HMO… The HOS @ 50

BY TEMITOPE OYEFESO

He is a gentleman par excellence. He is cerebral and witty; a wordsmith and most importantly, a family man and fantastic boss.

This is Hakeem Muri-Okunola, the current Head of Service of Lagos State, who is joining the golden league.

One of the most human frailties is to form an opinion of another person, even before you have a close interaction with them.

Chairman, as I fondly call him, initially came across as inaccessible and aloof but in the course of our interaction over the years especially when we worked closely on a committee, which he chaired, I discovered a most humane and unassuming gentleman.

His understanding of issues of different subjects proves that he is a well-read man who is also in tune with modern realities.

HMO, as he is fondly called, is a stickler for excellence. He preaches and exemplifies excellence in deed and character. One of the best appraisals I have gotten from my current brief with the preeminent Lagos king, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi (Kusenla III), came from HMO, when he said inter alia “Kabiyesi, Tope has assisted this committee to achieve so much. He has been a worthy representative of your office.” Those words, which he uttered almost two years ago, remain indelible for me.

Every office he has served, from his short stint in the private sector to a stellar career in the public service where he rose through the ranks to become the 21st Head of Service, his Midas touch has been felt across the state’s bureaucratic landscape and he continues to lead the workforce with the panache, poise and administrative dexterity of a 21st Century bureaucrat.

As Lagosians and Nigerians the world over, roll out the drums in celebrating this Omoluabi Eko, here is a toast to long life, a toast to many more land mark success and greater heights in the years ahead.

A Polo enthusiast, fashionista and all-round good man, here is wishing you a very happy 50th birthday, My Chair.

Temitope Oyefeso is the Special Assitant, Public Affairs to to Oba Elegushi.