I write to persuade, not to impress. In editorial material and personality appraisal, I was taught to be specific by saying the obvious, such that liberal minds can agree. I love promoting achievers to interest the aspiring youth towards hardworking in line of integrity. Industrious souls set a target goal. Those who prefer a lasting glory pursue their goals holistically. They dot the i and cross the t. Such people care much for their ancestral pedigree; they guide their names and sustain an honourable path. It is always hard seeing them in the top, when they do; they are pathfinder, change agent and immortal figure.
At every advantage to proof their uniqueness, they write their names in gold and do things differently. Most of them are products of petty traders, farmers, artisans and have not. The few exceptional are leadership material whose credits can be effectively used to run a system, I mean an unblemished records.Dele Momodu is a journalist of international repute and an entrepreneur. He is an employer of labour. He has a touching background and heavy story. God makes and trains him. When you read of his early survival, you will be touched that God must have spared him for some assignments.
As an ardent reader, I’ve read a lot about him. Hails from Edo but grew up in Ife. I learnt he visited Edo last month, that was, 29 years after his last visit. He grew up in Osun, Ile-Ife precisely. Has his maternal lineage with Gbongan, a town situated few kilometers to Ile-Ife along Ife-Ibadan expressway. The mark of raising a giant goes to the parent while the giant too is credited for preparing himself. I don’t see him as an accidental leader. He has paid the price of his aspiration.As many have adjudged, Nigeria is a great nation. It has had many accidental leaders whose antecedence were crowded with questionable actions. You read about them on the pages of newspaper of alleged corruption and other social vices parading unsubstantiated source of income. They are the government and at the same the CEO of contracting firms. Most of them steal and bequeath the stealing to their children at the detriment of common masses. They traded the destiny of the nation for personal aggrandizement. They tried to build an imaginary empire. Nigeria remains here because we keep repeating these failed individual. We have seen the best they could offer Nigeria.
The journey to design our fortune or misfortune for another four years has begun. Must we repeat the same failure? I was trained not to worship money but adorn integrity. If you are with no questionable integrity, you have won me.
I admire Dele Ojutelegan Momodu for his integrity, uprightness, mental credentials, physical agility and versatility. He is one of the few I read in my current affairs class while undergoing journalistic tutelage. He does not only remain very relevant in the profession, Dele Momodu also has his integrity intact. He has neither directly nor indirectly linked to any corrupt cases. Not many of his colleagues are still active and point of reference in the field. He has access. He assesses with his access, offers pieces of advice to every successive government since he became a journalist.
He will highlight the country`s problem and state the solution. When those in authority refused to act on the highlighted challenges, he took up the task to challenge the challenges himself. Generals of failed us, doctors, engineers e.t.c have failed us, journalists who write, prepare manifestos for them should be given benefit of doubt. Aare Dele has fought the lion. He paid the debt his ancestors never owe. He escaped the military junta of Sani Abacha by sneaking out of Nigeria through Ghana.
In the course of my interaction with Aare Dele, I know him to be a truthful man. What he can`t do, he won`t promise. When I see God in your ways, I fall in love. The most honourable path is the path of truth, toe it and remain relevant to reasonable people. Such is one of the graces Dele Momodu enjoys.As the race to 2023 is getting closer and hotter, I enjoin his political party to respect and present candidate on personality merit. Nigerians are tired of old cargo. We need a new man of idea. If it is a game as usual, it will be of no interest to the reasonable Nigerians. Give Nigerians a gold, we will treasure it.
Aare Dele is gold!
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