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Ekiti State Deputy Governor | |
Tae attended Ansar-Ud-deen Primary School, Oke-Ila and Ajilosun, where he completed his primary education in 1968. He had his secondary education at Ado Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti between 1969 and 1973. He taught in various schools in the old Western State between 1973 and 1977 after which he proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where he studied Educational Management and Geography between 1977 and 1981. After his service year, he proceeded to the University of Ilorin for the Master’s degree programme in 1982/83 and the Doctorate degree between 1985 and 1988. Tae showed sterling qualities early enough. He was a student of exceptional ability and merit. He was a Federal as well as University Scholar (1982 – 1983) during his master’s programme and 1985 – 88 doctorate years at the University of Ilorin. Tae was exposed to responsibility early in life. He was a student union leader of repute. Among the positions he occupied were: i. Member, student Representative Council, University of Ibadan, 1977/78. ii. Executive Chairman, Mallamby Hall, University of Ibadan, 1977/80. iii. Chairman, Committee of Hall Chairmen, University of Ibadan, 1979/80 iv. Secretary, Ado-Ekiti Progressive Union, University of Ibadan, 1979/80 v. President, Ado-Ekiti Progressive Union, University of Ibadan, 1980/81 vi. Executive Chairman, Educational Management Students Association, (EMSA) University of Ibadan, 1980/81 vii. Chairman, Corpers Association, Offa/Oyun Local Government, 1981/82.
Career History For his primary assignment during the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Tae taught at the Government Secondary School, Ipee-Offa. Being responsive to communal needs, he established the Adult Numeric and Literacy Evening classes for elders, traders and artisans at Ipee, Offa, Igosun and Ijagbo. The thoughtfulness of the programme and its impact on the community earned him three separate chieftaincy titles from the benefiting communities. A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) continued the project after his service year. He initiated and took part in eight community development programmes in Offa and Oyun Local Government Areas. Out of love for Ekiti people and State, and in deference to the wish of his father, he preferred the Ondo State Civil Service to other sixteen local arid international job offers. As an Education officer, he worked virtually in all parts of the old Ondo State, either on posting or ad-hoc assignments. Barely eight years in the service, he had become a deputy Director, a rare achievement. Two years later, he was appointed to head of the newly created Directorate of Planning, Research and Statistics, the Think Tank of old Ondo State Primary Education Commission (NPEC). Tae himself was commended thrice as a Director of the Board by the same National Commission and the old Ondo State Government. The Job gave him the opportunity to supervise over two hundred new or rehabilitated school building projects spread all over the Local Governments Areas of Ondo State. The project supervision enabled his to travel all over the state and interact with the urban and rural dwellers. This further exposed him to the conditions and the needs of the rural and urban dwellers. In 1996, when Ekiti state was created out of Ondo State, he transferred his service to Ekiti State in the same position. As the only Director of the Board, who hailed from Ekiti State, the accommodation and establishment of the State Board and sixteen Local Government education authorities fell squarely on his shoulders. Ekiti State was commended as the first out of the six newly created states to accomplish this task. The new Ekiti State was sooner confronted with the challenge of providing primary schools accommodation for over ten thousand immigrant pupils and job placement for one thousand five hundred newly deployed teachers from Ondo State. The task of enumerating, planning, establishment and re-distribution fell on Tae, the only Director on ground. He supervised the establishment of over one hundred primary school buildings. His supervision further provided information on and afforded his interaction with urban and rural populace of Ekiti State. Tae initiated a school physical development project tagged “sustaining the Fountain Project (SUFOP)”. This project encouraged partnership between the Board and communities in primary schools physical development project. More than fifty classrooms were built through this project. The project was adopted as a model and later recommended to other states by the National Primary Education Commission (NPEC). Tae was appointed Sole Administrator and Chairman, Ikere Local Government in July, 1998, while he was on official assignment outside state. He was the only Education officer so appointed. His service in Ikere Local Government for ten months recorded monumental achievements. As at 1998, Ikere-Ekiti, headquarters of Ikere Local Government was enmeshed in communal strife due largely to its psuedo-egalitarianism. The multiple over lordship of the society often creates challenges which in turn created disunity mutual distrust and near administrative stagnation. Tae Lawal, the new administrator convened and successfully hosted a peace meeting among the stakeholders in the community which was chaired by the then Military Administrator, Navy Captain Atanda Yussuf. In spite of the fact that Ikere Local Government received the least allocation among Local Governments during his tenure, he was able to accomplish the following projects: 1. Completion of Oba Fabikun Hall in Ogoga’s Palace which was commissioned by the then Honourable Minister of State of the federal Capital Territory on 6th February, 1999. 2. The channelisation of River Osun: for weeks in September, October and M\November, 1998, more than ten thousand people vacated their houses as a result of the overflow of River Osun. The Local Government produced a documentary and an ecological survey with which SEPA, FEPA and UNDP were moved to commence the channelisation of the River within two months. 3. Provision of Portable Water: He facilitated an Ikere Local Government, UNDP, UNICEF and WATSAN Water Project which provided twenty-three boreholes and also trained community members to manage the boreholes. The boreholes are still functioning. 4. Afao Health center: This project was abandoned but Tae work hard in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and brought the contractor back to complete the Health Centre. 5. On assumption of duty, he met One Million, three hundred thousand overdraft. The Local Government cleared all the debts, paid up its own awarded contracts and left credit balance of Five Hundred Thousand Naira.
Tae involved in some education enhancement/improvement, poverty reduction and community base projects, some of which include: i. Research on falling standard of education, sponsored by the Ondo State Government in 1991. ii. Nigeria Mid-Decade review of Education for all goals: sponsored by UNICEF/NPEC, 1995. iii. World Bank assisted Nigeria Primary education Project (CR2101-UNI), sponsored by World Bank, 1997. iv. Ekiti State Commission on strategic planning, 2003. v. State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS), 2004.
He as well served in various other positions including: 1. Part-time lecturer, college of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, 1987 – 1996 2. Part-time lecturer, Institute of Education, University of Ado-Ekiti, 1987 – 2004. 3. Facilitator, National Population Census, 1991 4. Member, Governing Board, Agency for Adult and non-Formal education, Ondo State, 1993 – 1996 5. Chairman Ondo State joint Publication Committee, 1994 – 1996. 6. Part-time Lecturer, Local Government Staff Training School, Iju/Itaogolu, 1994 – 1996
The services and commitment of Dr. Lawal to the people have, however, not gone unrecognized. He has bagged over fifty Awards, some of these include: 1. Hall Chairman of the year, University of Ibadan, 1980. 2. Life Honourary Member, Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria, 1992 3. Distinguished Service Merit Award, Institute of Administration of Nigeria, 1999. 4. Best Sole Administrator/Chairman in Poverty Alleviation in the South West, Grassroots Development Association of Nigeria, 1999. 5. Justice of Peace, Ekiti State, 1999. 6. Award of Excellence in Educational Development, Ekiti Youths Summit, 2005
He is a member of some professional association some of which include: i. The Nigerian Association for education Administrator and Planning (NAEAP). ii. Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria. iii. International Institute of educational Planning (IIEP) iv. Social Studies Association of Nigeria. v. Geographical Association of Nigeria vi. Association of Senior Civil Servants
Tae retired voluntarily from Ekiti Civil Service, after serving as Director for about thirteen (13) years (1994 – 2006) on 31st May 2006. He is happily married to Princess Oluwayemisi Lawal and the marriage is blessed with children. | |
Directorate of Information Technology, Ekiti State, Nigeria. | |
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Dr, Sikiru Tae Lawal was born on 8th October, 1958 to Alfa Lawal Imam-Akerele of Oloja-ese Amona-ola lineage, Oke-ese, Ado-Ekiti and Madam Teresa Osaromaye Lawal of the famous Ajongbolo Family of Ifon, Ijan-Ekiti. A successful trader, his father was the first among his age group in Ado-Ekiti to build a corrugated iron roofing house in 1942. The mother, Madam Teresa Osaromaye Lawal was also a successful trader, a bridge-builder, a virtuous woman and a good mother. She was a staunch member of the catholic faith and was able to read the Yoruba Bible in spite of her lack of formal education.