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On behalf of myself and the family, I join the family, friends and associates of emeritus Professor Olugbemiro Jegede to pay glowing tribute to a quintessential personality on his grandiose entrance into the septuagenarian club of senior elders.
At 70, Professor Jegede has engraved his footprints on the national and local landscape, cutting an ambassadorial image and universal recognition for himself. At the global arena, he has served as a mentor and a navigating compass to a horde of young men and women who are making giant strides in their chosen vocations and endeavors. The local community had also bestowed the chieftaincy title of Ogurefa of Ogori land on him in recognition of his developmental activities and exploits within the community.
Growing up as a youth in the early 1970s, Professor Jegede’s name was a recurring decimal and a point of reference for the younger ones. As a student of the famed Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he was in the vanguard of his community students’ platform, the Ogori Students Association (OSA). He distinguished himself and served credibly as the Editor of the association’s mouth-piece, the ASEKEE magazine.
On a personal level, a documentation of my stewardship as the Chief Servant of Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area between 2003 and 2007 would not be complete without acknowledging his contributions. He did not only endorse my candidature but supported our campaigns morally and financially. During my tenure in office, his house in Ogori provided comfort for most of our esteemed visitors who were treated to the best hospitality at his personal expense. Significantly, his support for my leadership came at a time when politics in our beloved community was viewed from the clannish prism. While I belong to the Eni clan of Ogori, Professor Jegede is of the Onu stock.
At the public arena, Professor Jegede is noted for his diligence and result-oriented attitude to work. His tenure at the National Open University of Nigeria as Vice Chancellor witnessed an exponential growth in the curriculum and physical structure of the institution. Under his watch as Secretary to the Kogi State Government, he brought some measure of finesse and intellectualism into the art of governance.
Professor Jegede’s life at 70 is a classic narration of a personage who through hard work, perseverance and focus rose to become an international citizen, a great ambassador of substance and a leading light in the socio-economic matrix of the nation.
Happy birthday Sir, the emeritus professor, developmental advocate, proponent of the common good of the community, lover of nature, and our own Babaeto, the Ogurefa of Ogori land. We wish you more years of service to the community and the nation.
Hon. Mathew D. Keyi, Ph.D
The Aderogba of Ekirin-Ade land and
former Chairman, Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area, 2003-2007…. Continue reading
