Boss Picks

I am a Product of Consistency of Character, Culture – Afolabi Imoukhuede, Author of Never an Afterthought

Published

4 years ago

July 10, 2020

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Talent and target delivery are not rocket science, and so has Afolabi Imoukhuede, proved. A proud son of a distinguished father, he believes that his status today is a consequence of choices and decisions hinged on character and culture. In this exclusive chat, he reveals the intricacies of being an aide of the president, the arithmetics of job and wealth creation and of course, the beauty behind his latest bestseller, Never An Afterthought. Excerpts:

Can we know you sir?

My name is Afolabi Sokpehi Imoukhuede; my new book has revealed the Sokpehi part as I am popularly known as Afolabi Imoukhuede. I am the Senior Special Assistant to The president on Job Creation. I am just a public servant.

Becoming a public servant, and especially the SSA to the President, is no fluke. There would have been a background. How did it all happen as you didn’t jump to the position?

I clearly did not. Well, everything about me is clearly documented in my new memoir, released on June 20, 2020, with the title Never An Afterthought. My background started with my family, late Chief Joseph Imoukhuede, of Sabongida Ora, Onwa West, Edo State, who was the Secretary and Head of the Civil Service to the government of the Midwest Region when late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the Premier, and my mother, Mrs Olubunmi Olayinka Imoukhuede, who incidentally just passed away. It may interest you to know that this is where I got my name, Afolabi. While there are many from my area who have natural Yoruba names, mine was actually borne out of the fact that my mother was full blooded Yoruba person, Ijebu decent to be precise. I am the last child from both parents.

I had my secondary education at the Federal Government College, Warri before moving to the United States to study Accounting at the Rutgers University, New Jersey. From there, I started experimenting on professionalism with one of the world’s best accounting firm, KPMG. And in 2005, I finally moved back to Nigeria, to the surprise of most people I know. At the time of my moving back, I had done a lot of international development engagement with the World Bank Group, African Project Development Facility, GIZ and some African development organisations. All these are recorded in my book. My experience spanned through business management as an Accountant, and secondly international development by virtue of the volume of work I have done, and again as an entrepreneur because my engagement when I returned to Nigeria was with a company which I set up with a few of my friends called the MCS Consulting Limited, so yes as an entrepreneur as well as product, which is also a major skill that encompasses a lot of work that I have done. I also navigated into human capital development, specifically on how to develop human skill in technical development area and create entrepreneurship job and many others. That’s exactly what landed me into the role in government as the Senior Special Assistant to The President on Job creation and Youth employment.

Quite an impressive resume. In five years as the SSA to the president, that’s since 2015 if I’m correct, what could you say is the highpoint of your tenure?

The first thing is to create a content from the background of the tenure in itself, and of course, I quite expose that in the book where I even explained the concept of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ascendency to the presidency. Of course, the 2015 election itself was well heated because it displaced an incumbent. As the new administration took office in May 2015, the economy jumped into recession, and every campaign promises were supposed to be fulfilled. President himself was not unaware that the younger who voted for change, was actually clamouring for the change in terms of job creation and employment. It would noted that the generation of youths then know of only one democracy and that was the PDP unlike most of us who were privileged to witness though as very young people, Shehu Shagari and his NPN, Nnamdi Azikiwe and his NPP, Obafemi Awolowo and his UPN and even MKO Abiola and his SDP. That was the only democracy change the youths of the day were exposed to, and one could understand their excitement and expectation. The president, then as a candidate had promised that he would fight insecurity, corruption and create economy that works for all, and the young people were looking for excitement. So coming into government, and meeting so many maladies such as recession, unrest in the Niger Delta and more. There is a whole lot of priority mix, and I was thrown right into the centre. But when I picked up my appointment letter in october, 2015, I set to work. The question therefore, was how do I do so much with so little coming in, and within a short time. So what I did was to put on my thinking cap, and for the fact that I was coming from a private which is known for pragmatism, I inculcated it into the government idealism. I started with putting up a strategy document, and again my experience, friendship and partnership with the international community and development world proved helpful. I tapped into my connection with UK DFID, Ford Foundation and gained their support. We started with questions such as which sectors of the economy can we find potentials or huge entrepreneurship employment opportunities and which particular sub-section are we going to do something to show quick and early wins because we have a short time. You know our democracy demands our must go for a re-run in four years if he is still interested. Obviously, there must be tangible result in two and half years so that you have something to present as achievements during your reelection campaign. That was the pressure, but thankfully, with the pragmatism as portrayed in my book, Never An Afterthought, we were able to come up with a strategy document as early as March 2016, with global development advisers supporting in every ramification including finance.

We actually focused on about four sectors which include Agriculture (Agri-business), construction, Technology and Retail Trade. We also added Solar Renewable Energy right after because we saw we could create opportunities there also. That actually made it five priority sectors. That document predicted the strategic framework; Job Creation Implementation Strategic Framework. It predated as well the National Government Document which is the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP). It was though later embedded into the ERGP document. We set to work to see how to use those sectors to create employment opportunities for our young people bearing in mind the campaign promises of Mr President and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that they were going to run an all inclusive government; a government for all. And that led to the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP). And later N-Power, which is the job creation component comprising the conditional cash transfer to the poor in the community, government enterprising empowerment programme for artisans, traders and market women/men. It also has the national home grown and school feeding programmes. We then used our strategic document framework to create opportunities both within the social investment programme and outside for the young people. It is captured in full details in Never An Afterthought.

Mr Imokhuede, addressing youths during an empowerment programme

In the first term, we were able to create direct job opportunity or employability enhancement platform for over 500, 000 employed Nigerian youths. We focused on teaching, Agric, health, tax because it was in the midst of recession in trying to focus on the tax bracket. The then Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun really harped on this. On capacity building programme, we targeted a hundred thousand to be trained during the year, but we got 60, 000. About 50, 000 was trained in construction while 10, 000 was trained in technology. Lastly, we had the Tech Ovation Hubs; one in each of the geo-political regions of the country located in Akure, Enugu, Benin, Kaduna, Adamawa and Abuja. It created opportunities for a lot of youths who were interested in technology based innovative solutions. That’s my scorecard in brief. The detail is contained in Never An Afterthought.

Okay, now to the book; in the first place, why that name, Never An Afterthought

Ordinarily, the book is a memoir though a few reviewers have struggled between labeling it a memoir or a life manual. But yes, it is a memoir because it documents my life trajectory across many junctions. But what you find in each junctions is the power of choice, the consistency of character, culture and how both influenced my choice and decision making all across the junctions. The first was my choice to switch from Medicine to Business. I earlier mentioned that I went to America to study; well, it wasn’t just as easy as that. I was actually a student of Medicine in University of Lagos, went to MediLag, as a medical student MBBS. But I left in part two. The reasons are copiously documented in Never An Afterthought…

…Meaning you would have been a medical doctor?

Yes…a reviewer, Abimbola Idowu, said of me Afolabi (MBBS) would have been treating thousands of patients now, but Afolabi (HCS) is now helping thousands of young people find their paths in entrepreneurship, job creation and wealth creation.

Between both of them, which do you think is more prolific, the choice you made notwithstanding?

That’s actually the essence of the book. For me, the HCS is more prolific because that’s the reason I talked about consistency in character of choice in decision making. Medicine was actually was my father’s choice for me. He died in 1989. I nurtured the dream out of respect for him, but events took a different shape and I found my paths. I have documented those events. I discovered that I was first an entrepreneur before anything else. Even my foster father, an uncle, Mr Seyi Olusoga, also told me about some great medical doctors who transitioned to become great entrepreneurs. One of the such examples was the three great friends that started Eko Hospital; Eneli, Kuku and Obiora. It was even their initials that formed EKO. Though Eneli and Obiora are late, but Kuku is alive. I said to myself, if these men after completing medical studies and practiced for many years, yet abandoned the profession for entrepreneurship, for me I’m still on in part 2, and have all the time on my side. My mother also dissuaded me, asking me to face the certain instead of delving into the world of uncertainty. That was the kind of heat and pressure I was facing in my nuclear family when I decided to leave Medicine and travel to America to study Accounting in 1997. But I took the bold decision, and crossed over in December 1997, and the rest is history. I succeeded. That’s one decision point in the book. The second was the choice of university I was to attend; between the one that gave me full scholarship and the one that gave me partial scholarship. Anyone would think I will opt for the school that gave me full scholarship, but I did not. I went for Rutgers University. The third decision bordered on coming back to Nigeria, especially at a time when everybody was clamouring to go to United States. I decided to return home. It was a time the President, Olusegun Obasanjo was calling on Nigerians abroad to come home and help build the country. I want to say that I’m one of those that heeded the call. The funniest part was I was not living in America as a refugee; I was working with the world’s number one accounting firm, KPMG. Those mark the consistency in character and culture as it relates to choices that have influenced my decision making towards getting to where I am today. As a result, a lot of people have told that I needed to document these attributes for the benefit of the future. Note that there is no place that I shared my experience that I was not blessed with followership, and those asking for mentorship.

Obviously, I am not the only one with a beautiful story to tell, but the challenge is that they are never documented, especially in this part of the world. Now, my father’s story is worth studying as the youngest black person to be honoured with OBE, but it was not documented. So that is lost to those that should have benefited. These events, even as we were preparing for my father’s memorial, it dawned on me that I have to document my own experience so that it doesn’t get lost too. So when one considers the foregoing vis a vis the rigours we went through before getting to where we are, you then realise that there was no part of my story that was an afterthought. Even the accidental parts form part of a well curated story.

It may also interest you to note that even the title was not the originally intended title, not even the pose on the cover. However, for the exclusivity of this interview, I will tell you that the original title or working title is A Driver and His Bus. That gave me the inspiration that book was going to be a memoir. To answer the question; who owns the bus, and who is the driver? My father becomes the owner of the bus, and that makes me compulsive to go into family background and tell his story in Chapter Three. Then the bus. This speaks about the government and my work in government. That was the content upon which the manuscript was being developed.

The title came when a third eye came across it when the manuscript got to my publisher, a classmate of mine from Federal Government College, Warri, Dr Egusa (another medical doctor who transitioned to entrepreneurship). He just looked at at said, ‘put NEVER AN AFTERTHOUGHT on it. When it got to me, I found myself in it, and stamped it as the title.

Now, the picture pose is a generational pose. That’s my father’s pose, and all of us, the children adopted the pose.

If you look at the foreword as written by the Minister of Works and Housing and former Governor of Lagos, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, he made references to the ‘bus’.

Fashola in the same foreword, said the book is for the future, when we are no longer there. Could you please elaborate on what he actually meant?

If you know Fashola very well, he is a thinker, a philosopher and many things in one, and I couldn’t think of any other person to do my foreword. I am honoured he accepted. What he said simply denotes my stand on the conundrum between the fact that the book is a memoir and a life manual. He means that the book is dateless unlike newspapers and other publications. The present generation will get the importance of the book, and so will the coming generation. The book will tell the story of job creation even when this present generation is no longer here. He vetted through the content of the manuscript, and realised that the book is as important now as it is tomorrow. He talked about a new Nigeria that all of us desire. He made it clear that poverty is man-made, and cannot be defeated without conceited efforts of men. He stated also that when you launch out in an ambitious programme as Social Investment Programme, a systematic response to combating poverty through wealth creation, you begin to realise that you can only compare it to free education policy of Pa Awolowo in his days and the National Housing Programme of UK. That no longer how it is criticised, it cannot die. That is the future he meant.

Can you please itemise in clear terms the jobs you have created so far in your capacity as the SSA, and how far that they have created wealth for the people?

First, let me put out a disclaimer… in the context of Nigeria, we run a federation of three parts; federal, state and local governments. It is my personal dream that the development as a reflection of the change that all of us desire to see will begin to come in a faster pace when our federation takes its true position. In every part of the world, the most contributor to development of human capital or indices is the local government. In America, it is the Mayor you hear about before the Governor or the President.

All these job creation, wealth creation, poverty eradication will really begin to happen when we have a functioning federation, when the local government are really empowered to be local governments, the closest government to the people. I mean everyone at the tier of government has a responsibility as posited in Chapter 15 of the book. We must build on that synergy to see the results we desire. Coming to specific numbers; one of the divergent views of people has been didn’t they promised 3 million jobs, where are they? Oh yes, there was a campaign promise of 3 million jobs, but what people didn’t know is that it was a calculation of multiple jobs across the multiple layers. At that time, the number was arrived at that government will create 20, 000 jobs across the states which should have 720, 000 jobs. There were also jobs to have been created from different sectors as the SIP creation of 500, 000 jobs. So it was a cumulation of jobs to be created by those multiple layers that make that 3 million. We always want to hold the federal responsible for the promise, but where is the contribution of the states to that number. Again, jobs are created as a result of the inter-function of the economy. If the economy is not expanding, jobs cannot expand. It is direct correlation. We started with an economy that went into recession, though it came out of recession, but it has not grown that much. We are still in very single digit. we are struggling to build, and now, COVID-19 pandemic has worsen the growth.

At a panel discussion in Edo State

Another reason we never post high jobs is because of our population growth. Our population is growing exponentially faster than our economic growth. Countries that have got it right have one thing in common; they have a check on their population Take the Scandinavians for example. But our multiplicity of culture and religion have worked against any government idea around population growth. If population outgrows economy, we will continue to have this damning numbers of double digits of unemployment and underemployment. Those are the realities. Then I asked myself, in the midst of these realities, what should I do? So we came with the following 1. we must drive entrepreneurship at multiple levels. We did. But with all Federal Government efforts in training and all, there is no FG’s child; every child is a member of local government in the context of Nigeria. Take for example, those who were trained in automobile will then ask, how do you set me up? The truth remains that I can only set you up in partnership with your state. The FG cannot do that alone.

But don’t you as a Federal Government command a liaison with the state governments to set up these facilities to accommodate them?

That, I have stated in the book to show that the over 500, 000 direct beneficiaries of this programme had President Buhari as their local government officer. That were stationed in various local governments with supervisors, and paid directly from Abuja. For that, most LG staff have complained of the truancy and recalcitrant attitude of staff, saying they have no control over them as their pay is secured from the FG. But I tell them that they have power over them in recommending disciplinary action. It is a culture change, but also a clear vision. So in Chapter 15, I recommended that the pattern we have worked out need to be leverage upon and built on. In Chapter 12, I devoted it to heroes and sheroes of empower. From their stories, I can stay that I created opportunities to about 1.5 million. They also created opportunities from their own jobs. There is also the value chain we created through which jobs were created. Each one of our graduate beneficiaries got a tablet. This was an asset finance between Bank of Industry and the beneficiaries and we brought in eight device providers. Two of them being foreign; Samsung and Tecno while others were local content. We were looking for 200, 000 in batch one, and in batch 2; because of the transition between us and the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the conversation is still on to get their devices to them. We were going to distribute the devices. We partnered with MTN because there is no part of this country that you won’t find an MTN SIM. So we told them that the same way your SIM got to everywhere, replicate it in making sure these devices get to the 774 local governments in Nigeria. They hired people when distributed them. The SIP model is a well thought out model.

While I know some of us may not be excited in terms of the number or the volume of jobs we can track, because of the context of our population and the number of people that are really unemployed, but we did was timely. It was not conceivable; people said it was not possible, it was ambitious for us and those who set it, but we went through the rigours, and we have shown that it can work. I recommended in Chapter 15 for administrators from the Federal to the local government levels to see how we can build on it.. Technology also helped us. We reached out to so many people with the little we had.

Brilliant! In a nut, what do we expect as you are already in your second tenure? How do you intend to better the success of your first tenure?

Firstly, I no longer oversight the N-Power programme. By the wisdom of Mr President, and the success of the programme, he decided to set up a new ministry, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, which has control of the programme. The handover was concluded in May. The ministry is now in charge. However, my role as the SSA to the President on Job Creation continues, and the conversation continues using this book. I am still building conversation because the role of engaging our youths, building capacity and more, is not a one man thing nor political party thing. I align with fully Buhari’s job creation vision in the 2015 budget where he noted that ‘My job creation strategy is with private sector and public sector engagement”. I intend to use NEVER AN AFTERTHOUGHT to drive home a lot of the conversation towards this goal. I will continue in my facilitation and engagement roles at all tiers of government in driving continued opportunities for our young people particularly skills for relevant industries. A pot of focus is on construction, technology and solar. We have dealt deep into these sectors in the last four years even when it was N-Power. We will continue to drive engagements across these multi-channels.

What is your take on the programme initiated by the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, to provide jobs for about 774, 000 persons across the 774 local governments?

Well, I’ll say welcome to the club to Keyamo as regards the banters with the National Assembly; we had a lot of those banters. He requires stakeholders management skill in this situation as a recommendation. Secondly, in my Chapter 15, there is a message for the lawmakers. I see the lawmakers point of view as the people’s representatives and needs to be carried along, and I understand Keyamo as well, as a senior lawyer. I think Keyamo is pushing forward the meritocracy aspect, afraid that the project will end up in the pockets of loyalists. In our case, we moved with technology, but that alone may not work here because of the kinds of jobs. This is basically because these jobs are more communal, bringing us to the reality that it is more or less a local government job description. And so we ask ourselves again, how did it get to the level where it is the Federal Government that is thinking for the local governments. For those kind of jobs, one can’t just open a portal. This is different from N-Power because N-Power was an intervention for unemployed graduate-youths; a surgical intervention required to stop the something before dealing with the root cause. The reason for N-Power was for intervention in our population growth, economic growth and education. These are long term issues, so N-Power came in to bridge the gap, and is not meant to become the norm. Otherwise, it would have failed. It will stay for only a while, maybe 10-year-plan to correct our root cause problem. If it stays longer, it means the system has failed. It was brought in to intervene in a failing system.

They should work out a modality to handle the situation, but we shouldn’t really beg the question on how to empower the local government. They could liaison with the local government through their fora, and a definite modality is worked out. Again, both of them must answer the question of who is being served. Is it the people of Nigeria

Who and who can read this book, and where can they get it?

The book is for everyone, young and old. Just like Fashola has said, the book has spoken to the future represented by present old and young. It is catalogue in international library. I therefore, enjoin my friends, lovers, fans and all and sundry to support my book scholarship fund to fund the reprinting of multiple copies of the book so that every public library, public tertiary institution, public secondary schools etc should have copies.

We have a dedicated website for selling the book, www.neveranafterthought.com. The site is not informational, it is an e-commerce site. The site is safe, and one can buy on from there. Your copies will be delivered to you within 24 hours if you are in Lagos or Abuja, but elsewhere in Nigeria, within 2-7 days. We have sold over 250 copies, and there has been no complaints.

There are options for payments. It can be through cards or banks. There is also the option of bank transfer. Once concluded, you will get an order confirmation. And another sentimental reason you must buy through the site is because you will get a personalised thank you note from me. The book launch will come soon, and so will the book signing.

We are also in partnership with Roving Heights, a well known book store with offices in Lagos and Abuja. I commend my readers across the globe; those in Kenya, Canada, United States and more. For this category of readers, Amazon is it. Another advantage of buying from these dedicated sites is getting enrolled in our Book Readers Community and we do have hangouts. You will get updates on these hangouts. What I want to achieve with this book is about continued conversation; how to make our country better than it is now.

What is the cost of the book?

It’s just N5000 for the paper bag while the hardcopy is N10, 000 when it comes out in August.

Okay, let’s dig into your private life a little…how do you relax?

Excellent! First of all, I’m married to my beautiful wife, Oyindamola, and we have two beautiful children, Deborah and Emmanuel. We still forward to one or two more by the grace of God. We are very neatly small bonded family. My mum was an integral part of our life for 31 years, but she passed on on May 1. I am a fun man. There is a Chapter of the book called Verbatim where my brothers and all had the liberty to say whatever they wish to say about me. I work hard, but I also play hard. I straddle between the older generation and the young. I am an original Lagos Island boy, and belong to the Yoruba Tennis Club and Ikoyi Club. I hope to go back to golf which I abandoned sometime ago. I don’t have to go out to have fun; once I have 2-3 friends, we listen to music. I love Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade, Michael Jackson and music of the 80s. And so that the young ones don’t think we are out of stock, I’m conversant with new sounds be it Naira Marley or any other. But old school is the in time. And I love travelling a lot. The lockdown has really kept me away from traveling.

How do you love to be seen, fashion wise?

I’m very particular about my dressing because looking good is good business. I have my brand, and all my fashion credit goes to Vivid Imagination. I am always in my ‘traditional suit’. When some of my colleagues, they were surprised. Many known for my African suit, even at work. I’m trendy, but not loud though can be experimental. I am more in blue. It is my favourite colour. It is the easiest colour I could relate, to avoid colour riot.

But as I grew, I realised that blue actually represents stability, trust, trait of integrity and more. So I was more attracted to the colour. And co-incidentally, I support Chelsea because the are the Blues. But I don’t lose sleep about their performances.

During a mentorship class

One of your reviewers described you as loyal and honest, what can you say about that in line with giving a perfect description of yourself?

by the grace of God, I try to stay true to purpose, my God and self. In this book, I summed up my life principles as PIER; P for Passion, I for Integrity, E for Empathy and R for Resilience. Those are the principles that guided me to select and build my team, and I celebrated everyone of them in my book.

Who are your role models?

My parents are my key role models. It is so intense that in two chapters, I celebrated them. By the grace of god, I have journeyed through several mentors even from the spiritual perspective such as pastors, prophets, teachers and evangelists. No king has ever succeeded without having a prophet; they have guided me right. I don’t to start mentioning names so that I don’t leave out some. In the book, I referenced my egbon, Fashola (BRF), Godwin Mekwuye of Vivid Imagination, my two foster fathers; late Seye Olusoga, and my father’s late business partner, Eddy Yadua. There are so many who affected my life. In book authorship, there are Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, Nelson Mandela etc. In business, the CEO, General Electric, Jack Welch actually affected me among others. More importantly, I am a good student of the Bible, especially Proverbs. I grew up with a lot of the older generation, and they related to us in proverbs, so I have a good repository of Yoruba proverbs.

What are your likes and dislikes?

I really cherish the word candour according to what Jack Welch taught me. It means being frank and true to yourself. Candour must be involved in anything that navigates into lasting friendship, and everything else flows from it. I am also guided by the principle that believes in character, capacity, competence and chemistry.

In fact, he dislikes anyone that doesn’t possess any of the above, especially character; I hate stupidity. Here, we exhibit so much stupidity, and that explains why we are where we are. This is an environment where people live fake lives. Their dictum is ‘we keep faking it until we make it’. They are naturally empty barrels that make the most noise. The biggest of my dislikes is stupidity, which contributed in no small measure in eroding our value systems as a nation.

Boss Picks

Massad Boulos: Inside Story of SCOA Nigeria CEO

Published

4 days ago

December 16, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Rising to the pinnacle of one’s career is not a mean feat. Becoming the chief executive officer of any organization, let alone a multinational firm, or by implication, a multi-dimensional company, is an achievement worth celebrating. It is even more legendary when the subject is internationally connected and has enduring links with notable figures, especially America’s President-elect, Donald John Trump, and is thriving without an iota scandal. Mr. Massad Boulos, the Chief Executive Officer of SCOA Nigeria, is that one person.

Born a Lebanese in 1971 to a Greek Orthodox family in Kfaraakka, Koura, Boulos has over the years, while growing, and through career trajectory, acquired three more national identities including American, French and Nigerian. These have projected to the category of international personalities, looked upon as fostering world peace and coexistence.

His name, which translates to Paul to the Apostle, in Arabic, betrays his religious inclination, but his close-knitted relationship with Arab Muslims and other Muslims of the world further cements his open minded attitude towards humanity even as he categorically and vigorously campaigned for Former President Trump, who is today the President-Elect, awaiting the coming of January 20 to become the 46th President of the United of America.

While the campaign and election lasted, Boulos prized himself as Trump’s ‘envoy’ to Arab and Muslim Americans, shuttling through the states of Michigan, Arizona and Florida to convince them that Trump is a better candidate, capable of bringing the Israeli/Hamas war to a sudden end. His efforts paid off as Trump won the election with a landslide.

“Our community in Arizona is so big and so important, we can make a difference. We can make sure we get that margin,” he was quoted as saying by Washington Post in August.

He has been a solid ally of Trump since 2018 when his son began to date Trump’s daughter, Tiffany. Both got married in 2022, and in December 2024, Trump, who described him as an ‘accomplished lawyer’, named him his Middle East advisor.

Going down memorylane, The Washington Post in September, captured the origin as follows: “The war, which began 11 months ago after Hamas-led militants carried out a stunning cross-border attack on Israel, has reduced much of Gaza to rubble. The Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 dragged back into Gaza as hostages, according to the Israeli government.

“But months of negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have failed to deliver a cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Meanwhile, fewer than half the hostages have returned to Israel alive, while the war has given rise to starvation and disease throughout the enclave.”

A product of a political hegemony as his father and grandfather were prominent politicians, funding the Free Patriotic Front, Boulos however, chose the path of his father-in-law, Michel Zouhair Fadoul, who came into his life much later in existence, and became a truck seller; a profession he committed his very all, and rose to become the Head of its Nigeria axis. That is the SCOA Nigeria; a prolific truck manufacturing and marketing firm.

He however, had political stint as an ally of Michel Aoun’s FPM and represented it in Nigeria, where his business is domiciled.

It was reported that in 2009, the FPM shortlisted him, though by 2018, he was supporting Frangieh’s Marada. Consequently, hia appointment by Trump defines hia capacity to shuttle between both ideological prism, and bring harnessing in Middle East politics.

He said of the Israeli massacre and the subsequent and ongoing war, “Those massacres would not have happened if there was a strong president at the White House. The entire war wouldn’t have happened.

But Trump’s “clear and unequivocal position on this is that he is totally and absolutely against this war… And he’s totally and absolutely against the killing of civilians.”

The Trump Vance team captured his person as follows in a press statement by the Spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, while defending him over an avalanche of ‘fake’ information:

“The truth is Mr. Boulos is a highly respected businessman who has proudly served as the CEO of some of his family’s group of companies based in West Africa for more than 27 years and his family has employed tens of thousands of people around the globe.”

The statement further allocated the following achievements to Boulos:

• Mr. Boulos has degrees in both business and law.
• SCOA Nigeria PLC, a member of the FADOUL Group, is a well-known conglomerate that exclusively represents numerous global brands for decades.
• SCOA and the other family group companies have been very successful in the Nigerian market providing high-end products and specialized services to the largest companies in the country.
• SCOA is also part of the Fadoul Group, which is one of the largest privately-owned family businesses in West and Central Africa with a presence in 10 different countries since its founding in 1966.
• The FADOUL Group employs more than 20,000 hardworking people
• The Boulos and Fadoul family companies have developed into a family group with over $1 Billion USD in value and hundreds of millions in assets.

Soundly educated, Boulos, who moved to Texas as a teenager graduated from University of Houston-Downtown in 1993 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He moved to Nigeria to work for SCOA at the completion of his education.

Today, he is a notable shareholding authority in the conglomerate. Boulos, as a matter of principle, will say much about his Enterprises because he “made a practice of not commenting on his businesses”. He allows entities to make their own various conjectures.

A man of peace and saddled with the responsibility of keeping all and aundry qith arms length, Boulos reportedly has ‘links with Christian politicians and parties in Lebanon, including Suleiman Frangieh and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) both of which are Christian allies of Hezbollah, but maintained talks with opposition parties like the Lebanese Forces, says Wikipedia.

It was therefore, easy to portray Trump as supportive of “global peace” in the 2014 election campaigns.

As a positive identity and credential, Boulos has acted as an intermediary between the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas and Trump.

Boulos is married to Sarah Fadoul Boulos, who was born in Burkina Faso in 1986? She lived in Houston, Texas, and was a student at Houston Baptist University until 1996, then moved to Lagos, Nigeria. She is a dance instructor, who in 2005 founded the aspirationally named Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria as a tiny studio in her garage.

More recently, she has been a franchisee of Creative Education International (CrEd) Lagos Island. As at 2020, she worked at La Pointe Delicatessen, in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Together they have four children. While one of their son, Michael, is married to Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, another son, Fares, is an actor.

Though he would be holding an important position for the American government come January 2025 when the administration of Trump is inaugurated, Boulos, who has undeniable roots in Lebanon had said his time like during the electioneering will be split.between South Florida and Nigeria, where he oversees his family’s billion-dollar conglomerate, SCOA Nigeria.

Boulos is a longtime proponent of the Grand Old Party (GOP), another name for the Republican Party, His support therefore, for Trump is rooted in both politics and family, and so believes in the Trump Vance Transition Team verdict that, “President Trump wants peace and prosperity for all people.

“President Trump will once again deliver peace through strength to rebuild and expand the peace coalition he built in his first term to create long-term safety and security for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.”

The count begins therefore, on January 25 as Trump resumes office.

However, the management of SCOA in a statement titled “Celebrating the Legacy of Massad Boulos Leadership at SCOA Nigeria”, to further project his image, and prove fake narratives wrong, noted as follows:

Recent media criticisms questioning the breadth of experience and business acumen of Mr. Massad Boulos, the incoming Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle East Affairs to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, are not only misguided but also dismissive of the remarkable track record of both the man and the companies he has been instrumental in nurturing.

For instance, SCOA Nigeria PLC, where Mr. Boulos serves as Managing Director/CEO, is far from being just another company. It is a formidable force in Nigeria’s industrial and economic landscape. With roots spanning over four decades, it holds the distinction of being the first European automotive assembly plant in Nigeria.

In the 1970’s, SCOA Nigeria PLC made a name for itself by assembling Peugeot 404 and then 504 pickup trucks at its assembly plant at Apapa, Lagos and service center at its Lapal House facility on Lagos Island. Today, the company continues this proud legacy, assembling, distributing, and marketing M.A.N trucks and buses, power generators, tractors, agricultural equipment, industrial equipment and other heavy-duty construction and mining machinery critical to Nigeria’s key sectors.

SCOA Nigeria PLC’s clients include some of the most prominent and respected names in Nigeria’s construction industry, such as Julius Berger—widely regarded as the nation’s leading construction firm—Lafarge Africa PLC, a major cement producer, the Chagoury Group, renowned for developing the prestigious Banana Island, a premier residential enclave in Lagos, the DANGOTE Group, and many others.

Beyond trucks, SCOA Nigeria PLC is a trusted supplier of concrete, road construction and mining equipment, partnering with leading infrastructure companies to drive Nigeria’s development. For example, Julius Berger relies heavily on SCOA’s equipment for large-scale projects, including the 376km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway and the 43.6km Lagos-Shagamu stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano Highway.

Similarly, Hi-Tech Construction, currently working on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road network, depends significantly on SCOA PLC for the machinery and technology required to execute these ambitious projects, aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade across Nigeria’s southern, central, and northern regions.
Similarly,SCOA PLC has also been instrumental in the development of Eko Atlantic City, a groundbreaking urban project built on reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean. This visionary initiative, designed to address Lagos’s urbanization challenges and promote sustainable development, has been made possible in part by state-of-the-art machinery supplied by SCOA. Notably, Eko Atlantic City is set to host the United States Embassy, projected to be the largest of its kind globally upon completion, further underscoring the strategic importance of this landmark project.

In fact, SCOA Nigeria PLC’s impact extends beyond Nigeria’s shores. As a member of the FADOUL Group – one of the largest and most successful family-owned businesses in Africa – its influence spans across West and Central Africa. The FADOUL Group, established in 1966, operates numerous successful enterprises, employs over 20,000 people, and is valued at over $1 billion, with hundreds of millions of USD in assets. This legacy highlights the scale and scope of the operations under Mr. Boulos’s leadership.

Contrary to unfounded claims in certain media outlets, the suggestion that Mr. Boulos is not a billionaire is both baseless and misleading. As President-elect Donald Trump rightly described, Mr. Massad Boulos is a “deal-maker,” a characterization grounded in fact. His proven ability to negotiate and execute complex international transactions has facilitated significant partnerships between Nigerian, German, and French businesses, delivering substantial value and mutual benefit.
As a Non-Executive Independent Director of SCOA Nigeria PLC since 2012, I have witnessed firsthand Mr. Boulos’s instrumental role in driving the company’s success. His ability to navigate the complexities of international commerce, exemplified by the supply of a significant fleet of trucks to Lafarge Africa through a tripartite arrangement between a logistics firm, GPC and Union bank plc, has earned him widespread recognition and respect.

Mr. Boulos’s leadership has not only been vital to SCOA PLC’s achievements but also to the broader international business successes of the FADOUL Group. This is precisely the kind of experience and strategic vision he brings to his new role as Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle East Affairs to President-elect Trump.

As noted in a press release by Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman, attempts to smear Mr. Boulos’s reputation are part of a broader effort by opposition elements to undermine President-elect Trump’s nominees. The truth remains that Mr. Boulos played a pivotal role in mobilizing the Arab-American and Middle Eastern-American vote, contributing significantly to the Trump-Vance victory—an achievement that underscores his political and organizational acumen.

Efforts to denigrate Mr. Boulos’s qualifications and achievements are not only futile but also a disservice to the facts. Mr. Boulos’s expertise and accomplishments are well-suited for his new role, where he will undoubtedly deliver impactful results on behalf of President-elect Trump and the United States.

Boss Picks

Celebrating a Man of Outstanding Excellence, Ademola Adeleke

Published

3 weeks ago

November 30, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

“Since I assumed office, I have devoted myself majorly to delivering on our five-point agenda. I deploy my network locally and nationally in support of our noble projects and programmes for Osun. I am elated that our contributions are being noticed” – Governor Adeleke

In May 2024, two historical events took place to further cement the tag of ‘Performing Governor’, for which the Governor of Osun State, Asiwaju (Senator) Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, is known, and justifiably so. They include the conferment of the Asiwaju of Edeland title on him by his community, represented by the Timi of Ędę, HRH Oba Adesola Munirudeen Lawal (Laminisa 1), as well as the best governor of the year award conferred in him by the Vanguard Newspaper.

The prestigious Asiwaju title was previously held by Governor Adeleke’s elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke, who passed away on April 23, 2017.

Today, two years into his administration as the Number One Citizen of Osun State, Governor Adeleke has proved all doubting Thomases wrong, and lifted the state from comatose to prominence with verifiable, welfaristic and people-oriented projects that speak for themselves.

Recall that while stating the reasons behind his award as the Governor of the year, the General Editor, Vanguard Newspaper, Mr Jide Ajani, has said the governor’s attention to Infrastructural development of the state, has been topnotch, with special emphasis to his approval of infra upgrades of several tertiary institutions in the state.

The governor, in his humility, dedicated the award to the entire people of Osun State.

“We watched the video with the Vice Chancellor listing several approvals and even with the Governor asking the University to look into what other areas of intervention the state should act on. That video excites our curiosity and we proceeded to investigate further by leveraging on our team on ground here in Osun as well as a team from the headquarters.

“We discovered what the Vice Chancellor said in the video was a tip of the iceberg. Osun is indeed a huge construction site. You have continued to complete abandoned projects. You have completed many inherited projects from your predecessors

“We have your records on roads, bridges, water, school and health center upgrades among others. We read your multi-billion naira infrastructure plan and its ongoing implementation. You did not play politics with the development of your state.

“It is the totality of your passion for development that convinced the judges to confer the award on you. It is our hope that this recognition will spur you to an even greater push to deliver on your governance agenda”, Ajani had said.

In response, the Governor acknowledged as follows:

“Since I assumed office, I have devoted myself majorly to delivering on our five point agenda. I deploy my network locally and nationally in support of our noble projects and programmes for Osun. I am elated that our contributions are being noticed.

“I dedicate this award to the good people of Osun state. They made our positive records a reality. We have the unconditional support and love of our people in our push to take Osun to greater heights. I will personally attend the conferment in Lagos.

“Our government is forging ahead with our systematic physical and stomach infrastructure agenda. We are working on a new airport, an inland beach resort, cocoa sector revival, upgrade of the free trade zone for agro-industrialisation, robust climate change agenda and digital economy programme. We are on a mission to place Osun on the path of sustainable development”, the Governor told the visiting delegation.

THE MAN, ADEMOLA JACKSON ADELEKE

Born of the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun State on May 13, 1960, Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State before he was privileged to relocate to Old Oyo State to continue his education at Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire.

Adeleke was born Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke to a Muslim father and Nnena Esther Adeleke, an Igbo Christian mother. Like him, Adeleke’s father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was a Senator and the Balogun of Ede land in Osun State. His father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was also the leader of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

On completion of his primary education, he moved on to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede to begin his post primary schooling. In the later years however, he attended Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, where he completed his secondary school education and subsequently relocated to the United States of America, joining his two older brothers, who were also studying there.

In the United States, he joined Jacksonville State University, Alabama, and studied Criminal Justice, with minor in Political Science.

To prove doubting Thomases, who wiped up controversies around his educational qualification, wrong, he went back to school and got enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2021.

A businessman and administrator of no mean repute, Adeleke was the humble Group Executive Director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016, where his credible performances shot the company to enviable heights; a height it is still enjoying till date.

It is imperative to note that before he joined Pacific Holdings Limited, Senator Adeleke worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor from 1985 to 1989. His dexterity to work earned him a progression in career, and he berthed as Vice President at Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company. His meritorious stewardship lasted a period of five years, from 1990 to 1994.

Not a few has described Adeleke as the philanthropic capital of Ede, as his influence in aiding the less privileged and downtrodden remains top notch. He is a voracious believer in community development, and has not spared any expense to see that his community receives global influence.

Politically, Adeleke is a beacon of light and hard nut to crack, having remained an albatross to opposing powers and a reference point to ideal administration.

Shortly after he lost his brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017, he contested the Osun West 2017 Senatorial by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the Peoples Democratic Party, where he decamped to from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Having emerged senator, Adeleke’s political influence waxed stronger, an on July 23, 2018, he emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes. Efforts made to deprive him of the mandate was twated by the courts.

Adeleke’s lawyer in his defense claims his secondary school hasn’t come out to deny his testimonial asking the court to dismiss the Case. The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke’s forgery.

Adeleke ran for Osun state governorship election under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) while Adeleke was leading, and a rerun slated on September 27, 2018. The candidate of the APC Oyetola was declared winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result describing the election as a “coup”.

Much as on March 22, 2019, the tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election, the Supreme Court later affirmed Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the 2018 Osun State governorship election on Friday, July 5, 2019

Popularly known as the Dancing Senator because of his penchant to joyfully react to the sounds of music, Adeleke is uncle to one of Nigeria’s popular musicians, Davido.

Governor Adeleke is married to an equally successful businesswoman and a self-made boss. They are blessed with three children who are all entertainers. They are B-Red and Shina Rambo and a daughter, Nike Adeleke. He is the uncle of one Nigeria’s primus inter pares in entertainment, Davido.

As expected, Adeleke is moving Osun State to the greatest of heights as he promised, and many who know him agree that there are still very many more in the offing.

ADELEKE’S EXTRAORDINARY EASE OF DOING BUSINESS STRATEGY

The governor has shared good news on the ease of doing business in the state as follows:

In continuation of our administration’s effort to improve the state economy and encourage the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), we have completed the harmonization of multiple taxes and levies collected by different government departments, agencies, and ministries across all business sectors of the state economy including the informal sectors into a single bill. This Harmonized Bill curates all levies, which businesses are expected to pay on an annual basis as a single bill.

This initiative is to promote ease of doing business by ensuring seamless and convenient payment of levies and taxes due to individuals and businesses across the state in equal or unequal tranches and ensure the issuance of Harmonized Bill Certificate upon completion of payment of the total amount.

I hereby note to all business owners in Osun state both in formal and informal sectors that the official online payment channels for the state is pay.irs.os.gov.ng; POS machines in Tax stations across the state; commercial banks across Nigeria; and Money Transfer Services for those outside Nigeria.

In addition, we have also completed the deployment of Automation System for improved service delivery on payment of rent and lease on government properties; processing of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in 45 days; Electronic Affidavit System; Electronic State of Origin and Local Government Area of Origin portal; Mobile tax stations; Online Tax payment system etc.

ADMINSTRATION’S ACHIEVEMENTS AS SHARED ON NEW YEAR DAY

The governor declared as follows:

The good people of Osun state at home and abroad.

I greet you warmly with best wishes of a prosperous and blessed new year. I convey my intimate prayers that the new year will bring us new opportunities, progress and advancement as a state and in our individual lives.

I extend new year greetings to the elders of Osun state; to our royal fathers; to our religious leaders; to the young and the old; to professional elite, to artisans, to students and to womenfolk. Accept my sincere appreciation for your support before my election and for the last one year of my governorship of our dear state. I am humbled by your prayers and mass backing for our administration.

I remain firmly focused on the Five Point Agenda under which you, Osun people, elected us into office. We reaffirm our faith in the principles guiding the five point agenda which are transparency and accountability, open government, localisation, responsive leadership and attunement to citizens’ aspirations.

On the strength of the above, our government devised wholesale approach to governance such as:

●Dismantling bobby traps planted by our predecessor,
●Blocking leakages in public finance, ●Addressing the corruption and revenue diversion in the solid mineral sector,
● Restoring local government administration for grassroot development
● Embarking on mass water project provision
● Executing 91 kilometers of road construction
● Implementing free medical surgeries with over 50,000 beneficiaries;
● Total renovation of 31 schools
● Launching sport sector reforms
● Reviving the major commercial and industrial projects of the state
● Pushing for implementation of agric processing zone in Osun state;
● re-professionalisation of the public service;
● Strong attention to workers’ welfare;
● Tapping into tourism, entertainment and cultural potentials of the state;
● Ramping up efforts for a cargo and commercial airport for Osun state, among others.

Our administration achieved a lot by ensuring belt tightening, reducing cost of governance and denying ourselves many perquisites of office. As a Governor, my official expenditures are covered through the approval process rather than security votes, thereby assuring transparency and accountability.

As of today, our administration is struggling to purchase official vehicles for the state cabinet because the officials of the previous government bolted away with state vehicles. So our cabinet and other top officials have been using their private cars since we appointed them into office. Also, we are still working to renovate the official quarters vandalized by the officials of previous governments. Many of our top officials still operate from their private houses.

Despite the above handicap, our team is determined to continue to deliver on our electoral promises. I am glad to report with gratitude to God that we have remained responsive to the will and aspirations of our people. We get positive feedback and we are satisfied with our high approval ratings.

We are challenged to do more. We are prepared to make corrections where necessary as much as we will remain uncompromising when it comes to anti-corruption drive, transparency and accountability as well due process. As I always affirm, our tenure is married to rule of law and fear of God…

Adeleke is busy creating an Eldorado out of what remained of Osun State barely two years after he took over the driving seat.

Boss Picks

When Governor Adeleke Became Asiwaju of Edeland

Published

3 weeks ago

November 30, 2024

Eric

By Governor’s Office

OFFICIAL PROFILE OF GOVERNOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE, THE NEW ASIWAJU OF EDELAND

Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, the Executive Governor of Osun state and the new Asiwaju of Edeland is a pan Nigerian by birth, by philosophy and by worldview. Born at Enugu as a son of independence on 13th May, 1960, the new Ede frontliner widely acknowledged as the Olosun of Osun is a tactical politician, a businessman, show business activist and a humanist within philanthropism. The ever lively, urbane scion of the Adeleke family of Ede North Local Government is an innovative entrepreneur, a grassroot political figure and a strong advocate of good governance, then as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and now as the Governor of Osun State.

From his childhood, the Asiwaju is a man of complex character, a young man with multiplicity of talents and an adult with widely praised open heart, strong will and constancy of adaptation to ideas and innovations. From his secondary education at Ede Muslim Grammar School to his sojourn to the United States and tertiary education at the Jacksonville State University, Alabama where he majored in criminal justice, the Ede frontliner demonstrated deep business interest, unconventional approach and a rare mastery of intricacies of politics, business and social life.

Despite hailing from a well to do family, the Asiwaju was in the United States and Nigeria, a man in search of opportunities for self growth and advancement. His passion for self development and business prosperity occasioned his joining the Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor between 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company where he served as Vice President from 1990 to 1994.

A suave businessman and administrator, he served as a Director of Guiness Nigeria Limited between 1992- 1999 where he contributed immensely to the expansion of the multinational company. He was later appointed Group Executive Director of Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016. Senator Adeleke is also an acclaimed creative Industry entrepreneur and mentor. As a talented creative figure, he mentored world rated ace musicians while his family members and children are leading stars in the global music industry.

As a man ever restless in pursuit of self growth and opportunities, the Asiwaju again opted to restart his educational sojourn which he suspended because of business and entrepreneurial preoccupations. In 2019 after he was rigged out of a governorship election he clearly won, Governor Adeleke, in a can do spirit, re-enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2021.

All along and considering his family background, the frontliner was for years both a political servant and leader, learning the rope from his father (Senator Ayoola Adeleke) , a second republic progressive Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his brother, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, the First Executive Governor of Osun State. His business teeth were sharpened by his brother, the global business mogul, Dr Adedeji Adeleke while his political potency was strengthened by his sister, the Yeyeluwa of Edeland, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Adeleke- Sanni. The celebrant of today was eventually elected the President of the Adeleke dynasty, representing the sons and daughters of the great Adeleke family at home and abroad.

Having been thus fortified by his innate personality, his family background and his multifaceted experience, his political participation predated 1991 but he took the front seat in 2017 when he was elected with a landslide victory as a Senator for Osun West Senatorial District in 2017. His popularity reached a peak when he won the Osun 2018 governorship election before the open rigging and manipulation that was globally condemned.

As a man of steel character, the frontliner took the gauntlet again in 2022 and beat the incumbent to reclaim the stolen mandate of 2018. Imole as the Governor is popularly known has since been delivering on good governance, winning applause and praises from far and near.

In December 2023, he was honoured with a doctorate degree by the Valley View University, Accra, Ghana. The Vice Chancellor lauded the Governor’s multi-million naira education scholarship as a Senator, his sterling records on workers welfare as a Governor, his performance on infrastructure upgrades and his commitment to due process, rule of law and fear of God.

He has received several awards including the Governor of the Year Award by Champion newspapers in 2023, Sahel Standard Man of the Year in 2022, Vanguard Newspaper Governor of the Year on Infrastructure and a host of other recognition. The frontliner serves on several national governmental committees including being the representative of the South West on the National Minimum Wage Committee.

The new Asiwaju of Edeland is a strong family man, an avid sport lover, a man of God and a David of our time with incessant passion for praise singing and adulation of God Almighty.

Courtesy: Governor’s Office, 2024.