown that loving your job should never be mistaken for not doing it well.
