Ambassador Albert Gbolahan Omotayo, served as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Mozambique with concurrent accreditation to Madagascar and Mauritius from 1999 to 2003. Omotayo who is the President of Sundaben Life Adjustment Consultants, Nigeria had the privilege of working with former President Olusegun Obasanjo as his Private Secretary when he was the Federal Commissioner for Works in the 70s and later as the Head of State. He also served as the Commissioner for Environment in Ekiti State. Ambassador Omotayo turns 80 today. The retired diplomat speaks exclusively to Sunday Oyinloye, Publisher, Green Savannah Diplomatic Cable about the story of his life, governance, religion and other topical issues
Excerpts:
Can we learn a bit about you from the beginning, where you are from, your place of birth, your parentage, your education and post school experience?
My father was a policeman who was subject to transfer from one place to the other. I was born in a town called Otun-Ekiti when my father was serving there, although he is from Igbara-Odo Ekiti. I grew up and attended many primary schools for the same reason because my father didn’t stay in one place but I finished up at Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti. I attended Emmanuel School more than three different times. From Emmanuel School, I went to Doherty Memorial Grammar School, Ijero-Ekiti for my secondary school education. I didn’t finish there also; I finished at Ifaki Grammar School. After my Secondary School, I went to Ibadan to work with the Ministry of Agriculture, and from there to Lagos where I worked at the Produce Department of the Western Region Ministry of Agriculture and later in the Nigeria Law School. After my A level, I went to teach in Ayede Girls Grammar School and from there i gained admission into the University. That one wasn’t straight forward and why I want to mention this is because of General Yakubu Gowon. Gen Gowon was the Head of State then. And it was at the onset of the outbreak of the civil war and foreign remittances were banned. I gained admission into Furrah Bay College, Sierra Leone. I had paid my deposit, but with the ban in Nigeria, I couldn’t go further. So, I petitioned the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. I don’t know what happened and I don’t know what Gen Gowon did, but I got a letter of admission into the University of Lagos. So, I will forever remain grateful to Gowon. Incidentally, I met Gen Gowon recently and when I told him what he did, expectedly, he was not surprised. I read Philosophy at the University of Lagos and when I finished, I taught briefly in Badagry Grammar School before I joined the Federal Civil Service. I was in the Federal Civil Service from 1972 to 2004 when I retired. But before I retired, I was fortunate to be appointed Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique with concurrent accreditation to Mauritius and Madagascar. Since I retired, what I do is just to read and write.
When did you join the civil service and how did you fare in the service till retirement?
During our time, or at least for me, teaching was intended to be ad hoc. I wanted a job either in the civil service or in the private sector, but when I didn’t get the job in the civil service and private sector on time, I had to teach because that was what was available at the time, but I didn’t stop seeking opportunities in the civil service and eventually I got it.
Apart from the core civil service in what other capacities have you served the nation and your home state of Ekiti?
The special duties that I held I consider them as part of the civil service like being the Private Secretary to the Head of State from 1975 to 1979. Then in Ekiti State, I was Commissioner for Environment and then Chief of Staff to the Governor. I was also Chairman of Transition Committee.
Did you lobbied to become the Private Secretary to General Obasanjo?
No, I didn’t lobby. My Deputy Permanent Secretary just called me when I was serving at the Ministry of Works. He told me, he had an assignment for me that I should please handle the assignment conscientiously. He said I would travel with the Federal Commissioner for Works to inspect some projects across the country and I resisted because of past experiences. But he prevailed on me and insisted that I should do it and since I didn’t have an option, I had to do it. Just at the end of the tour, there was a coup d’état and General Olusegun Obasanjo who was then Federal Commissioner for Works was appointed the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters. In fact, I thought we will never see again. I was in my office a few weeks after when I was summoned into the Permanent Secretary’s office. And when I got there, I was told that I have been posted to Dodan Barracks at the Supreme Headquarters. I said why? And I was told I was going to be Private Secretary to the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters. I was happy because I had known him and enjoyed working with him. So, I went. Few months after, there was another coup d’état. Part of the outcome of the coup d’état was General Obasanjo becoming the Head of the State, and he just took me along with him. So that was how it happened.
What about your appointment in Ekiti State?
The appointment in Ekiti State just came as a surprise. I was in Abuja pursuing my pension and gratuity when I received a text message from Governor Ayo Fayose, he said I should come with my CV. In fact, I didn’t tell any other person apart from my wife. On getting to Government House in Ado Ekiti , he just told me I have been appointed as the Commissioner for Environment without allowing me to talk because I had wanted to reject the offer. Right there, he sent for the Speaker of the House of Assembly directed him to screen me the following day alongside other members of the House to allow me return to Lagos to prepare. Right there, he told me, my car was outside. So, I was overwhelmed, I couldn’t say anything again and that was it.
Marriage and parenting are very challenging for many couples and parents, at 80, are there wisdom nuggets that you will love to share with married people and parents to help the society to thrive in that regard?
The issue of marriage is a little bit difficult and people don’t try to understand it what the Bible says about marriage is very misleading. The husband and wife are not one, they are two different people. They are two different people from different backgrounds. They need to study each other and that takes time. Marriage is the couples learning new things about themselves .The second thing is that we are in the age of self-expression; nobody wants to be held down. Everybody wants to express himself or herself. If you check the social media you will see things that some years ago one would think they are abomination, but now people want to express themselves. Some dress not even half naked but naked, they expose their private parts. So there is no woman that you can use the law of marriage to keep down, you won’t get that. The same goes for the men, you have to understand him. The husband and wife have to study each other. The fact that someone is a woman doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have potentials. When a woman comes into marriage, she expects the union to help her to achieve her potentials not the opposite. If all marriage wants to offer is to put her down, of course there will be a problem. Take for example an Artist, doctor and others who have to go and practice their professions outside, you can’t tell such women not to leave the house unless you want to break the marriage. A couple should understand that the partner is not a good husband or a good wife. You will make your wife good and make your husband good. As the man is trying to adjust, the woman is also trying to adjust. The same way you study to earn certificate is the same way you have to study your husband or wife.
You have been retired from the civil service for 20 years, how have you managed to remain strong with mental acuity and what lessons will you like to share for other retired people and people preparing for retirement?
It depends on individuals, but the general advice I can offer is that they should be mindful of their gifts. I didn’t study writing as a course in school, but nowadays there is creative writing. I love writing and arguments. When I was in school, whenever people take a position, I love to take the opposite and then create an argument. That is what led me into writing. Sometimes I have cause to argue with myself on certain issues, so if you discover your talents pursue it. The problem with many people is that they just face one way. For instance, someone who is an Administrative Officer but has talent for writing might just face his job without paying any attention to his talent that is wrong. Age is no barrier, if you discover your talent at any age, pursue it Secondly, it makes sense to invest very early in life and not wait till when you are retired. Although not all investments work out fine but then it is still advisable to invest early in life. Start something early in life. It’s also good to have savings, but I will advise that if you are saving money at a point take it and invest it on something. Your investment will yield something instead of making it to lie idle. Another advice is don’t stop exploring, read widely. If you read well you will be able to come up with new ideas. If you retire and you don’t read, development will overtake you.
You are an author with many titles to his credit, what’s the source of inspiration for your literary works?
On the source of inspiration for writing, let me say that I liked literature, but I didn’t have the discipline to seat down to read for a long time. I also like arguments. I always want second and third opinion. Then my study of literature in secondary school helped me a lot. There were many books that helped my interest in literary work. Secondly my personal experience also helped. For example, my first book on Christianity is a collection of my pulpit messages and then subsequent books like Family Worship, Why I am a Christian are all based on my personal experience. I was looking for Hymns that I will be using in our family worship that was how it occurred to me that Hymns alone is not enough that family is a mini church. Some other books like Understanding Ageing and Understanding Retirement are also borne out of my personal experience. I have other books like The Morning After and Twists & Turns which are creative thinking
You have written a book titled, ‘Understanding Ageing’ but that does not spare you from the reality of ageing, how are you coping with health, finance and fellowship?
Concerning ageing, let me share an experience that made me realise that I was growing old. I went to a supermarket in Lagos and picked one item and stayed on the queue. A lady who was with the cashier ready to pay for her items just looked back and said oh daddy is that the only thing you are buying? Please come and pay. She exchanged her position for me so that I could pay and leave. Some people on the queue were murmuring and she said cant you see that he is an old man. Then I paid, thanked the lady and left. When I left the supermarket, I began to ask myself, is it true that I’m old? That was how I began to think about old age or growing old and that was how the book “Understanding Ageing” started. I also interviewed people. Let me say that you might not even know things that you are doing as a young person that might have negative effects on you in old age. At the time you are doing it you are enjoying it because you are strong. In my own case, I just give gratitude and glory to God for granting me wisdom. Although, I have had some health challenges including surgeries, but God made me to survive all of them. On finances, I thank God for my small or let me say so big pension that cannot take me for two days. I cannot live on my pension alone for two days. Thanks God for my wife and children.
In your 80 years on earth, you have seen many governments and worked with some, you are also well travelled and you have seen how things are done in some other places, are their steps you will like to recommend to the current Nigerian government to help them achieve success in specific areas?
There are two types of development. You can either develop by evolution or revolution. If you are developing by evolution, it will take a very long time. But if you want to develop by revolution, it can shorten the time. Let me explain, revolution starts with total destruction of systems of men and material and then start on a new note. But the danger in a revolution is how long can it last? Every person that joins you in a revolution has his own agenda and before you know what is happening, you begin to see caucus and before you know it you can be overthrown and that is what happens in military regimes. You know the number we had. The destruction that a revolution brings is so massive. The second problem with revolution is that in the final analysis , the leadership might have a different views far from those who initially planned it .There are so many example like that in Africa.. So development by revolution is too dicey. Then development by evolution takes a very long time. About 96 percent of the wealth of the nation is in the hands of less than 3 percent of the population. We just continue to endure hoping that things will get better.
The youth are the future of the nation, there is a gap between the orientation of today’s youth and the outlook of the youth at your time, does this portend any danger for the future and what is your advice?
As I said earlier, this is the age of self-expression. That is an advantage for the youth. There are opportunities for them. Many who would probably have been wallowing in poverty are millionaires today because of social media. Unfortunately there are some youth that are toeing the wrong path particularly those who are involved in yahoo, yahoo plus, kidnapping and other crimes. One of the problems the youth have is that those they are looking at are exceedingly bad leaders. You see them making money without any effort. An idiot will go into politics and in less than one year somebody who couldn’t fuel his car will be buying mansions and nothing will happen. It is my prayer that the present government succeeds, but there are so many factors that are working against it. Let me however add that the internet too is not helping much. There is nothing you want to know now that you won’t get on the internet. This is why many are already talking about the end of formal education and also believe that some types of jobs are at the risk of dying. With zoom, you don’t need to go to the classroom; these are the issues, not to even talk about the problem of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
As a student of Theology and a Christian who has written Christian books, what are your thoughts on Religion?
Religion, in the words of Karl Marx, is ‘opium des volkes’, opium of the masses. This is the only usefulness, if it may be so regarded, of religion in the society. It dulls the thinking of the masses and allows them to accept their avoidable wretched state as divinely fixed. Religionists do link religion to the knowledge of God but the truth is that you don’t need religion to know God. Religion is actually the reason why many people don’t know God. In Nigeria, Religion is not only divisive and manipulative; it is also exploitative through its expensive programmes and the administration of its elaborate structures which do not in any way help anybody to know God. Furthermore, Religion is destructive in that by its split into many brands, it attracts vicious and sometimes bloody competition among the various brands. When this happens in any country, it is a needless and painful dissipation for the government. I strongly believe that religion is one of the reasons why as a nation, we are so underdeveloped. If I have my way, Religion would be outlawed.
