Business
MY ENCOUNTER WITH HON. ROTIMI MAKINDE BY ADEBOYE ADEBAYO.*
Let me use this medium to specially Congratulates my adopted elder brother, Hon. Rotimi Makinde on his successful screening at the State of Osun House of Assembly and his eventual swearing-in ceremony as a member of the reputable statutory board of the Judiciary Service Commission, State of Osun.
I was at the gallery of the hallow chamber of the State of Osun House of Assembly to solidarise with him and expectedly as a reputable federal lawmaker, after a lot of positive comments and encomiums from honourable members of our dear house and the respected Mr. Speaker, he graciously and gratefully took a bow and go.
How I wish I am a lawmaker, my head swelled up. That short event at the House corrected some impressions I had about few of our honorable house members and it endeared few of them who are spectacular to me which I will make known soon.
Incidentally, last week Wednesday, I met my Egbon again at the Exco chambers of the Governor’s office being the day of State Executive Meeting, I had gone there to see if I could meet with Mr. Governor whom my meeting with is long overdue. I was looking for Mr. Governor and I met my Egbon waiting patiently to be sworn-in on that day. (Mo n wa owo lo, mo pade iyi lona). I could not wait because I didn’t plan it but usually going by his humane character he greeted me warmly, I wished him well, I greeted other members of the State Executive Council before I left.
I pray Almighty God in his mercy to grant Hon. Rotimi Makinde the needed wisdom, Knowledge and understanding to perform creditably well in this tasky but reputable new assignment, as our country is in dire need of a very robust and standard legal & Judiciary reforms for the development of our justice system and progress & growth of our Land.
Permit me to also Congratulate the Chief Judge of the State; Hon Justice Adepele Ojo and other members of the reputable commission and I wish them all very well in all their endeavours.
Honourable Makinde has always been a respectable member of many reasonable WhatsApp groups online and we have had cause to agree & disagree over issues of the State politics and National developments quite numbers of time. His presence on the media is powerful, he is not the type that dodges issues, he followed issues consciously and his very many blunt comments, observation and explanations have been helping some of us.
On a fateful day, he sought my attention after he had gone through one of my numerous works online, when I saw his comment seeking my attention I was humbled and heeded the call immediately.
Later on that same day he spoke with me on several issues, we had a long conversation on phone, on some issues, he corrected me, and advised me on some other issues. He encouraged on so many things that were bothering me before. He talked to me as a younger brother, man to man and as a young progressive politician. I was thrilled and I immediately remembered my last physical encounter with him. It was during the early days of Ogbeni Till day break program, it was a long day for all of us that fateful day and we were preparing again for another long night, I was under pressure to deliver on my duties and in the course of that I unintentionally harassed him, he was a bit furious that night but he didn’t allow the sunset to meet the anger in him. I saw this as a great trait and quality of a good leader, that a man I had once harassed was again talking like a loving brother to me , immediately I gave it to him that he is indeed a leader that is worthy of emulation. There and then I requested for a courtesy visit appointment and he gave me.
On the appointed day, I called the State Coordinator of Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation; AGF; Hon. Tijani Sikiru to accompany me to Ile – Ife to see my Egbon, he agreed to go and learn with me and we set out to his residence in Ife.
On getting there, he welcome us very warmly and immediately, alongside other visitors that we met there, he ushered us to his beautifully decorated and neat dinning room, we had a very delicious and refreshing breakfast before we retired to his private sitting for why I was there.
He had a very long, meaningful, scintillating, encouraging and hopeful discussion with us. We poured out our mind likewise himself on many issues after which we left.
My take aways from that encounter that day were; I saw a man of taste who is very neat, of high class and very humble going by the way he related with his guests, his domestic staff and all the people, young and old who came visiting.
I saw a man who loves Asiwaju Tinubu, who respects Baba Bisi Akande and I indeed saw a man who is in love with Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Please my readers should not tell anybody this, ‘I doubt if Rauf Aregbesola can do any thing wrong in the face of Rotimi Makinde”.
I saw a man who loves progressive politics in its entirety with no apology about it, I saw a man who loves Ife to be great, by the numbers of people trooping to his house for political reasons, I saw a man who is working assiduously to make Ile – Ife belong to the progressive party totally and he is ready to bury his ego, status and ready to sacrifice to achieve that because he believes his home town will be better off under the fold of the progressives, I know what I mean because of what I saw.
I saw a team worker who is ready to work with anybody no matter your class either high or low to achieve any political aims of the progressive party.
I saw a man that easily forgives especially the young people, I saw in him a man that wants youths to be liberated politically and economically, I saw a man who is ready to do anything within his reach for the upliftment of humanity.
He shared a lot of experiences with us during his sojourn in the Theatre World, his days as an Accountant at the NNPC and his experience at the National Assembly among other journey of life but he loves Aregbesola so much and at no price can anybody take that away from him.
Hon. Makinde is my kind of person. We shared the same ideology about progressive politics and leaders. He thought me a lot of lessons about life. I wish I had this encounter with him before my lost election earlier this year.
Hon. Rotimi Makinde is a worthy leader, a dependable and trusted one that all youths in our political camp should continue to emulate and to always see as a worthy mentor that can be of immense benefits, he is very unlike numerous others in our political family.
The take aways from this encounter have indeed equipped, encouraged, challenged and braced up myself and my state coordinator of AGF for the political and life challenges ahead which is very important to me.
Thank you all.
*_Adeboye Adebayo is social & political analyst, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, National Publicity Secretary; Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation, AGF, Leader of the Youths and a Raufist to the core._*
Can We Have More Bankers Like Victoria Mulero? An epitome of ‘omoluabi’
In February of this year, I needed to open a new bank account for salary purposes, as required by the management of the new company I had just joined.
I considered First Bank, Access Bank, and Sterling Bank. After some thought, I chose Sterling Bank—not because I found them superior—but because I believed they had fewer customers, which I hoped would save me from long queues and unnecessary delays.
I visited the Sterling Bank branch at Akowonjo to open the account. Unfortunately, the staff member who attended to me didn’t inspire confidence. She appeared distracted—smiling at her phone, clearly engrossed in a private chat—far from the level of professionalism one would expect in a bank setting. I had a feeling this would lead to problems down the line.
When my first salary was paid into the account, my suspicion was confirmed. Sterling Bank restricted access to my funds—I couldn’t transfer money or make withdrawals at the counter. I visited their Fatai Atere branch at Ladipo, Mushin to complain, where I was informed that the account opened for me was a “Kaikai” account—a type I had never heard of. Apparently, this account type is meant for individuals who lack the required documents during account creation. But I had submitted all necessary documents, so why was such an account opened for me?
At the Fatai Atere branch, I was attended to by a remarkable banker named Victoria Mulero. She requested my NIN, which I didn’t have on me at the time. Rather than send me back home, she asked if I had a digital copy. I did, and she graciously gave me her email address so I could forward it to her. With that, she resolved the issue promptly and professionally.
However, the following month, in March, the same restriction happened again. I returned to the Fatai Atere branch, and once again, Victoria Mulero handled my complaint with efficiency and kindness, resolving it without delay.
I hoped the matter was finally settled, but when my April salary arrived, the restriction was imposed yet again. This time, I was beyond frustrated and ready to replace Sterling Bank as my salary account. Still, I visited the Fatai Atere branch one last time. Once more, Victoria Mulero resolved the issue with grace and determination.
This write-up is a tribute to Victoria Mulero of Sterling Bank, Fatai Atere branch. She is a rare gem—respectful, diligent, and genuinely customer-focused. She went above and beyond, following up with the Akowonjo branch through calls and emails until the matter was fully resolved. She handled every situation with patience and empathy, treating the job as if the bank belonged to her family.
To be honest, I’ve had unpleasant experiences with many bankers, especially female staff. Too often, they carry personal frustrations into the banking hall and take it out on customers. But Victoria is different. She exemplifies what true customer service should be.
We may not all be the same, but treating people with respect and kindness is a skill that can be learned—and Victoria clearly has. Let’s celebrate her for being a model professional and a beacon of hope in an industry that too often lacks empathy.
Without any fear of contradiction, I say boldly that Victoria Mulero is a good ambassador of Sterling Bank and her parents too deserve encomium for raising a well trained daughter and impacting an attitude of ‘ omoluabi’ in her. We need more of Victoria Mulero in our banking industry.
Seun Jacob Ogunbiyi
Known as Olùkọ́, the therapeutic writer and Lagos based journalist
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