Time was 7am on a Tuesday morning, and Sikiru Ayedun, the Commissioner for Tourism and Culture in Osun State, was already busy attending to visitors who started arriving at his house early in the day. Though he was already dressed and ready to leave for office, as a leader, he had to attend to them and try as much as possible to meet some of their demands. That done with, he dashed off to his office at state secretariat in Abere area of Osogbo, the state capital.
The scene at the office was not too different from the early morning scene at home, as other visitors were waiting for him. But Ayedun is unperturbed. He believes it is a call to duty. Raised in a blue-blood setting, Ayedun was saddled with administrative responsibilities early in life.
He said: “I am from the Giesi ruling house in Ile-Ife. You know, for some of us who grew up in a royal house, there were certain trainings you must have; things that would be bestowed on you not just for your immediate development, but for your future. Because it is believed that one way or the other, you may attain the position of leadership someday. You receive training on relationship, how to settle matters, how to deal with issues generally and also seeing yourself as a man of exemplary character.”
Armed with the training, it was not a surprise that Ayedun made tremendous success of his marine and transport business. In the same vein, the acumen he brought to bear on the office when he was eventually appointed the commissioner for tourism and culture in Osun State has begun to yield noticeable result in the sector.
He said: “We have brought a lot of changes, and I will tell you today that we have changed the face of festivals in the state. In all the nooks and crannies of the state, festivals are now more of carnival than just a parlour party that they used to be. We are also giving more exposure to our culture and traditions by making them more attractive to people all over the world.
“Aside that, all our tourists’ sites are being turned around to make them attractive for increased patronage. I can tell you that this is already yielding result.
“If you get to Olumerin now, the minimum number of visitors you can see there is between 50 and 100. Various clubs and associations now come to Osun to hold their programmes because of the new things that we have put in place. These are the kind of things we are trying to promote. We believe that whosoever comes to Osun would have to spend some money. By doing that, such person is contributing to the economy of the state.
“When we talk about foreign tourists, what we expect from you is a minimum of a thousand dollars. Imagine if we have between 40 and 50 thousand tourists who spend a thousand dollars every month, then a huge sum of money would have been injected into our economy,” Ayedun noted.
While he loves every bit of what he is doing with tourism and culture in Osun State, he is somehow unhappy that he has virtually lost his privacy. “People now pry into what you do every day. It also restricts some aspects of your social life. For example, if it were in my private office, whatever money I spend, nobody pries into it. But now, for you to have the money to spend is an issue because everybody believes that you are wasting whatever public fund that you spend,
“Also, this responsibility is real service that takes you away from your family most of the time. Even relating socially is an issue. Things are no longer the same as when you were not a public office holder. In those days, you could do anything and get away with it because nobody cares. But anything you do or say now becomes instant news. So, you have to be very careful about what you do.”
However, in his private capacity, the success in public office has come at a cost, denying him of his time and relaxation.
He said: “Well, relaxation is quite different. You might say because I’ve not gone to the office, I am relaxing. But it is not so. Leisure hours are the hours that will take you out of the official responsibility. It is supposed to take you to a place where you can cool your nerves.
“But while you are in office, even when you wish to relax, you cannot do it because your attention is always needed in one way or the other. For instance, I am a lover of football. I am a man who wants a good environment to relax. But the schedule and responsibility of office will not permit me.”
To cope with the demands of his office, the marine expert has abandoned his suit and tie for traditional dresses. “I’m a cultural man, and inasmuch as I’m promoting Yoruba tradition, religion and culture, it will be odd for me to put on suit. I wear traditional attires 24/7 now. It was when I was in my private business that I last wore a suit. I have had to drop it for traditional outfits since I assumed this office. All my suits are now wasting away in my wardrobe.”
