THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF OSUN It will not be out of place to refer to the name Moshood Olalekan Adeoti as a synonym...
THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF OSUN
It will not be out of place to refer to the name Moshood Olalekan Adeoti as a synonym with politics and political activities in the State of Osun. This is in view of the fact that the current Secretary to the Government of the state remains an enigma, haven climbed the political ladder right from the grassroots to the state and national levels.
To members of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Adeoti remains the man they can relate with, even at their most critical moments. He recognises most of them by their first names, even in the crowd.
Adeoti is an individual who has had the sweet and the bitter experiences as rewards for his political activities in the state. He had enjoyed the sweet aroma of being appointed into sensitive political positions and had also suffered the pangs of being detained in two federal prisons located in the state on trumped-up charges of a phantom bomb blast and arson among others.
Born in Iwo, headquarters of Iwo Local Government Council Area of the state on February 27, 1953 into the family of the late Alhaji Abduwahab Adeoti of Olode’s Compound, Gidigbo Quarters, Iwo, he started his elementary school education at the District Council Primary School in 1959 and in 1963, he got transferred to Aipate Baptist Day School, all in Iwo, where he finished in 1964 with a Primary Six Leaving Certificate.
Despite pressure from few family members and some of his classmates I the elementary schools he attended to learn a vocation, as it was the practice in his days, the young Moshood stuck to his gun in his determination to further his education.
It was this that forced his father to accede to his request to obtain the entrance examination form of the Local Authority Secondary Modern School, Iwo. The young Moshood Adeoti passed the entrance examination and was admitted into the school in 1967 and completed the three-session programme in 1969 in flying colours.
Not satisfied with his level of education, in 1970, he proceeded the then elitist Baptist High School, also in Iwo, where he sat for and passed the West Africa School Certificate Examination in 1974.
It was at this stage that he tried his luck and went into farming by establishing his private business.
Haven had a firm grip of his farming business, the young Adeoti decided once again to pursue his education career to the next level by seeking and securing admission into the University of Benin to study Business Administration in 1980 and in 1984, he sat and passed for his final examination and was awarded the Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration.
Throughout his university days, Moshood Adeoti still spared time to come to Iwo on regular basis to see to the welfare of his workers working on his farm and also participate in the political activities of the council area.
For his one-year mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC) programme, he was deployed to Kaduna State and was finally posted to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where he served as Graduate Assistant.
At the ABU, he was offered immediate employment after his national service as a reward for his sterling performance and dedication to his duties. This he humbly rejected, as the urge to participate in political activities in Iwo and taking care of his thriving business took better part of him.
All his political efforts eventually paid off as he got elected as Councillor in Iwo Local Government Council in 1988, where he served till 1989.
He was appointed and served as Supervisor for Education from 1991 to 1993 before he was deployed to the Finance and Economic Department as Supervisor, where he served till he became the Secretary to the Local Government Council (SLG), a position he held till the third republic was truncated by the General Sanni Abacha-led military junta.
As a young man with business acumen, Alhaji Adeoti invested all his earnings from his farm produce in buying shares from blue chip companies, including multinationals and even served on the boards of some of them.
With the return of the the country to civil rule, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti was appointed the Chairman of Iwo Local Government Council by the Chief Adebisi Akande-led administration in June 2002. This position he held till the government was ousted in a controversial poll in May 2003.
After holding several other political positions both in government and party levels, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti was appointed as the Secretary to the State Government of Osun in January, 2011 by the incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration, a position he is holding till date.
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES:
1. General Secretary, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) Youth Wing, Iwo Local Government – 1978 – 1983.
2. Administrative Secretary, United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), Iwo Local Government – 1997 – 1998.
3. State Delegate for Alliance for Democracy (AD) 1998 – 2003.
4. Organising Secretary, AD, Iwo Local Government – 2001 – 2002.
5. State Chairman, Alliance for Democracy (AD) 2003 – 2006.
6. State Chairman, Action Congress (AC) 2006 – 2010.
7. State Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Dec. 2010 – Jan. 2011.
Awards in his Kitty include:
1. Award of Excellence by Nigeria Institute of Physicists – October, 2014 2. Fellow, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria – July, 2012
3. Astute Mobilizer, Forum for the Patriotic Members of APC – March, 2016
4. Distinguished Leader, the International Association of Lions Clubs, Ede Mopo Lions Club – March, 2016
5. Merit Award as Advocate of Democracy, Modern Progressives Awareness, State of Osun – May, 2014
5. Politician of the Year, Nigerian Union of Journalists, OSBC Chapel – December, 2015
6. Outstanding Alumnus, Osun State Students, UNIBEN Chapter – 2012
7. Award of Excellence (Distinguished Islamic Contributor), Arabic Teachers’ Association of Nigeria, Ibadan North East Chapter, Oyo State – December, 2016
8. Award of Excellence in Technological Development and Humanity by National Association of Academic Technologists, UNIOSUN Branch – May, 2017
9. Exemplary Leader, West African Youth Parliament – March, 2016
10. Patron, Omoluabi Progressive Association – November, 2013
11. Award of Excellence by Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineering Students – March, 2016
12. Patron, University of Benin Alumni Association, State of Osun Branch – November, 2013
13. Best Politician of the Year, Sherifat Support Group, Office of the First Lady, State of Osun – March, 2014
14. Meritorious Service Award by Government Technical College, Iwo – 2016
15. Award of Excellence by the Federation of Iwo Land Students Union (FILSU) – 2015
16. Award as Icon of Nation Building in Nigeria by African Students Union Parliament (ASUP) – 2018
17. Award as Political Icon by Odidere Academy – 2016
His personal qualities include being creative, trustworthy, energetic, humorous, a good listener and team player.
He has team work spirit, managerial ability, strong passion for excellence, self-motivation and being open to new ideas.
Hobbies are watching football (strong supporter of Arsenal FC) and playing Ayo, a traditional game.
Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti is married with children.
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