By Bayo Adeoye,
An Unsung Compass and a Man of Principle
Today, I celebrate not merely a birthday, but a remarkable life of scholarship, principle and public service.
Dr. Goke Adegoroye, a Prince of Akure, a former lecturer at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms and Permanent Secretary in the FCT, is one of those rare men whose influence extends far beyond the offices he has occupied.
For me, he has been an unsung compass in public service administration -one of those trusted voices I call whenever I encounter a complex issue.
Sometimes, I call without even knowing precisely what the solution is; yet, somehow, a word from him often becomes the solution. His wisdom has a remarkable way of turning complexity into clarity.
There are people one consults because they occupy an office, and there are those one consults because they possess knowledge. Then there are the very few one consults because their judgment has earned something more valuable than either office or knowledge: trust. Dr. Adegoroye belongs to that rare category.
His counsel is rarely loud, but it is often profound, and his ability to bring perspective to difficult questions is one of the qualities I have come to value most in him.
I have often wondered why fate did not make him Head of the Civil Service of the Federation or Secretary to the Government of the Federation. He had the intellect, experience, temperament and integrity for either office. But fate, as they say, has its own handwriting.
Perhaps his greatest legacy, however, is not to be found merely in the offices he has occupied, but in the minds he has sharpened, the institutions he has helped to strengthen and the many people who have found direction through his counsel. That, to me, is the deeper meaning of public service.
On this special birthday, I pray that Almighty God will grant you many more years in sound health, peace, fulfilment and renewed strength. May He preserve your wisdom, enlarge your influence, bless your household, and reward the many lives you have touched through your scholarship, service and counsel.
May your compass continue to point towards wisdom, your path towards peace, and your life towards even greater fulfilment. May you enjoy the fruits of your labour, and may God continue to make you a blessing to your family, your community, Akure, Nigeria and all of us privileged to know you.
Happy 76th Birthday, Sir. Many happy and blessed returns.
Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, OON
_Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ondo State_
