MY TEN KOBO: WALE MUSA@ INFINITY

Today I celebrate my friend, my brother and a great Lasuite, Babatunde Olawale Musa, on his birthday.

Born Maroof Babatunde Olawale Musa to the famous Ayanfefu family of Odo Ayan in Mojoda Epe, some fifty odd years ago, the youthful looking General Manager of Lagos State Transport Management Agency, LASTMA, is a man that has seen it all.

Immediately after our service year, Wale's well known passion for public service found an avenue when he joined the Lagos State Civil Service, as part of a generation of astute and articulate Epe born technocrats, most of whom are now in charge of the state.

He is alAd in part of the set of LASU graduates that joined the civil service around the same period, and who, apart from Kunle Adewale and Wale Mogaji, that are no longer with us, are at the highest level of the service.

So, Wale represents the best of two worlds: his Epe roots and his LASU Heritage.

And he has performed to the credit of both.

First as Hospital Secretary at the Ajeromi General Hospital, before becoming the Secretary to two Consecutive Heads of Service.

A very rare feat.

His achievements as the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue was so outstanding, that nobody was surprised when he was tapped as the Principal Private Secretary to the then newly inaugurated Government of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

It was the highest level of acknowledgement of his loyalty and his administrative ability that the governor, a man who wants only results and not excuses, gave him the assignment to run the most visible and delicate agency of government, LASTMA.

And like all his previous appointments, Wale allied himself to the job 24/7, and not only did he manage to change public perception of the agency, he also led by example.

I remember that dark Friday when the combination of heavy rains, diversion of traffic from the then Abule Egba flyover construction site, and bad roads created an all night traffic at Abule Egba, and guess who called me around 4.30 in the morning telling me he was just driving by my Estate's gate after spending the night clearing traffic on Agbe road? The GM himself!

Happy birthday, Paddy mi, may happy returns.

Omo Epe Aalaro,
Epe to ni Koran, nitori wipe kewu soro ke.

My Ten Kobo+