What he lacks in claws, fiery gaze, and extraordinary strength of a devouring Lion, this gentle Lion from Isua Akoko in Akoko South-East Local Government Area of Ondo State substitutes for an honorable demeanor, unassuming and cerebral disposition. Hon. Wale Ozogoro (aka Wale Ozo) is the son of the famous oil magnate from Isua-Akoko of the days of yore named Pa Ikuudabo Ozogoro, who ensured he placed his son Wale Ozo in Secondary school. But unfortunately, he passed away shortly after.
This incident would have made many of his age groups drop out of School as there was no sponsor in sight, but he insisted on making his father proud despite his road being full of challenges. Not only did he finish his Secondary education with flying colors, he went ahead to bag a University degree in Anthropology and capped it with a Master’s in Sociology with a bias in Criminology and Penology. According to him, “Initially, I didn’t set out to go for a Master’s degree, but after graduation and my youth corps service program, I was engaged in civil society and human rights advocacy, which was a carryover of post-University activism of mine. It was during this period I decided to upgrade myself by going for my Master’s degree, I was able to get a job through providence at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). It was very challenging, but I put in my best before quitting to take a political appointment under the late governor Olusegun Kokumo Agagu of Ondo State.”
The Anthropologist/Sociologist didn’t bother to look for a white-collar job again as he got one appointment after the other in the political circle based on his ingenuity and hard work, both in Ondo State and at the Federal level. “After going into politics, I discovered that politics is the best way through which you can impact and serve the larger society positively, if not by way of influencing decisions that would benefit your people, it would be in the form of direct empowerment.”
Wale Ozo, as he is fondly called, rose from one political appointment to the other, such as Commissioner of Ondo State Civil Service Commission, Commissioner of Ondo State Independence Electoral Commission, Chairman of Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, Gombe State, and Chairman of Akoko South East Local Government, Isua Akoko. As the proverbial Ajala travels, despite being in the United States of America most of the time, Hon. Wale Ozogoro, as a grassroots politician, is constantly in touch with his people at home. As a leader in his own right, he ensures nothing goes amiss within his unit, ward, and local government.
His political dexterity came to the fore in the recent gubernatorial election in Ondo State as he spurred his people strategically; to deliver his Unit, Ward, and local government for the APC which led to a resounding victory for Governor Ayedatiwa. “The politics of Akoko South-East is a little bit different, our people are sophisticated politically, they don’t just follow the crowd. For us, money is not the issue, and neither does vote buying have a place here, we look critically at candidates, evaluate their manifestoes, and throw our weight behind anyone who has good programs that will benefit our people, and in that respect, Ayedatiwa stands tall, that was why he had our votes, what he scored here was unprecedented”.
The former Chairman of Akoko South-East is a consummate politician who has contributed in no small measure to his local government and the state at large. “We want the best for our state; that is why we won’t rest on our oars but support the transformative agenda that the governor has for the state. That was why we worked tirelessly with other leaders to ensure seamless victory for the APC candidate in that race. This is our state, making it great is our best option,” he concludes.
Post a Comment