The true mark of professionalism is the ability to respect everyone else for their styles and always find something positive in every dining experience and highlight it in your thoughts and words.
Honourable Surveyor Iretiolu Olanrewaju Sotayo granted an Interview with the crew of News Waka Now Blog. The excerpts of the exclusive interview are below:
Can we meet you?
My name is Honourable Surveyor Iretiolu Olanrewaju Sotayo, to the glory of God I am a Surveyor, Geographer and environmental manager, I'm hoping to become a town planner one day.
Tell us about your Educational background
At Primary School level, I attended Lisabi Primary School 1, Ijoko, Abeokuta. I attended Baptist Boys High School between 1988 - 1993. After then, I proceeded to The Polytechnic Ibadan where I graduated with National Diploma, also had my Higher National Diploma.
After graduating from The Polytechnic Ibadan, I went for a postgraduate course at Federal School of Surveying, that gave me the opportunity to register with Surveyor's Council of Nigeria. In between a did I degree course in Geography at Josephy Ayo Babalola University (JABU) and I made a mark graduating with first class.
I had Masters Degree in Environmental Management at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. As I am speaking with you, I'm undergoing a course at The Bells University in Urban and Regional Planning which I hope someday I will also become a town planner.
I have attended conferences and seminars in all continent of the world in the last 10 years.
Sir, we would like to know about your working experience
After my Secondary Education, I worked briefly in my father's establishment Apela and Sons which was an Haulage Company, I worked at a Cashier before proceeding for my tertiary education. After graduation, I worked with a private firm TROS SURVEY CONSULTANT I worked with the firm for more than five years as a Surveyor and I rose to the position of Senior Partner before I established my own firm, that is SHOTTY Consultant - SHOTTY CONSULTANT is a firm of Surveyors, Environmental Managers and GIS experts where we deal with environmental issues.
Have you been in any leadership position before?
Yes, right from my year 1 in tertiary institution, I have been always involved in leadership role up to date. I've always been in leadership positions - at school, in the church, professionally and social associations.
Can you make reference to your leadership positions?
While in school, I was Social Secretary of our students association, financial Secretary to the position of president.
In the church, by birth I belong to Anglican Communion, I was a Vice President of Christian Youth Circle of St. Lukes Anglican Church, Erunbe, Abeokuta. By practice now, I am a member of Christ Apostolic Church and to the glory of God, I am an Elder in the Church.
At Professional level since after gradation, I've always been involved in one or two committees. As I speak with you, I am the Secretary of Nigeria Institution of Surveyors Ogun State.
Have you been involved in any humanitarian service?
Well, as the white will say "service to humanity is the best work of life" personally I don't want to be making noise about that but as I speak with you I have five people who are on tertiary education scholarship and even at motherless homes and home of the handicapped we have some donations that I do engaged in but those are personal issues that I don't to make available for public consumption.
We have hearing rumour that you are aspiring for a political position - Is it true that you are aspiring for a political position?
It is not a not a rumour but a confirmatory statement. I am aspiring to become a member of Ogun State House of Assembly representing Abeokuta South Constituency 1.
Why do you decide to vie for political position?
As I had said earlier, I have been a various leadership positions and roles. Over the years, we have all seen how we are being governed and the caliber of people governing us. We cannot rule it out that we have bad leadership in our country. By the virtue of the work I do, to the glory of God for the past fifteen years now, there is no developmental project that goes on in Ogun State that I have not been consulted. Most times as a Consultant, I write recommendations I found out that those recommendations were not followed and I feel I need to participate for better governance. We lack conservation and management of our resources, there is need for us to conserve our resources and use them judiciously and effectively.
By the virtue of my orientation, there is need to actually deal with our environment in an holistic manner in such a way that everybody will have good environment on terms of security, infrastructure and economy - that will improve our social life, that will make us to move with committee of Nations.
It has been confirmed that you are aspiring as a member of Ogun State House of Assembly representing Abeokuta South Constituency 1, which platform are you using Sir?
Well, I have chosen a good party that I know will give us good leadership and good governance and that is ACCORD.
Why ACCORD Party?
Well, we have seen two parties in the past and we see the way they governed us. Whether you like it or not, you can't rule it out that a party you belong to is also a function of your service delivery and if you don't belong to a good party, you can't render good service. ACCORD is a party that has good leaders, structure, manifesto, above all people who have fear of God.
Tell us your agenda for your constituents
As I said earlier, there can't be something good as better governance. We need better governance and good environment in terms of security, good infrastructure, holistic and well mannered economy in such a way that people will enjoy there social lives.
The agenda is manage our environment in terms of security, good roads etc which bring good welfarism for everybody.
What are your advise for people aspiring for different political positions?
Well, people have different motives for contesting, if you can't serve people it is better you don't run, if you can't listen to people it is better you don't go, if you don't have the prerequisite (the knowledge) it is better you don't go, if you can't study people to know their problems and challenges it is better you don't go. Majorly, people just want to be there because they want to be there, there is need for every contestants to see to how we can address poverty problems, the poverty level is just too high - we need to think about poverty alleviation.
Aspirants should think about quality education for there contituents. We must work on how to improve our economy - people should be self-empowered.
For contestants, they actually need to manage and harmonise their manifestos and actually deliver. It is not sufficient to say "I want to do this" but to really deliver. Above all, everybody must have fear of God because one day we will definitely stand in front of our creator to say "I've done it" or "I've not done it".
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