Much Ado About Juicy Political Positions
By Karounwi Oladapo
November 11, 2022.
No Position in Government is juicy or non juicy but it is the individual occupant of any Position that determines what it is; juicy or non juicy.
For the purpose of this article, the slang Juicy does not necessarily in terms of money available to exploit in an Office but in terms of Powers and Influence to be wielded and the Strategic importance attached to the Office.
If a juicy individual is appointed into any Office, such Office instantly becomes juicy and vice versa.
During the Administration of Otunba Niyi Adebayo in Ekiti State, the Offices of the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission occupied by Chief George Femi Ojo Saribi and the Chairman, State Universal Primary Education Board, SUPEB, occupied by Dr Gboyega Isijola were the juiciest. Not the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, (SSG) or the Office of the Chief of Staff, (CoS).
During the first term of Chief Ayo Fayose, the Position of the Personal Assistant, (PA) occupied by Mr. Goke Olatunji was the juiciest Position. In the second coming of Ayo Fayose, the Position of the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, occupied by Mr. Lere Olayinka, took pre-eminence over the Position of the Commissioner for Information, occupied by Chief Lanre Ogunsuyi and the Position of the Chief of Staff, occupied by Chief Dapo Anisulowo.
When Engr Segun Oni was Ekiti State Governor, the Position of the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission occupied by Otunba Femi Akinyemi Falex was the juiciest. The occupant made the LGSC chairmanship more Visible and Influential than that of the Secretary to the State Government and the Chief of Staff.
During the Government of Dr Kayode Fayemi 1, the Position of the Chief of Staff, occupied by Hon. Yemi Adaramodu, was the juiciest. In the JKF 2, the Office of the Special Adviser/DG, Bureau of Public Procurement, occupied by Mr. Seun Odewale Egghead; the Office of the Chief of Staff, (CoS) occupied by Hon.Biodun Omoleye and the Office of the Special Adviser on Road/Transport and Infrastructure, occupied by Hon. Adunmo Rufus, were among the juiciest.
At the Federal level, during the Obasanjo regime as elected President, a non office holder, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe made himself the juiciest as “a friend of the President”. He was the most influential in that Government.
During Jonathan era, the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, occupied by Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki took pre-eminence over the Office of the Vice President of the Federation, occupied by His Excellency Sambo Dasuki.
Under the Buhari Administration as elected President, the Office of the Chief of Staff, occupied by Abba Kyari which was once the juiciest, became less visible and attractive when another person, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, took over, under same President. As of today, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation/Minister for Justice, occupied by Abubakar Malami, SAN, is about the juiciest.
The juiciest Position under the next President may be the Office of the Personal Assistant to the President. Who knows?
How does Political Office seeker make himself/herself juicy?
This is by building his/her Capacity through investment in himself/herself so that he/she becomes a creator and innovator of irresistible ideas, and by building his/her Character to earn the trust and confidence of his/her employer.
Political Office seekers and the Populace should stop tagging any Office as juicy or otherwise since those Offices are what the Political Office holders make of them. The writer of this article is a classic example in this regard!