By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
When a top civil servant retires from service, there are two possible things that can happen. Those that the official is leaving behind may rejoice at hgis leaving, in case he was not good to themm or, on the other hand, his former colleagues may not be happy about his exit, if he was good to them.
Left to the workers in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the 34 and half years stint in service of the immediate past Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office (CSO), Saheed Kayode Yemi Adelakun, is not enough.
They would have preferred that the man, popularly called S.K.Y. or Baba FISH, because he was the chairman of FISH (Federal Integrated Staff Housing) Implementation Committee, stayed another two years to see the project to final conclusion.
According to his colleagues and other workers, he meant different thing sto different people, but to many he was Mr. Generosity because everyone had a gift each time he returned from his trips.
According to the president of the Joint Union Negotiating Coucil, OHOSF chapter, Comrade Bolaji Sunday Olaiya, during the send-off ceremony for Adelakun, who retired from service after attaining the mandatory age of 60 years, Adelakun “ran a leadership ready to achieve, he personally led sanitation in the entire office of the Head of Service. He is one that never gives up until he sees results. He was fatherly all through his service years.”
“This office would have caught fire long ago but for his smile, which disarms agitating workers each time we take our grievances to him. How do you get angry with a boss when you are agitating and he is smiling?
“He has been a father in service, we are going to miss him. I doubt if anybody will step into his shoes and fit in properly because of all the programmes, projects and policies he has put in place. It is a serious minus for us; if we had our way, we would have bent the rules and extended his service for additional two years but sadly we have to let him go. He has been a good man. This environment is wearing a facelift, all thanks to him. Since he came, he has been working to put things in place. We wish him well in his next phase of endeavour.
“Should you decide to go for politics in future be rest assured we will mobilise workers because we can vouch for your integrity and character.
“As far as the federal workers are concerned, this FISH programme must not die or else we will have issues with the management,” Olaiya said.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, in her remarks, observed that while Adelakun’s powerful dress sense and his carriage would be missed, his passion to see things through would be missed more.
Oyo-Ita eulogised the virtues of Adelakun, and called on federal civil servants in the country to improve their performance and service delivery to Nigeria, in line with the desire of President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
She urged other workers to emulate his track record of performance in terms of dedication to duty and the unusual skills he possessed.
Oyo-Ita said that Adelakun was honoured by his colleagues, serving and retired federal Permanent Secretaries, other senior staff in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and senior civil servants service-wide, especially for the successes recorded under his watch as chairman of the FISH programme.
According to Oyo-Ita, “I can confirmed that he is a very hardworking and committed man. Give him an assignment and you can go to sleep because he is on top of his game. I don’t even know when he sleeps.
“We have known each other for a while right from the treasury family days, we have moved together right from director to permanent secretary and by the grace of God I moved on to become Head of Service. But all along we have always been able to relate very well.
“Of course, as it is to be expected where you have a boss and subordinate, it is unlikely to avoid tension but, despite those times, he has always remained humble and respectful despite the fact that we have been colleagues at a time. He always makes sure that he corrects or advises, depending on what the situation is.
“He has a lot of foresight and is very proactive. You have heard all the encomiums on his wonderful contribution to the FISH programme. He is known as Baba FISH. The FISH programme started years back but did not have that push. As soon as I came in as Head of Service, I looked at the programme and discussed with him. He showed a lot of knowledge because he was there at the first coming of the FISH programme. And I asked what is stopping us from revisiting this programme? And he said all he wants is my support and I said why not. Today, the rest is history. The FISH programme will not die, you can be sure of that.
“He is powerful dresser with a lot of swag. God has brought him far because to have such a glorious end to your career that spanned 34 years or so could only be possible by the grace of God. To leave as a permanent secretary is no small feat. It is today that people don’t know what it means to become a permanent secretary, in those days a permanent secretary sat in council and advised the head of federal government. So to be part of such a level, honestly, is a thing of joy for us, his friends and family
“To depart on this level is a thing of joy. He is leaving on a bright note and when ovation is loudest.
“To workers, my advise is that they have to be very committed and dedicated to their work, be loyal to the administration, sincere, uphold the tenets of the civil service. They should be improving themselves and not rest on their oars. They should improve themselves in their skills, intellectual capabilities, maintain discipline and keep the ethics of the service.
“With the exit of Adelakun, my word for workers is that they should not lose heart as regards FISH, it will go on and become even more successful. We have seen the dedication he put to his job and I believe, if civil servants borrow a leaf from him, they too will get to the pinnacle of their career.”
In his response, Adelakun, urged workers to be dedicated to their duties so as to reap the benefits of hard work.
He said that civil servants should always endeavour to put in their best under any circumstance.
“Give your job the best you can, be honest and pray for God’s guidance while carrying out your responsibility. Civil service is a reservoir of knowledge and that knowledge should be used for the growth of the nation,”he said.
He attributed the success of his career to the favour and mercy of God, and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for giving him the opportunity to serve as a Federal Permanent Secretary.
Adelakun, thanked the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Oyo-Ita, for creating a good working environment for him, describing her as a boss that was not bossy. He also thanked his colleagues for their collaboration and cooperation while he was in office: “The HOS is my boss but not bossy, giving me free hand to operate and always appreciative of little assignments.”
To his colleagues in the Common Services Office he said, “Continue to do the best you can under the circumstance. It is not easy to work as civil servants as you know our salaries are not too friendly and there are other harsh conditions around. Despite all that, what you should just do is give it the best you can, pray for God’s guidance and be honest. You tolerated me, you have always been cooperative and I want you to extend same to whoever is taking over.”
To the workers’ union he said, “The days of banging tables are over,” and thanked them for their cooperation, which contributed to his successful career.
“After 34 and half years in service, I have to thank God for bringing me to a peaceful end in service to my nation. I thank God that the President of Nigeria gave me that opportunity to serve my nation and Nigerians in various capacities. And to the Head of Service, for giving me the opportunity and encouragement to deliver to the best I could, especially when it came to the FISH programme.
“My joy knows no bounds. I’m very grateful also to the people that worked with me and made all the successes possible.
“I will miss the good people in the service. I will miss the tremendous networking that we have in the civil service. A lot of people don’t understand that the civil service has a reservoir of knowledge; it is only when you come in that you know the strength of the civil service.
“The secret of success is God Almighty, my wife, for giving me all the backing, and my children.”
Adelakun, a chartered accountant, joined the Federal Civil Service in 1982 as Higher Executive Officer before he was appointed Federal Permanent Secretary in November 2013.
Born in Lagos on May 15, 1957, Adelakun started his career as a federal civil servant in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 1983 as an accounts officer and served as finance attaché to the Nigerian High Commission in Port of Spain, Pretoria, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
He was among those appointed as permanent secretary in November 2013. He resumed December 31 same year.