Raheem Akingbolu
If the belief that each community has its own God-sent helper is anything to go by, one can conveniently say that Mr. Sesan Okere is specially created by God for Aramoko Ekiti. For those of us who were in Secondary School in the 80s, Sesan Okere was one of those firebrand young Aramoko educated elites we were all looking up to as role models. They were not in the first, second or third generation of university graduates produced by the ancient community but their set brought conscious awareness that transformed education in the town.
They wanted as many as possible young folks to acquire university education and they pursued the dream relentlessly through counseling, mentoring and coaching in practical terms. Like the onward Christian soldiers –the Scripture Union of those days, Egbon Sesan and his contemporaries preached the gospel of education as if they wanted to win souls for Christ. It worked as the gesture brought huge revolution and changed the status quo in our community as far as educational development was/is concerned. Today, many people who are doing well in the private and public sectors are living witnesses.
On Wednesday, March 3, Egbon clocked 60 and many people literally roll out the drum to celebrate this enigmatic personage. In the last 48 hours, various social media platforms have been awashed with encomiums,tributes and accolades of all sort,from friends and family in their hundreds.
Looking back and based on my personal assessment of events since yesterday, I have being able to identify what makes Sesan Okere’s birthday unique to his people. As captured by a friend early today, Sesan Okere’s commitment to see everybody around him grow or succeed is unrivalled.
“When he left UNILAG, where he studied Accounting, we all concluded his orientation about lifting people would change because of the mindset that those in such field are miserly. We got it wrong, Egbon Sesan remained himself. Till date, he would tell anybody that cares to listen that he would contribute his quota within his means but would not touch public fund,”
I’m moved and appreciative of good testimonies people have shared about our brother. A young man said he approached Mr. Okere when he didn’t know where else to turn to after securing admission and he (Okere) sent a huge sum of money to him even though they hadn’t met prior to that time. A United Kingdom based Medical personnel painted a glowing picture of how the same Sesan Okere threw his weight behind her when she was to travel to join her husband abroad. It turns a success story. Many youngmen and women in Aramoko have come out to recount how Sesan Okere contributed to their businesses, farming and even building projects.
The Alara-in-council is full of gratitude for his contribution to community development. As the Vice President of Aramoko Development Association (ADA), Okere’s name will forever remain written in gold for being part of the new change agents that have joined Dr Dipo Aladeloye, to redefine our development and its pace in our community. Through Aladeloye and his team, many Aramokos in the Diaspora have now seen the need to let the town feel their impacts. Today, their interventions are felt in the health sector through lifting of Aramoko Comprehensive Health Centre, donation of food items to hundreds of people to cushion the effect of lockdown during the lockdown and provision of job opportunities.
For those of us who appreciate culture and tourism, the team’s greatest contribution was the Aramoko Cultual Heritage Carnival initiatives which commenced four years ago and attracted global audience.
I have not had any spectacular personal relationship with this enigmatic personality *but* what people say about him positively is heartwarming to the dumbest sadist. Therefore, I celebrate Sesan Okere today for his generosity which has been attested to by many people. I celebrate him for giving our people easy access to discuss their needs. I celebrate him for his humility which follows him anywhere he goes. Finally, I celebrate him because he appreciates friendship and the importance of loving one’s town and building personalities and Future Leaders.
He has worked in many segments of the financial sector in Lagos and other places but our people mostly relate with his WEMA Bank days, especially when he agreed to leave his comfort zone in Lagos to resume as the Regional Manager of the bank in charge of Ekiti and Ondo States. He was also, at a time, Head, Remedial Assets Management at the same Wema Bank Plc.
I have heard many politicians brag that their people invited them to throw their hats into the ring but the first one I witnessed is Sesan Okere who was prevailed upon by our people to be politically active. He joined, albeit reluctantly but like the proverbial golden fish that has no hiding place, it doesn’t take a long time before he was spotted by leaders of his All Progressives Congress as a man who could add value and turn things round for the party. No wonder, people trooped out in celebration few months ago, when he was appointed Chairman, Ekiti State Micro-Credit and Enterprises Agency.
To say Mr. Sesan Okere is loved by his people is an understatement, but one lesson I have learnt from the honour accorded him in the last 48 hours is that one should always endeavor to give his best -anytime, any day.
Again, happy birthday sir! You are indeed Omo Ayiye of Aramoko Ekiti.
