Prince TEMIDAYO ODUTOLA Tells City People
Prince Temidayo Adekunle Odutola aka Olomu is the Chairman of Bariga NURTW. He is also a member of the state Executive Council. He is a indeed a respected aqnd highly valued member of the Lagos NURTW. But there’s nothing about him that readily gives him away as a member of the NURTW. For starters, Prince Temidayo is a cool looking gentleman. He is always well dressed, carries himself with a lot of respectability and communicates comfortably in English Language. But perhaps the most intriguing part of this very likeable and decent looking Prince Temidayo aka Olomu is the fact that he does not smoke. He detests Indian Hemp, he has never tasted it. Same with cigarette, he’s never touched it. He is a rare breed of NURTW members.
As the Chairman of Bariga NURTW, Prince Temidayo has been at the vanguard of introducing reforms that have transformed the operations of the union in the Bariga axis of the state. City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) caught up with this remarkable personality and got him to share with us a bit about his background and activities as Chairman of Bariga NURTW. Here are excerpts.
Each time I speak with the Barigaq LCDA Chairman or Shomolu LG chairman, I often ask them how they are handling the restiveness of the youth in the area and the menace of Agberos…
We don’t call them Agberos anymore because things have changed. It’s just that some people in the sector before our time misused the opportunities they had. They should’ve turned that transportation sector around but they didn’t. Let me tell you a little about my background. I started this transportation business from the scratch. I started as a conductor.
Where did you start from, right there in Bariga?
No, I was running inter state. I drove to as far as places like Abuja and environs, but I was always determined to get some education. I was even more determined because back then, when I decided to pursue my dreams to achieve my future success, I had to choose between my family and my ambition. So, I had to abandon the family to pursue my dreams and hustle for my success.
So, when you left the family to pursue your dreams you didn’t get any form of support from the family?
None at all, I got no support because they wanted me, and all the other children to become doctors, engineers and the likes, but I chose to go into transportation. I am from the Odutola family in Ijebu-Ode, it’s a big family in Ijebu-Ode. There is always high expectations from every child and ours was a polygamous family so I had to leave. One of the things I vowed not to do after I left home was that I would never smoke Indian hemp or even cigarette and till today, I have kept to my word. I don’t smoke either of them.
How were you able to achieve this considering that you’re into transportation?
Self determination. I was determined to stay away from drugs. I said to myself that if you’re pursuing a career and you’re getting yourself involved with drugs you will lose focus along the way. You can’t be successful. I was really determined and I am thankful to God for seeing me through. As I am speaking to you, I have almost five graduates, atleast, if I could not get the kind of education I wanted, I was able to give my children that opportunity.
But how were you able to do it because I remember that there were some of our mates in school back then who dropped out of school to join the transportation business but many of them couldn’t make a success of that venture….?
(Cuts in) Because they didn’t value their careers, that’s why they failed to make a success of it. They didn’t think of their future. In the family I came from, we never had anything like touts or thugs in my family. I am the only person who went into the transportation business and I made sure I did not in anyway tarnish my family’s name.
I am wondering, sir, how were you able to stay very disciplined all through?
Let me tell you something, I contributed largely, in no small measure, to Bariga’s security structure. Today, you can’t talk about the impressive security structure in Bariga and not mention my name, Olomu, go and verify this. They will tell you I am a no nonsense man. I sanitised the area. I do not believe in thuggery, I work solely with security agencies. That is why Bariga of today is different from Bariga of yesterday. Go to the Area Commander, go to the Chairman, Kolade Alabi, they will tell you there are some people behind the impressive security in the area.
When did you take over as chairman of Bariga Nurtw?
I stepped in as the chairman between 2019 and 2020. So, as a branch chairman, I have been in office for almost five years now. But as a unit chairman, I have been occupying the office ince 2013.
As the branch chairman, what are some of the things, innovations, that you tried to bring in to sanitise the transportation system in that area?
Oh, I have done a lot. In the area of security, I have done a lot. I work with the Commissioner of Police, I work with the DIG, I work with different levels of security agencies. We also have very serious rules and regulations guiding our operations, so at every point in time, you know the consequences of every bad action you want to take. And they all know me, I am a no nonsense person, I will deal with you if you try to forment trouble. I lecture them, I speak with them on a regular basis. At the Executive level, I have made my impact and use it to bring calm and peace to Bariga. Ask the Chairman, Kolade Alabi, he will tell you everything we have done.
What advice do you give someone going into the business for the first time?
Thank you very much for that question. The first thing I always say to anyone going into the business for the first time is that you must seek advice from the Professors of the business. You must go to those who have been doing the business for so long, they will have the experience to guide you. Personally, as a person, I never had any regrets that I did transportation business. Many drivers that served under me, whenever they finish the payment of the vehicle, I dash the vehicles out so they can be independent. I have a lot of my boys around here who can testify to the fact that I support them in their business and ensure they are okay.
How about support from the government, do you think your sector enjoys some form of cooperation with the government?
Well, in a little way, but not as much as we expect. For instance, if the government comes up with a policy today saying they have brought in modern buses and they want to phase out the old commercial buses, they should involve the professionals, the commercial drivers because they are the Professors of the business. Carry them along, work with them, they have the knowledge and experience that you need to make your new project succeed. They don’t have the education but thy have the knowledge and experience to make the business work, but they don’t seem to to understand this. That’s why you hear that they buy a new set of buses today and within one year, everything has packed up, its as a result of bad management. They lack a good sense of management.
If you buy a bus today and you bring it to me, the first thing I will tell you is, go and do the insurance of your vehicle. That’s another secret of transportation business because if you buy a bus today and tomorrow it’s involved in a fatal accident, how will you cope? What if you got the bus via a loan or higher purchase? But if its insured, you will be rest assured that you’re covered, your business will not suffer. For me, I don’t buy a vehicle without insurance.
Tel me, sir, as a young boy back then, what were the things you saw about the transportation business that fascinated you and made you decide this is the profession you were going into?
You know, back then, the NURTW was established by stark illiterates. In the olden days, they used guns and cutlasses to take over leadership of garages, and I felt that I could make a difference. I was confident that things could bedone in more civilised ways. I thank God that these days, things like that don’t happen any longer. We have advanced in our operations now. There is nothing like that again. Responsible men are now running the business. We work with a lot of security agencies and also communities and also endeavour to give back to those communities. Like myself for instance, I have young people that I have given scholarships to a lot of students. I have proofs of these in my office, children that I am paying for their primary and secondary education. As I speak to you, I have those whose school fees I must pay before the end of this month. I started doing this because you will hear a lot of people saying, all these Agberos, all the money you collect, what do you with them? Now, they can’t ask me that question because many people know about what the things I do for the community. I also wanted to change the narrative that people in the transportation business are not responsible. I am also part of the state Executive Council so I felt I needed to make some difference.
