Where should I start? How do you felicitate with a consensus builder, a bridge maker, a conflict manager, a gentle but calm and firm personlity. In the midst of crisis , his reassuring calmness disarms combatants. In knotty matters,his practical solutions flowing from a combination of educated and native intelligence frequently saved the day.
When boiling actors are spitting fire,the birthday ‘boy’ of 60 is ever available to mediate and iron out a resolution. In the turbulent field of politics,his spiritual stamina and his persistent reliance on the divine transform his associates and followers. In the darkest of moment,the old young man remains a pillar of unwavering support for all in the project,raising hope and grabbing practical steps for success.
In a system of multiple discordant forces,his capacity to manage and deploy the disparate forces is never in doubt. Strikingly,two people holding strictly opposing views will easiily find common ground in their support for the man of destiny. A leader capable of managing multiple groups for the achievement of an agenda is a worthy hand in the struggle to deliver the good for the citizenry.
Again,something openly evident is the man’s sense of Justice. Whatever you want him to do, just don’t ask him to be unfair to anybody. His principled stance on being just and fair reflects in many instances,standing for equity and fairness to all. A man not ready to compromise protection of others’ rights under whatever circumstances posseses much needed quality of a just leader.
When it comes to proferring solutions to myriad of problems facing our people,the birthday capo is a genius. From education to health to agricultural and industrial development ,his itemised action plan counfounds even the professors within the team. Sharp with figures, from him I heard “root and branch reform” in the planned transformation of the state.
Unknown to many , the happy man is a man of himself,strongly self-willed and a politician of self-conviction. Very stubborn on equity and fairness,our man is not a robot but a man imbued with tenacity of principled conclusions. He has his opinion on issues and interestingly ,those viewpiints are mostly aggregation of general viewpoints already tested through fire of exchange and brainstorming. Our man is a leader blessed with positive introspection.
If there is any appealing trait in his character,it is the magnetic aura. You cannot have dull moment in his presence as he upholds and propounds happiness ,even in the darkest of hours. This is however combined with a sense of self-discipline that is rare among public figures. His spartan disciplinary life is however masked by a magnetic field which transforms his environment and which presents the outer layer of a ‘Happy man singing his heart out”
Who is this birthday man? He is what we call ‘Imole’,the winner who was robbed of victory in the last Osun guber poll,Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke. On this auspicious occassion,I take liberty to state what I know about you. You are a man married to justice with a large heart capable of accommodating divergent contradictory factions, a man who posseses the innate capacity to deliver good governance ,a man whose over riding ambition is selfless service to the people.
I affirm that you are a man with a strikingly independent and informed mind, a man who is resilient under pressure, a leader equipped with discerning skills in decision making ,a capo gentle but tough in war and peace time.
What can I offer you today? First,earnest prayer to the Lord of heaven and earth to uphold and secure you. Two, equally fervent plea with Lord Almighty to sustain the Adeleke family, the Imole political movement,the bigger PDP family and the great people of Osun State.
Last but not the least,can we pop champaigne even though I am reminded that we are still within the blessed month of Ramadan?
Happy birthday Your Excellency.
*Olawale Rasheed writes from Iwo ,Osun state.*