The newly sworn-in Clerk of Kwara State House of Assembly, Kareem Ahmed Olayiwola, has described his rise through the ranks to become a Clerk as an act of God.
Olayiwola, a graduate of English, in this interview with our editor, Mike Adeyemi, declined to ascribe his elevation to the post to merit, but purely to the will of God.
According to him, ‘I would call it an act of God. This is because if we ascribe it to merit, there are many people eminently qualified to hold the post. Even that said merit is also a blessing from God.’
The new Clerk however pledged to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor, so that Kwarans can have a House of Assembly we can all be proud of, affirming that Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has demystified governance in Kwara State, judging from his people-oriented bills the House had passed into law. Excerpts;
Tell us about your early life
I happened to come from a family background with vast Islamic prowess. My father was an Arabic Teacher at Ansarul Islam Primary School, Ilorin, and that allowed me to start my education earlier.
Luckily for me, I came from a family that was known generally in Ilorin as an Islamic family. Because there is a link between my grandparents and Sheikh Kamaldeen Al-adaby of blessed memory who nurtured my father. My grandfather and late Sheik Kamaldeen Al Adaby are from the same mother, and that could tell you the type of background I should have grown up in Ilorin.
What led to the choice of your chosen career?
While I was growing up, the opportunity of having a teacher as a father gave me the leverage to pursue my education early enough. I started my education at Ansarul Islam primary school okemale and my secondary education also at Ansarul Islam Secondary School, Ilorin before I left for Mount Camel College, Ilorin where I had my senior school certification examination(S.S.C.E).
I proceeded to Kwara State College of Technology, as it was called then for my ‘A Level Certificate at School of Basic Studies(SBS) where I studied English, Literature, History, and Islamic studies. I left Kwara Tech in 1984. Between 1984 and 1987, I could not get admission, and that allowed me to pursue Islamic education locally, not the popular Madrasat.
By the special grace of God in 1987 I got admitted into the University of Sokoto as it was called then. Before I graduated in 1990, the name was changed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University. That was where I read English. I would have loved to read Law, but because of this old belief and assumptions surrounding being a lawyer then, I opted to read English.
I finished in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. English comprises Linguistics, Literature, and English as a language. So it was BA. English.
When I graduated, I came back to Ilorin and I joined the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission. It was known as School Board at that time. I started as Education Officer II, where I was posted to Muhideen Arabic and Islamic College, Kulende. I went back to Sokoto to obtain a Master in Literature in English. So I was in the Teaching Service Commission until 2006.
I had a brief stay in the Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Education, Ilorin on secondment, before I was finally converted as an administrative officer under the Head of Service in April 2006.I pursued the issue of secondment and conversion because, as a teacher, I didn’t have any educational qualification and instead of reading a PGD in education, I went for my Masters program with the hope of crossing to any of the higher institutions in the State.
Despite my outstanding performance as a teacher, I was not still a qualified teacher, that was when I thought I must look for another ground where I would be able to prove whatever I’m being blessed with. Luckily for me, I was seconded to the Ministry of Education for six months
Later, I had the opportunity of being converted into an administrative cadre. Being an administrative officer, I was posted to the Kwara State House of Assembly in 2006.
How did you find yourself in the Kwara State House of Assembly?
It was a general posting after our conversion. We had intensive training for two weeks and after that, three of us were posted to the House of Assembly to serve as administrative officers to replace three officers that were posted out of the Assembly then. I was already in Grade level 13, so I came to the House as an Assistant Chief Administrative Officer in 2006.
How is the journey so far?
The journey has been worthwhile. When we came new, we were equally lucky to have been trained after the conversion.
Getting to the House, we began on-the-job training. What gave me an advantage was my course of study and as a result of that, it was quite easy for me to blend and adapt myself to the terrain.
How did you receive the news of your appointment as the new Clerk of the Kwara State House of Assembly? Has it been premeditated?
I wouldn’t say it was not premeditated because having been serving in the House for that number of years, growing through the ranks and I happened to have the privilege of receiving a lot of legislative training in and outside the country, I was lucky not to have been posted out of Assembly because we didn’t have the Commission that time.
It was quite easy because if my superior officers moved, I stepped in and the other officers moved too. I started climbing the ladder up till the time I became the Director of Legislative Matters and later the Deputy Clerk in 2018 and followed seamless procedural steps to the stage where I am today.
With the retirement of the former Clerk and the members found me worthy and qualified to occupy the seat, it was quite easy for the Assembly Commission to normalize my appointment and recommend me for the confirmation of the House as the Clerk.
Would you ascribe your elevation as a Clerk to merit or act of God?
I would call it an act of God because where we are now if we ascribe it to merit, many people are equally qualified to hold the post. It is an act of God, but not devoid of merit.
This is because I believe the Assembly Services Commission and the House of Assembly itself would not confirm somebody that did not merit the position. So my elevation as a new Clerk is an act of God. Even the said merit is also a blessing from God.
For a layman, what are the core mandates of the Clerk of a House of Assembly?
The Clerk is the administrative head of the assembly. He is equally the accounting officer. If you say someone is an administrative head, he sees to the smooth running of the assembly, administratively. At the same time, he sees to the passage of bills on the Floor of the House and forwards same to the Governor for His Assent.
I used to tell people when they look at parliament, the legislature, what people are expecting outside is a parliament that will continue to challenge the executive. It is supposed not to be so.
The legislature is the first arm of government and that is where we have people representation. So what we expected in a progressive state is to have a legislature that will be ready to cooperate with the executive for the progress of the state. A legislature that will be ready to advise the executive on how best to move the state forward.
I used to tell people each time the issue of check and balance occurs, that is when you check, the next thing is to balance. What it means is that when you check, you verify and then offer advice. At least this is how to balance, to have good governance.
From my little experience, having served under various Clerks of about six or seven, and if you do your foundlings well, Kwara State is one of those States that have been having a hitch-free relationship between the legislature and the executive.
This is because of the understanding of the legislature and understanding of the purpose of having a legislature that pursues how to have good governance in a state. I think that is what we are here for.
What would you do differently from your predecessor?
Is like a relay race, where you take a baton, and the moment you take a baton, you should be sure that your race is to win. So what I would do differently is just to build on whatever my predecessor has been able to achieve, so that Kwara State House of Assembly would move forward and not be stagnant on the progress we have been able to achieve in a couple of years.
I am going to build on it so that we have a House of Assembly we are all proud of.
How would you describe the immediate past Clerk, Kperogi?
My predecessor has been a very intelligent, astute administrator, and a mother.
The relationship between legislature and executive in Kwara State has been cordial, devoid of rancor relative to other states. What is the magic?
You cannot have any development when there is a rancor between the Legislature and the executive arm of government. If our goal is good governance and people are our center target, I don’t think there will be any rancor.
If the executive wants to do something that will be beneficial to the people, why not support him? Anytime we observe that this is how best it should be done, why not give our advice? That has been why there hasn’t been any face-off in the Kwara State House of Assembly, both as the legislature and executive arm of government.
How best would you describe the Governor of Kwara State, Mall AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq?
This is a governor that has been able to demystify governance. This is the governor that has been able to mix with people. This is the governor that doesn’t make noise about his achievements.
This is a governor that thinks about the welfare of the people and you can see all the laws we had passed. They are welfare related. And I want to say that Kwarans have been having it differently since Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq came on board, positively.