The Chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Jide Ajeigbe and the management team have be decorated as African Emerging Leadership Award by the Africa Emerging Leadership, Research and Development Organisation, Abuja.
The award presentation which held at the Conference room of the Commission’s headquarters office, Agodi, Ibadan was conducted by the organisations Regional Representative, Prof. Maurice Fangnon in company of Dr. Rheefe Khaese and Mrs Constance Opara from the research department of the organisation.
In an earlier remarks before the decoration, the African Regional Head of the organisation, Dr. Khaese said the OYSIEC chairman has proved himself worthy of emulation in the conduct of the “successful and acceptable local government chairmen and council election held on May 12, 2018 in Oyo state despite tensions, hate speeches and negative predictions to tarnish his person and office.
“It is worthy to note that there is a reward for every hardworking both positive and negative. We are grateful to our creator because Mr. Olajide John Ajeigbe hardworking speaks positive, as he is being rewarded with a special prize from the office of Africa Emerging Leadership, Research and Development Organisation.
“The prestigious prize is a major step aimed at identifying him as an illustrious son of this great state and also recognizing him for the immense contributions to the upliftment of democratic institutions both at the grassroot, state and national level.
“This achievement is a great testimony of a tested and trusted family he was born into some years back. As well as the confident repose on him in the very first day in office that he will discharge the onerous responsibility creditably with the fear of God and love of the people that he had done as his tenure had usher in achievement expected of ideal leader far beyond the widest imagination of all stakeholders both home and abroad.”
In his remarks after accepting the honour, Mr. Ajeigbe noted that just like his team members of commissioners and management staff, his intention from the first day he was appointed was to do all within his best to deepen democracy.
He said, “When the body was inaugurated about two years ago, we never knew we will achieve so much to have earn such an international recognition and award.
“We were just doing our own thing as normally as we could, without anything extra to favour anybody or to get any accolades. We knew people in the international community were watching but we never knew we would get any accolade or award from anywhere.
“The award is not for me or the management but for the government and people of the state. I thanked the governor for fishing me out of nowhere because I knew him from nowhere until my appointment. I thank God for using me to write a good story and image for Oyo state. We used to be known as wide, wide West but today we are wise, wise West and it is glaring for all to see.”
According to the Africa Emerging Leadership, Research and Development Organisation, the OYSIEC boss with the honour becomes the first state electoral commission chairman to be so decorated having passed all the test to justify it.
All the other commissioners and management team of the commission were also later decorated as part if the Achievers Team.
