I See Myself as a Professional in Politics and Not a Political Jobber
well-known disciplinarian. And I think I owe whatever I am today to Almighty God and to the values inculcated in me by my parents. You can imagine what it meant in the 60s to be the son of a primary school teacher or the son of a very well-known educator.”
Talking about his roots, Oyedele said he is proud of his Ondo heritage and interconnectivity that defines them. “My father is from a small village called IgodanLisa in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. My mother is from Ondo town. But I have connections to the many parts of the Ikale area. For instance, my maternal grandmother is from Ode Irele. My paternal grandfather is from Ondo town. My paternal grandmother is from Ode Aye. And in any case, in lgodan-Lisa where I come from, even up to the year 2022, we don’t marry ourselves because we are all related.”
Oyedele’s parents were teachers but he never wanted to be a teacher.
“When you go to a prestigious school like Government College Ibadan, you are trained to be a professional. And you know as a young man, you have your fantasies. Initially, I liked the sound of aeronautic engineering and I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. I remembered that my cousin, Felicia Okunuga was the first woman aeronautic engineer in Nigeria. As a young man the heavy sound of the word ‘aeronautic’ engineering intrigued me. So, when I was seeking admission into the university, I wanted to be an engineer.”
Prior to enrolling at the polytechnic in Ibadan, his father wanted him to do a Higher School Certificate (HSC) because he was only 16 at the time.
“Maybe he thought we were not mature enough. So, when I got to the polytechnic, I did the common entrance again. In the admission exams, in those days, you did exams for each university. I did one for Ife, Unilag and ABU. Then there was no JAMB. And I was admitted into Ife to read physics which was strange to me because I thought I would have been admitted to read civil engineering. I didn’t want to go but I went to ask if it is possible for me to change my course to civil engineering, they said ‘yes ‘but ‘you have to pass very well.’ So I worked hard from the first semester to ensure that I passed very well. I remembered l had A, A and B in the courses that I was taking. Funny enough, after that one year, the first 12 in physics were asked to go and do engineering physics which was supposed to be the precursor to working in the atomic. I can’t remember what they called it in Ife in those days but it was something to do with atomic energy and all of those things. I didn’t like it.”
While the UNIFE drama continued, Oyedele took his destiny in his own hand by obtaining a transfer form to University of Lagos and Ahmadu Bello University. Again, his friend, Femi Odeleye who was in Lagos had processed his admission to the electrical engineering department. In UNILAG, Oyedele met with the faculty admission officer, Dr. Susu who was impressed with his School Cert results. And also his testimonial as well as his transcripts from University of Ife were impressive. But civil engineering, which was his first choice, was already full.
“They had admitted all the students that they wanted at that time. So I looked at the others, electrical sounded very nice to me so I picked electrical and that was how I started to learn the trade of electrical engineering. I believe that God was ordering my steps. You know God knows the end from the beginning, and he knows the beginning from the end. Even sometimes when we make mistakes, it is so that we can fall into the hands of God. So I believe very seriously that God was ordering my footsteps, otherwise the civil engineering department shouldn’t have been full.”
From his impressive career trajectory and how he first landed his first job, one thing is clear, the key to the success of Oyedele may well be described as patriotism and commitment to his duties.
“After my NYSC, I was still looking
around wondering what the next thing would be for me. A lot of my friends who served in NEPA, in the oil companies had already started work. It was election time in Oyo State and I voted in University College Hospital, Ibadan (UCH) in 1982. And I remembered that there were no policemen to protect the votes, but I offered myself to protect the polling booth at that time. And when the policemen did not come, I took my brother’s car, drove to the police station in Sango to bring policemen to carry the ballot boxes to the places where the votes were to be counted, recorded and everything. And if you remember very well, elections were very hot in Oyo State in those days. It was very risky but I was a gentleman who was standing by. I was not an agent in any party, I just volunteered. And in 1983, I was supporting the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) at that time. So, this gentleman, Dr. Olu Iyun ( who later became professor), whom I know very well was a consultant in UCH, but what I didn’t know was that he was also the private doctor to the then governor of Oyo State, Chief Bola Ige. He saw all of my activities and how I was very devoted and hardworking to ensure that the votes were counted and not disrupted.”
Oyedele’s patriotism during UPN and National Party of Nigeria (NPN) elections where he acted as a volunteer monitoring ballot boxes in the absence of law enforcement agencies later paid off. That singular act endeared him to the then governor of Oyo State, the late Chief Bola Ige, SAN who gave him a job at the Ministry of Works. Although Ige lost the election, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo still retained him. On December 31 of the same year, Dr. Olunloyo was removed in the coup that brought in Major General Muhammadu Buhari at the centre. Then Lieutenant Colonel Oladayo Popoola came into the office and still found him worthy.
He is a chieftain of the ruling party, working tirelessly for his party, attending meetings. Oyedele doesn’t like to be in the spotlight. But his commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed when he was asked in 2015 to design the APC logo. He was also part of the committee that presided over the merger of political parties to form the APC.
“It is a long story. I had always been an admirer of General Buhari and I always voted for him in 2003 and in 2007, I was very active in my own local area, campaigning for him, and in 2010 there was a move by some leaders in this country, Tunde Bakare, El-Rufai, Pat Utomi, Oby Ezekwesili and so many people like that to ignite this nationalism in Nigeria. And I was part of the Tunde Bakare group then and later became the Save Nigeria Group. And I think they were talking to the CPC group. And so, I was nominated to go and attend that group. And that was where I was elected to represent the South-west on the board of trustees of the party (CPC).”
For close to a decade, Oyedele has been working quietly alongside other APC stalwarts, first with merging of the parties: The CPC, AC and ANPP and creating the APC Logo that became acceptable.
“For me, politics was more on principles not on popularity or reward. Like I said to you, I have admired General Buhari since he came on the scene in 1983. He actually was in the scene before then as GOC, as governor and he was admirable. But when he became the Head of State, it was the first time that all of us as Nigerians really saw him and so I had admired him from that point.
“When my wife was discussing what we should do in 2010, it was obvious that we wanted to go with him wherever he was going. But in politics I have been part of the Yoruba council of elders; I have been part of Gbenga Daniel’s effort to become governor, the gateway fund foundation and so many other groups. That is how I came into the CPC. When the attempt was made to form APC, I was also nominated by our leader, General Buhari at that time to be a member of the merger committee. We had suggestions on the name of the party, we had suggestions on the logos, and we had suggestions on other things.
After putting so many things into consideration we agreed on APC. We also considered so many factors both in people, place and event and we concluded and the logo designed by me was accepted. With modesty, I am grateful for that opportunity. I was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.”
Oyedele is a rare breed who has successfully blended politics with career. The reason is simple. It is because of his ability to distinguish himself as a professional in politics and not a political jobber.
“You know, I needed to distinguish between being a political jobber and being a professional in politics. I am a professional in politics. I cut my teeth as a professional before coming into politics. And I think that it is unfair the way we classify politicians in this country. Every time you see on television, every blame is on politicians. With a sense of humility, there are so many men of integrity in politics and I am one of them. And I have said it several times that politics doesn’t not change who you are. When you squeeze an orange, what comes out of it is orange juice, it cannot be a banana. It cannot be pineapple juice. People go into politics and they become something else. And the truth of the matter is that it is what they have always been. These values that have been in me since my childhood, from my home, from my schools cannot suddenly change because I become a politician. In the civil service, in customs, in police, in the military and so on and so forth, you have bad eggs and they are Nigerians. Even in the security agencies, I mean we have seen even in EFCC, ICPC and so on and so forth, we have seen bad eggs. But that doesn’t mean that there are no good people in all of these organisations.”
When it comes to the criticism of his principal, President Buhari, Oyedele is unbothered because he believes President Buhari didn’t create the problems. He sees it as inherited problems which have lingered for 40 years.
“People have been very unfair to the president and the party. What is happening in Nigeria today began 40 years ago. That was the time that meritocracy was sacrificed for popularity. And that was the time also that some state governments started with free education that had no definition. That was the end of the Government College, the Loyola College, Ibadan Grammar School and the Kings College of the world. And that is what we are seeing today. That marked the beginning of the end of trade centres, schools of nursing, which were sources of pride to all Nigerians. In those days we had good technical training schools. Our mothers were trained as tailors in London. Today we cannot find good carpenters, good tailors, and we cannot find work for our people. Who destroyed the Odua Conglomerate? Who destroyed the Michelin, the Dunlop, who destroyed Nigeria Airways? Is it Buhari? Who destroyed NITEL? Who destroyed all of these organisations. Yes, you don’t build a nation in one day. The Nigerian Shipping Line, Nigeria Airways. Nigeria Airways was the largest in Africa, where is it today? Where is NICON today?
When it comes to balancing his career with the home front, Oyedele is great at it. He met his heartthrob, Omobola, a UNILAG Alumna during one of UNILAG Alumni Association meetings on campus. His simple pronouncement that ‘Iyawo Ife’ sealed their love story. The Oyedeles have raised seven successful children.
Oyedele is almost 64 but has been able to maintain a youthful look. He attributes this by being disciplined with food. He takes a cup of coffee when he wakes up and eats once a day before 6pm. “But when I am home on a holiday like this, I eat sometimes three times, sometimes two times, I indulge myself. Again, the grace of God and good genes runs in the family. My grandmother died at age 120, my father was 95 and my mum still alive is 90.”
He is a successful engineer and politician and is also a philanthropist. He founded Ifeoluwa Oyedele Foundation with the aim to help the less privileged. And over the years, it has continued to lift the downtrodden.
Oyedele was one of the aspirants for the governorship of Ondo State in 2019 under APC because he felt he had programmes which the people could relate with. Will he still give it a short come 2024?
“I am a man that follows the dictate of God and I do things step by step. Ondo election is 2024. The first thing I think or the next thing that is before us today is to have a presidential candidate that can win the election. After that I will make a decision on what to do,” he stated.