No fewer than 83 officers of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), were last week promoted and decorated with new ranks at the Corps Headquarters, Abeokuta, the state capital.
The officers promoted to the rank of directors were: Director, Traffic Training and Public Education, Commander Sola Bamidele, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Commander Babatunde Michael Ajayi and Director, Finance and Account, Commander Ijiola Aliu.
Speaking at the ceremony to mark the officers’ elevation, the Commander/Chief Executive Officer of the Corps, Commander Ayo Sangofadeji said their promotion was a reflection of their hard work and commitment to their assigned duties, while imploring them not to rest on their oars.
Sangofadeji, while expressing delight at the decoration exercise, maintained that their ranks came with more responsibilities, loyalty and dedication to duties. He said ‘’A journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. Your promotion, although is a thing of joy, has given you more responsibilities. If you think you will have more freedom at the top, the reverse is the case.
“Those at the lower ranks even have more freedom than those at the top. You deserve to be promoted as such; I implore you not to rest on your oars, as there is more work to be done. You have to open your eyes, you don’t have to sleep so that we can deliver the job assigned to us”, he said.
Sangofadeji advised the officers to be more effective and efficient at their duty post to ensure that safety is guaranteed and to always respect their uniforms wherever they may go. He urged them to ensure that they lead well and show good example to their junior officers. He also urged the officers who are yet to be promoted to continue work harder, be prayerful, diligent and dedicated to duty, believing that one day it will be their turn. He said no sentiment was permitted in the promotion process.
The Chairman, TRACE Board, Chief (Major) S. O. Adejinmi (rtd), while felicitating with the officers on their new ranks, urged them to improve their quality advice, quality of comradeship, quality of companionship that would enable the agency surmount the challenges vested in it. He warned them to remember that “victory has a thousand fathers while failure is an orphan.”
Continuing, he said “At this rank, ego should be your biggest challenge. I expect you at this level to be peacemakers. The road to the next promotion begins today, which means you have to be impeccable in actions and avoid mistakes and all forms of indiscipline that could tarnish the image of the Corps. Remember that you are the ambassador of the Corps anywhere, anyday, he said.
The Ogun State Senior Special Assistant on Transportation, Mr Gbenga Opesanwo, also felicitated with the newly promoted officers, advising them to be more committed to their duties and also take care of their families.
While advising the road users to obey traffic rules and regulations, he said safety on the roads is not the responsibility of the corps alone, but also individuals’ responsibilities. He added that government was committed to constructing modern traffic lights across the state to enhance the corps’ efforts to curb the lawlessness on the roads. He appealed to all road users to cooperate with the traffic managers to ensure end to road crashes within and outside the state so that lives and properties lost on a daily basis can be saved for development and posterity.
The newly decorated senior commanding officers were: Commander Adedayo Omonayajo, Commander Abayomi Ajibose, Commander Taiwo Ajala, Commander Adekunle Rosanwo, Commander Adekunle Ajibade, Commander Teslim Adedeji, Commander Olabode Abdul, Commander David Abiola, Commander Morolake Filani, Commander Akinkunmi Ebunoluwa, Commander Lawal Umoru, Commander Kazeem Temitayo and Commander Surajudeen Olukoga.
And the superintendent officers were: Azeez Popoola, Adesina Ayodeji, Olajumoke Adeyeye, Waheed Kareem, Adeola Monayajo, Adekunle Awonowo, Peter Oridota, Mary Ogunkile, Rotimi Adenaike, Olubunmi Akano, Iyabo Odebudo, Temitayo Odejoke, Seye Oguntula, Rufus Oyejimi, Bisi Odidi, Olumide Amusan and Oyetayo Otukoya, among others.
Dignitaries at the event include: Director of Service Matters, Mr. Adebowale Oyetola Oyeneye, General Manager, Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Engr. Tunde Awolana, General Manager, Ogun State Parks and Garages Development Board, Alhaji Ayo Ogunsolu, Chairperson, TRACE Officers’ Wives Association (TROWA) Mrs Bosede Sangofadeji, Director, Cassava Revolution, Mrs Jokotoye Kehinde among others.
