When I was informed, before it became official, that Chief Sarafa Tunji Ishola would be the next Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the first thing I told Bimbo Oyetunde, General Manager, Radio Nigeria (Bronze FM), was ‘watch out for ground-breaking moves even before the close of the window allowed for settling down’.
She was with me when the news filtered in, and was so interested in that particular High Commission, for reasons she enumerated during our discussion. She held the position, like many others, that President Muhammadu Buhari should, ideally, send the best to that mission, owing to the country’s special relationship with the UK, dating back to the era of Colonial Nigeria.
When the information finally became official, not a few people called to enquire about the stuff the new High Commissioner was made of. Former Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, in his usual way of always paying attention to details, was particular about the new ambassador being one who would focus on the job and make Nigerians proud at home and in the UK.
He was quick to point out that there were many areas to explore, both in further strengthening the trade and investment ties of both countries, and restoring the confidence of Nigerians living in the UK. He specifically noted that it would take a sound mind to achieve visible success without giving in to distractions. Aganga was a star Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, so he definitely knew what he was talking about.
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) expert, who has worked with the United Nations in different strategic capacities, was also eager to know if Ishola was a round peg in a round hole.
“Yemi, I saw that The Point did a full page advert to congratulate the new High Commissioner on his 60th birthday. What do you know about him?” Lola Visser-Mabogunje asked.
It did not take me so much time to convince her to go to sleep. Having known the Baba Adeen of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta states for as long as I have known him, as Chairman of chairmen when he was Chairman, Abeokuta North Local Government; Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, among countless sterling roles he has played in the private sector, being able to prove his capacity was somewhat effortless.
Still, I held my breath. Why? I have, in the past, criticised the choice of certain persons for certain positions and risked appearing hypocritical in the present case, if the new HC accidentally fell short of what some would have considered to be a hype at the time.
“For those who know Sarafa Ishola well, this often avoided area of calming frayed nerves and settling the thorniest of socio-political or religious crises is his comfort zone”
But the former minister had hardly assumed office when the ink patterns of respectable pens began to depict a new era in the history of the Mission.
Many of the staff on ground said, for instance, that when the new High Commissioner held multiple strategy meetings on the very day he assumed office, they knew they had to roll up their sleeves beyond the elbow to keep pace with him. The fact that he flew in to the country that same day was even more ‘scary’, according to them.
“For someone to arrive UK the same day, assume office, and instead of settling down first, proceed to hold such strategic meetings, back to back, suggested that you either sit up, in line with his vision, or seek posting out of the mission,” one of the workers said.
Little wonder, Nigerians, at home and in the diaspora, have continued to describe the new era at the Mission as exceptional, barely two months after the former minister, who is gradually assuming the position of “poster boy” for the massive political tent of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, took charge.
Those who spoke about the ‘new era’ NHC painted the ‘reboot’ picture right from the Tafida Hall, the Mission’s reception hall, which has undergone a face-lift to match the mood of the moment. This only throws up the High Commissioner’s penchant for standards, which covers human, structural and aesthetic excellence.
For me, in particular, the fact that there have been testimonies of a discernable change in work orientation at the Mission, which has led to the Immigration section treating 17,000 passport applications, by Friday, July 1, 2021, out of a backlog of 18,000 awaiting processing as of March 31, 2021, among other feats, has only helped to cement Ishola’s track record as a silent achiever.
Aside from clearing this backlog, the Mission said 14,189 passport applications had been captured from April 16, 2021, as of Monday, June 7, 2021, while 12,580 had been issued and delivered to Nigerians in the UK. Though those in charge are only doing their job, the “before and after” assessment of the situation at the Mission makes commendation important.
It was particularly heartwarming to read that the Mission had been able to identify and break the ranks of passport racketeers, who had made life difficult for many Nigerians in London. More still, it has commenced deliberate efforts to foster unity back home by enlisting leaders of Nigerian ethnic groups in its ‘Unity’ drive, also aimed at supporting the Federal Government’s efforts at tackling insecurity.
For those who know Sarafa Ishola well, this often avoided area of calming frayed nerves and settling the thorniest of socio-political or religious crises is his comfort zone.
It was therefore not a surprise that the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the UK, Dr. Nnnanna Igwe, and Chairman of Nigerian Elders, Chief Adebayo Oladimeji, who led Yoruba leaders to Sarafa Ishola’s peace meeting, did not leave without enhanced confidence in the oneness of Nigeria. The two ethnic groups reportedly emphasised the need for open, frank and peaceful dialogue as the best option in conflict resolution. This could only have been achieved through tactical presentation of the motive of the meeting laced with healthy experience in similar terrains.
This takes me back to what I saw as a very big crisis, which he resolved within 30 minutes in Abeokuta South Local Government, just before he assumed office as the NHC to the UK. My father, Alhaji Tayo Sowunmi, had just been nominated as the Baba Adeen of Ijemo, a frontline community in Egbaland, known for bravery and doggedness. I informed the former minister about the chieftaincy title, wondering why the title of Baba Adeen of a ‘single community’ like Ijemo would warrant the kind of controversy and confrontation that trailed the initial announcement, when he (Chief Ishola) was turbanned the Baba Adeen of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States without rancour.
In anger and fear for my father’s wellbeing, I had told him to say ‘thank you’ to those who deemed him fit for the title, and politely reject the nomination. But the High Commissioner said ‘eewo’ (abomination). “He has been nominated and he will be turbaned,” he said casually. And we left the discussion there.
In less than one hour, the leader of the main opposition group, who had vowed, amid threats, that his nominee would be the next Baba Adeen, was on the phone with my father asking for an appointment to see him on the directive of Chief Sarafa Tunji Ishola. Till today, he never told me the details of how he resolved the crisis, yet he never warned me ahead that he was going to wade in.
That he has brought these innate skills, sound educational background, and enviable international exposure to bear on his new assignment is therefore not a surprise. I am glad that former Minister Aganga, Madam Mabogunje and many others who had checked with me when Chief Ishola’s name was announced as the new High Commissioner, would now have a reason to always take my words to the bank on related issues.
And for those who have maintained that former Governor Amosun has an eye for star performers in different fields, they have scored a memorable goal this time. Though the train has just commenced its motion, the sound of the engine is, perhaps, all we need to determine if the ride would be hitch-free or not.
