Mr Wale Ajani, former Director-General of the Oyo State Liaison Office, Abuja and Lagos, has disclosed that he brought some structural and administrative changes to bear on the office during his tenure.
He said this during an interactive session recently held with members of the South-West Guild of Online Publishers (SWEGOP) in Ibadan.
The former Director-General said the Abuja and Lagos Liaison Office was virtually devoid of activities before he was appointed.
He disclosed that the first thing he did on assumption of office was to change the image of the state, as represented by the Oyo House in Abuja.
Ajani said the Liaison Office was devoid of engagements with federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) before his appointment.
“First thing I did after resumption is to change the image of the Oyo House which is the Embassy of Oyo State in Abuja.
“I discovered that a lot of things were not on the right track. You have to put everything in order because image is everything; perception is key.
“Secondly, I was able to restructure the working administration of the staffers of Oyo House that were posted from Ibadan to Abuja.
“We had a meeting, everyone got a clear schedule of duty. And so, no one was inactive,” the former Director-General said.
Speaking about his involvement with federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), he said there was no engagement with them, prior to his coming into office.
“I checked the office files and discovered that nobody has been engaging the federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on behalf of the state government.
“With the permission of His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, I was able to lead the Oyo State team to more that 40 MDAs for proper engagement on what Omituntun 1.0 was about and also the achievement of Governor Makinde.
“The truth is that there are over 300 federal agencies in Abuja. Every of these agencies have one thing or the other that they are doing and we have 36 states in Nigeria.
“So, the liaison officers’ responsibility is to make sure that you go and ask, how do my state benefit?
“They won’t come and tell you. Nobody will come to you because you are the Liaison Officer or the Director-General. You are just a Director-General in your pocket.
“You have to go and look for opportunities for your people and engage them. It is not the same grammar that I speak when I get to Energy Commission of Nigeria that I am going to speak when I get to the Rural Electrification Agency.
“Most times before you go to these people, you need to research and know exactly what you are going there to tell them. Otherwise, they would just rubbish you or think you are there just to meet and greet them.
“We also tried to make sure that we opened conversation on the short and long term interests of the Seyi Makinde administration,” he said.
The former Director-General of the Liaison Office further disclosed that, while in office, he commenced the process of issuing Certificate of Indigene to the people of the state in the Diaspora.
“The third aspect was that one of the mission of Abuja and Lagos Liaison Office is to issue Certificate of Indigene to the people of Oyo State in the Diaspora.
“Before the dissolution of the government [the first tenure of the Makinde administration], I have started the plans to make it seamless, leveraging on latest technology and thereby making it possible to acquire it without traveling through a long distance,” he said.
The former Director-General thanked Governor Makinde for the opportunity given to him to serve in that capacity, adding that his stay in office was a good re-learning period for him.
“I want to say this: My about nine or ten months in office was a very good re-learning time for me, although, I wasn’t a person that was coming to office that didn’t know what he is going there to do.
“For me, it was a privilege to do what I had been doing before because, as a former President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), I was able to do a lot of things and it is similar.
“I came in with a very clear understanding, vision and focus because I understand the job assigned to me by my boss, Governor Seyi Makinde, as a liaison officer.
“You are to represent the interested of your state at the Federal Capital Territory. It is just like the position of a mini ambassador.
“It is just that some of us don’t enjoy appellation, but I was one of the first set of people that was given [the title of] Youth Ambassador in this country in the early 90’s.
“I have also had the privilege of travelling round the world, representing young people at different global platforms. So, I know the job of an ambassador.
“I was talking to government agencies and development partners on behalf of young people.
“So, it is easier for me to talk to development partners, as the Director-General, Abuja and Lagos Liaison Office,” he added.
