My OLUSEGUN OBASANJO PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY STORY - HOW GOD USED PASTOR OSSO TO ENGAGED ME IN ARCHIVAL AND CURATORIAL DUTIES, Worldfamous Ajibola Oluwafidipo

 

For me, meeting Pastor Osso was a life-changing experience for me, not only in a change of social status but also in additional career.

Before October 3, 2009, I had joined them to worship at the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King (CCGK) the resident Chapel at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

Coincidentally, it was the thanksgiving service for Obasanjo Farms, their 30 glorious years of existence, it was during this week that I got an inspiration to write a piece titled "Salute to an Emblem of Peace" dedicate to Ebora Owu himself, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. I handed over this piece to Pastor Osso, who was the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Foundation, trust me, Pastor is a very accommodating and easily accessible man.

He promised that he will show General Olusegun Obasanjo and will certainly get back to me, lo and behold, on October 9, 2009, I had made pap for breakfast, I was pouring peak Holland milk when Pastor Osso called me to meet him at the first Administrative Block of the Olusegun Obasanjo Library, it was that day that he gave me employment work in the media unit which he personally superintended over.

As I was still trying to settle down in the media having proved my worth, he seconded me to the Museum, which at that time was the most busy and highly demanding department within the Olusegun Obasanjo complex.

Pastor Osso in his exact words 'Ajibola I am posting you to the museum, you are very smart and intelligent, I want you to under-study the meseum and archives activities and help them with the documentation process, do not forget to add your media experience", he said jokingly.

That moment, I quickly prepared myself, and handed over to Franca Kokoiwen, who was also with us in the media, then that day I resumed at the museum department, working under the duo, Sir Martins Akanbiemu (Resident Curator) and Elder Daramola of blessed memory (Resident Archivist).

Time will not permit me to go into details of my activities in the Museum and Archive department, but with my little efforts within 6 months I was christened the Encyclopaedia of the Olusegun Obasanjo Library as God was gracious to me in a way that I have over 100,000 objects documented in my head, I can give the description with A-numbers and G- numbers without consulting the manuscripts and my computer.

Friends, this is how Pastor Osso turned a media expert to a Curator/Archivist, he gave me an opportunity to learn under a renowned Archivist, who was also a retired Director General of the National Archives.

Pastor OS's opened a new chapter for my career, making me an asset to the prestigious Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library project, he leadership acumen and sagacity helped him in the selection of great minds who believed in the concept of inspiring the Nigeria's populace.

His mantra was 'preserve the past, capture the present and inspire the future' this mandated him to draft all of us into the Youth committee with a strong view to build the office of the future.

Pastor Osso was the brain-box behind the magnitude success of the thriving Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, apart from the fact that he is humble, his project titled 'who is who in Nigeria' gave me a clue to commence a video documentary of who is who in Ogun state in 2013, the project that suffered major setback because of my involvement in the exhibition project of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

Till today, some of us are still reaching out to Pastor Osso Nyaknno for guidance, mentorship and Godly counsel, he has shown himself worthy of emulation, humble, simple, gentle and noble.

As you celebrate another glorious year, I wish you God's endless blessing of good health and abundant grace in Jesus name.

Written by

Ajibola Oluwafidipo (Formerly known as Ajibola Osunjimi)

OOPL. Curator/Archivist Documentation Officer  (2009 - 2015).