The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has described the people mentored by former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko as his greatest legacy, urging public office holders to invest in developing younger leaders.
Tunji-Ojo spoke at an event tagged “Birthday and Conversation with Dr Olusegun Mimiko,” that held in Abuja on Saturday to celebrate the former governor’s 72nd birthday.
The minister praised Mimiko’s record in governance, describing him as the architect of modern Ondo State and the best governor the state had produced.
He listed the former governor’s contributions to healthcare, education, youth empowerment and infrastructure, noting that his administration recorded achievements despite difficult circumstances.
According to Tunji-Ojo, Mimiko demonstrated during his eight years in office that government could work for the benefit of ordinary citizens, pointing to projects such as the Mother and Child Hospital and the medical university as enduring legacies.
“Beyond all of that, he showed the people, over his eight years tenure, that government can work for the people. And till tomorrow, his legacies are still there; the mother and child hospital, the medical university, the records are there,” he said.
The minister, however, identified mentorship as Mimiko’s most significant contribution, saying the younger leaders he nurtured were the reason for the celebration.
“The best of his achievements happens to be the people he built through mentorship. The reason why I have to be here today is because the young people that he mentored decided to celebrate him. He didn’t ask to be celebrated,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He urged leaders in government and public service to prepare younger people for leadership, stressing that every public office holder would eventually leave office and that their legacy would depend partly on those they had developed.
“I met Doctor Mimiko as an aspirant running for the House of Representatives. He mentored us and never saw us as people who were too junior to be on his table,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo added that his emergence as a minister had been shaped in part by the opportunities and guidance he received from the former governor.
“But even as the Minister of Interior, I remain your boy. Because you have invested and deposited in our lives,” he said.
He prayed for Mimiko’s continued good health, saying younger leaders still had much to learn from his experience. He also praised the former governor’s reading habits, describing them as a model for young people seeking to remain relevant in leadership.
“Mimiko is not a magician, but he did magic through governance in Ondo State. I can assure you, sir, that we will continue to leverage on your ideology,” the minister added.
Also speaking at the event, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa directed that the Ondo State International Centre for Culture and Events, popularly known as The Dome, in Akure be renamed in honour of Mimiko.
Other dignitaries at the celebration included former Kogi State Governor Idris Wada, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, who chairs the Ondo State Council of Obas, as well as serving and former members of the National Assembly from Ondo State and other guests.
Mimiko served as governor of Ondo State for two terms, from 2009 to 2017, and previously held the position of Minister of Housing.
