Sir Michael Agbolade Otedola commended my bearing and youthful savvy. He told me that he believed that I had the capacity and the ability to mobilise support for him in no small way. My first assignment he placed me in the fundraising dinner committee along with Mr Nduka Obaigbena as the headship of the committee, a youthful tested doyen of journalism, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Engr. Buba Galadima, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, Mr. John Dara his Personal Assistant and Ms Queenette Alagoa (one of Chief Tom Ikimi’s aides). After telling me that he wanted me to be in the fundraising dinner committee, he said to me, “The destiny of our Party in Lagos is in our hands. I won’t fail but you all have a big role to play to help me deliver my promise of winning. I will break the fortresses of our opponents. I didn’t rebut his suggestion of having me on the fundraising committee even though it was a difficult one.

After that meeting with Sir Michael, Late Otunba Anthony Olusegun Odugbesan became a man I could run to when I needed direction. He was open to enquiries and was always prepared to suggest useful applications. If anyone was worked up and began to suffer from a drought of ideas, Otunba Anthony was the relief we could count on. I remembered 10 years when Sir Michael passed on, I was unavoidably absent during the rites of passage. Entries of tributes had been closed but Mr. Bisi Lawal, a former Chairman of the Board of Eko Hotels Ltd was able to help me reach Mama – Lady Doja Otedola who ensured that my tribute is received and published among the Eulogies for his funeral.

Sir Michael was a genius in managing his teams. For him, our success depended on working with ease and leverages. He would make us to understand that failure begins with going out without a plan of what to achieve and a strategy for achieving it. So we created plans and formulated strategies and followed through to realise every plan without distraction. We knew what we wanted at every point and went for it without delays and distractions.

The SDP was very loud and widespread. Late Chief MKO Abiola of the SDP, as the Presidential Candidate (God bless his memory). They dominated the media, they dominated the streets with rallies, funfairs and posters. Sir Michael pushed for a different campaign strategy. “Win the electorate one-by-one”, he told us. He said, “If we win them one-by-one, you would have extracted a promise or a commitment from the voter because of a mutual relationship and trust you establish with them.” Thus, we decided to embark on the campaign with a door-to-door evangelical approach. The people we met understood us and assured us that they are with us. They heard our voices and we heard theirs. Hearing the people’s voices was Sir Michael’s strategic measure of identifying with the people and telling them directly that he was for them all the way.

On December 14, 1991, the general election took place. We were in the situation room with a host of Sir Michael’s campaign strategists and key players. There was no tension. We were conversing and laughing. No one took the process with a do or die behaviour. Sir Michael was in a good spirit as usual. He cast his vote at his home stead, Odoragushin in Epe Local Government Area. Everyone in the room believed that the results of the election will be in our favour. We were not surprised at the outcome.

Sir Michael Otedola’s administration was short-lived. General Sani Abacha interrupted the Third Republic democracy and imposed his junta before the Interim Government led by Late Chief Ernest Shonekan could fulfill its mandate of reorganising the annulled June 12 1993 general election. After Sir Michael’s

NRC was announced as the winner of Lagos gubernatorial election, he started planning for assumption of office with a clear mindset of what he wanted to do. He had plans for every of his key campaign players, and has ardent supporters but he wasn’t imposing his desire on any of them. When he called me that he has plan for me – that he had earmarked something for me in his government, I quipped like a child full of exhilaration, “I want to be on the board of Eko Hotels.” I didn’t wait for him to say what he planned giving me. He was stunned at me.

For the first time, I noticed what the surprised looks of Sir Michael was like. He made no attempt at persuading me to put aside my desire. He softly asked for a couple of times, “Are you sure that is what you want?” “Let me take off with that for now, Sir”, I responded. Being resilient and enamored with my answer to him, he appointed me into the board of Eko Hotels shortly after his inauguration on January 2, 1992.

Sir Michael Otedola assumed office after years of military governorship administration. He worked like a horse and intentionally touching every segment of Lagos State public service, overturning restrictions and replacing them with viable designs and policies. The maestro held that the government must not be impeded by blockades if it must be seen as the government of the people. He owed the electorate the promise of constructing bridges between the government and the people and the duty of making the state a centre of excellence.

Choosing the sobriquet, “Lagos: Centre of Excellence” Sir Michael intended to remind everyone that is resident in Lagos that we have a collective responsibility to make Lagos the Center of Excellence. However, the intent of the slogan has been so thoroughly abused or unexecuted. We must ignite the intention of the message and let Lagos residents to intentionally and consciously start doing things for the sake of the excellence of Lagos.

It is on record that Sir Michael could work till 1:00 am before leaving his office at Alausa and still resume work at sun rising. It was unfortunate that he was allowed no time to sow the much he planned— the military came back!

Sir Michael was a man of many parts and was profound in all the parts. He was a man of a deep religious affiliation, a teacher, a trained journalist, a public relations connoisseur, an industrialist, a politician, a loving husband, and a delectable father. His passion to execute his conviction was never transient until a perfect outcome was actualised. However unpredictable he was, he kept a convivial and magnetising ambiance.

His atmosphere was full of light and sweetness. There was no boredom around him. Once he believed in you to be capable of something positive and impactful, he would provide you the platform to run with your ability. He would be calm and wait for you to tender the report of your task at the expected time. Sir Michael had no time for a close marking. He expected that we demonstrate our sense of creativity and skills ingeniously and truthfully. He would let us know that our results would announce us. If, therefore, you want to be announced, show him your impactful work in record time.

On this date, May 5, 2014, of his demise, I reminisced the past and recollected this beautiful experience with Sir Michael. Everyone that has worked with him must have something of excellence to say about him. Put all stories about this quintessential legend from whomever, you will find that the straightness of Sir Michael Agbolade Otedola is indelibly captured in all testimonies about him as an exemplar of a sound leadership marshal.
Live Forever, Sir Michael!
Concluded.
Jones wrote from Lagos.