₦airaland Forum

Good governance is the art of putting wise thoughts into prudent actions in a way that advances the well-being of those governed.
Good governance in a democracy is impossible without fostering in our communities and the electorate, an appetite for leaders who are committed to respectful conduct.
Good governance never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern.
The Personal qualities of HOD in administrations past cannot be over emphasized as he has proven to be more than equipped and qualified, to become a Leader.
HOD is the game changer we have been hoping to have for decades.

full video available on YouTube link below


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg31uV1hY8U

“THE TOP DOG LEADER” “HAKEEM OLAOGUN DICKSON”


“Hakeem” The mirror in which people saw their cherished ideals reflected, He saw “WHERE, WHEN, HOW and He went against all ODD’S”.


Prince Hakeem, the second son of the Princess of the Onikoyi Royal Family and Alhaji Subair Olaogun Dickson.

Who Is Hakeem Olaogun Onikoyi Dickson?


Hon. Hakeem Dickson is a seasoned Accountant and Health and Safety practitioner by profession as well as a Politician. He is happily married with amazing children. Hakeem graduated from Victory High School, Abule Onigbagbo, Ikeja, as a brilliant student, he participated in all School activities and was the School Food Prefect before embarking on an Accounting career in the United States of America to further his Education. Among his many philanthropic and environmental endeavors are Hakeem introducing a traffic control agency to regulate the chaotic traffic in Surulere which birthed the popular Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASMA) and the first-ever Local Government Chairman to generate 1billion Naira Internal Governmental revenue (IGR) for Lagos State during Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Regime as the Governor for Lagos State. Hon. Hakeem Dickson bagged numerous awards “for his extraordinary efforts and performance to strengthen security, safety, and youth empowerment during and after his tenure in office as the DG/CEO Lagos State Safety Commission.”

“THE TOP DOG LEADER” “HAKEEM OLAOGUN DICKSON”

FAMILY

Alhaji Subair Olaogun Dickson Sr, an Awori man, (aged 99years old) was a Nigerian senior Governmental civil servant, a well-respected and accomplished senior civil servant, and the father of Hon. Hakeem Olaogun Dickson. He is a central figure in his son’s life. Alhaji Subair was married to two wives and had eleven children. He first worked as a civil servant in Lagos State before beginning work at the Nigerian Postal Service (Marina Branch). He was among the cadre of young Nigerian men who had been educated in the West in a program supported by the Government. Hakeem’s mother, Alhaja Onikoyi Dickson was a princess of the Onikoyi Royal family and a trader by profession.


EDUCATION


Hon. Hakeem attended Breadfruit Primary School in Lagos Island and then transferred to Surulere Baptist School in the late ’60s after his family relocated to Surulere, Lagos due to the construction of Eko Bridge which greatly affected the Dickson’s family house. Upon completion of his primary school, he gained admission into Academic Life Secondary School and completed his secondary education at Victory High School, Abule Onigbagbo in Ikeja. During his time in secondary school, he was known to be very brilliant and participated in all the various school activities and was given the School Food Prefect post amongst others.
He gained admission into Albany Business College in New York City; he graduated with AOS (Hon) in Accounting. Hakeem has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Accounting from Thomas A. Edison State College, Trenton NJK, U.S.A and he received his first M.Sc. at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutherford, NJ, U.S.A He returned to Nigeria in 1983, and in 1984 he served in the one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program. He led a rather ascetic life and read works of philosophy and philanthropy. After serving for a year as an Internal Auditor for Nigerian Airways, He returned to the United States of America for his 2nd MBA. He took a position as an Accountant/External Auditor/Tax Adviser at the Coopers and Lybrand CPA firm in Newark, NJ, U.S.A


POLITICS


In 1998 he was elected to the Surulere Local Government and sworn in on the 2nd of June 1999, where most notably, he helped improve safety and security regulations, expanded healthcare to poor families, and reformed the welfare of the youths. His great works wove a public narrative of Hakeem’s personality with the understanding that all humans are connected in ways that transcend political, cultural, and geographical differences.


Hakeem’s personal charisma, stirring philanthropy, and his promise to bring change to the established political system resonated with many people, especially the youths and middle-aged residents of Surulere. He became the first-ever Chairman to give free education to all Primary School students.
In an effort to improve the image of Surulere – which many believed had been much damaged during the former administration – Hakeem took quite an amazing number of steps that indicated a significant shift in tone. He is the first Local Government Chairman in Surulere that modernized the police force in Surulere and equip them with walkie talkies to improve security through communication; proposed a “fresh start” to the area boys, youths, and middle-aged residents by creating job opportunities and vocational training through the establishment and implementation of Job Creation Centers in Surulere, such as Tailoring Training, Carpentry, Catering and Hotel Management, Computer Training amongst others.


Hakeem entered Surulere Local Government as something new in Lagos history, he wasn’t chosen on the basis of experience or for his role as a member of any party. He had never been a general or a governor. He was elected purely for himself- his message and what he symbolized. In 4 brief years (1999-2002) he rose from the obscurity of an Accountant to become the first Chairman in decades to receive over 2500 awards from Lagos State. He offered himself as an Exhibit in the case of Hope and Change. “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Hakeem captured the state’s attention and given people hope for a better future”. And then there is the health sector, he delivered on a promise that others had made for generations: collaborating with dental clinics to consult and provide free treatments for natives of Surulere, working together with Health Care Centers for pregnant women to receive free medical pre-natal and post-natal care in Surulere; An unprecedented effort to break the fever of runaway medical costs.


To improve student performance, Hakeem set aside Bursary awards that were distributed in Government Colleges all around Surulere to over 120 (one hundred and twenty) Students with exceptional Academic performances annually. Even as Hakeem was dealing with the Healthcare and Education Sectors, he knew that too many Elderly people in Surulere had left the workforce without having saved enough for a dignified retirement, “and it is not as if they have not tried he said” Hakeem ensured monthly allowances were given to both the Elders and Disabled in Surulere, making him the first Local Government Chairman to achieve that.


FURTHER INTO POLITICS


In 2003 Hon. Hakeem Dickson was appointed as Special Adviser to The Minister of Works, while at this office, he was the mirror in which people saw their cherished ideals reflected, he invested in building the economy of the future from physical and technological infrastructure- including Federal roads, particularly within the state, his major role played in this department, alongside others derived the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) initiation. He also strived to ascertain more construction of roads within Lagos State.


In October 2016, Hakeem issued a simple and powerful pledge to restore safety to its rightful place. Coming into office as the Director-General/CEO of Lagos State Safety Commission, he was committed to reinvigorating the Safety Commission through a strong commitment to basic and applied safety practices, innovation, and education; to restoring integrity to safety policy, and most importantly, to make decisions on the basis of evidence. He noted that Safety, Security, Technology, and innovation are essential to sustaining economic growth, enabling Lagosians to lead longer and healthier lives, and providing them with the tools they need to succeed in every way.

EXPANDING SAFETY, SECURITY, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CAPACITY AND IMPACT ACROSS THE STATE


Rebranded the Lagos State Safety Commission, by introducing a new logo and a new means of identification for staff and consultants in 2017


Developing Safety Guidelines and Checklist in 18 sectors of the Economy from 2017 to August 2019


Training Safety Champions in MDAs on issues Bothering Safety from 2017 till August 2019


Made Lagos State Safety Commission a member of the International Labor Organization? (ILO) and International Social Security Association (ISSA) from 2017 till date


Represented Lagos State Government and delivered a lecture at the XXI World Safety and Health at Work Conference with over 7,000 delegates worldwide in 2017. Where he was handed the mantle of Vision Zero, which was successfully launched in Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia as well as Lagos State.


Launched Vision Zero in Lagos State, which aims to achieve Zero Accidents, Zero Injuries, Zero Fatalities in all workplaces, it was attended by over 3,000 delegates from Nigeria, Africa, Europe, and USA for 3 days. Till 2018


The signing of Health and Safety Policy for Lagos State Public Servant by the Head of Service till 2018


Implementing corporate planning strategy in the commission in collaboration with international Organizations.


Developing Safety Regulations in 7 Sectors of the Economy from 2018 till August 2019.

Establishing Safety Training in collaboration with international Organizations:
Institute of work and Health DRESDEN Germany, (DGUV) target of 50,000 practitioners to be trained till 2019
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health United Kingdom (IOSH) target of 500,000 practitioners to be trained till 2019
Institute of Work at Height, South Africa, and Height Safety Training of work at Height Technicians in Lagos State.

Hon. Hakeem Dickson received numerous awards for his outstanding performance during and even after his tenure in office as the DG/CEO Lagos State Safety Commission.
He is currently the Director General/C.E.O of Total Workplace Safety Management Systems Limited (TWPS) a certified ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System Organization which specializes in Occupational Health and Safety support services- projects and operations, Consultancy services, Training, Facility management and Commercial services and, provision of Manpower for Projects.

“THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE MAY HAVE VOTED FOR A DIVIDED GOVERNMENT, BUT THEY DIDN’T VOTE FOR A DYSFUNCTIONAL GOVERNMENT”.—Hon. Hakeem Olaogun Dickson.

WRITTEN BY: CHIOMA STEPHANIE OKEKE (DS)
CREDITS: Pastor Anthony Olurotimi Oyetayo. JP
Samuel Oluwasegun Ojo

The Man Admired By Lagos Without “APOLOGY”
NEWS The Man Admired By Lagos without “APOLOGY” Samuel Oluwasegun December 21, 2021
Hon. Hakeem Dickson
Courageous leader

The Man Admired By Lagos without “APOLOGY”
“Fearless Critic of Power”, “Staunch Defender of the People”, “Unique Leader”, “Mayor of Surulere”, and “The Blue Blood Prince of Lagos”, are some of many labels used by people to describe him.

Hon. Hakeem Olaogun Dickson

Early Life and Education

Hakeem Olaogun Dickson was born on the 5th of May 1957 in Lagos Island into the Itire and Onikoyi royal family but raised in Surulere, Lagos. Dickson first attended the Breadfruit Primary School in Lagos Island before he was transferred to Surulere Baptist School, in the late 60s after his family relocated to Surulere Lagos, due to the construction of Eko Bridge where he obtained his first school leaving certificate in 1972, and later at Victory High School in Ikeja where he completed his Junior and Secondary studies in 1976.

He says he began developing a social consciousness in the United States of America in the 1970s while still a young student in Albany New-York USA, where he studied Accounting and graduated with AOS (Hon) Accounting in 1980. Along with grasping the importance of a sound education, he continued his studies at the Thomas A. Edison State College in Trenton NJ,U.S.A where he obtained a B.Sc. (Hon) in Accounting and his first M.Sc. at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutherford, NJ, U.S.A majoring in Accounting.

He returned to Nigeria after his first MBA in 1983 and in 1984 he attended the one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program which was then set up by the Nigerian Government upon completion of the program, he worked briefly at the Nigerian Airways as an Internal Auditor. Shortly after that, he travelled back to the U.S.A and gained admission into the prestigious Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutherford, NJ, U.S.A and obtained his 2nd MBA degree in Finance. He was opportuned to have started his career with one of the biggest Accounting firms in the world after being certified as a Public Accountant where he worked as an Accountant/External Auditor/Tax Adviser at the Coopers and Lybrand CPA firm, Newark, NJ, U.S.A. between 1988 and 1994.

Hon. Hakeem Dickson
A unique leader

Political Career

“I felt a compulsion to come back home and help start what my father felt was important for our community,” especially for the fact that my father thought I was lost in America because I was already living the” American dream” , he says, naming one top local issue. “Crime and safety both on land and water had been an issue for decades. There was a strong feeling in the community that there needed to be safety. Safety was the economic underpinning of the community.” I never planned to become a politician but when I returned to the country, I was bitten by my friend’s passion for politics as well.

Dickson had watched his friends over the years, but he had no training in politics or civil administration. But being a Legend among true Believers, he was unstoppable in pursuing his passion.

Long-Time Leader

Dickson (The Mayor of Surulere) was sworn in as the Executive Chairman, Surulere Local Government, Lagos State on the 2nd of June 1999, but he was elected on the 4th of December 1998.Having no training whatsoever in politics or civil administration. Nonetheless, mobilized a group of people who successfully lobbied the Lagos State Government to help launch and introduce the Surulere Law Enforcement Corp in which he brought together a group of people called “Area Boys” off the streets by providing them with jobs through the platform and as a result of that, people could enter Surulere and go about their businesses without any traffic or hassle.

“It was a time,” Dickson says, “when the Federal Government very aggressively reached out to the less fortunate and those in the lower economic strata and made a significant effort to bring all people the opportunity to live in a clean and safe environment.” We then launched what is now called Landscape where we disposed our refuse, refusing to deal with the cart pushers and of course we had enough vehicles that carted away refuse. “We fought and reduced crime rate to less than five percent in Surulere. As a result of such great accomplishments, the DPO in my area was given the Best DPO of The Year Award, while the Area Commander was also given the Best Area Commander of the Year Award Three years in a row.” While still the Chairman of Surulere LGA, Dickson renovated lots of schools and also introduced free lunch to schools, free uniforms, free school bags amongst other things. Like Dickson rightfully said, “I went to Surulere with my brain and when I was going, I left with my brain and now whoever is coming in there should come with his/her brain.” Dickson would tell you he is a “stubborn man” but the good kind of “stubborn”. He was later appointed as the special adviser to the Minister of Works Senator Ogunlewe.

Dickson was then appointed as the Director General Lagos State Safety Commission Lagos state in 2016 by the former Lagos State Governor, His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Despite the series of false stories and allegations that raged throughout the internet and lingering controversy over his personal conduct, that did not in any way hinder his appointment. Despite this, what resonated well with residents of Surulere as well as Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and was evident was his drive and passion for safety and Security. Due to the passion he was known to have for safety and Security, a couple of his achievements were evident, such as; creating a walkway for pedestrians on some streets and major roads in Surulere, filling of potholes well over a thousand both on State and Federal roads amongst other achievements during his tenure as the Local Government Chairman of Surulere.

Dickson’s experiences in politics led to his lifelong conviction for a purely democratic style of government. “The majority, he says does not always make the best choices in its own interests. Instead, Government ought to be primarily directed toward protecting individual rights rather than serving the will of a whimsical majority. A common passion will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole.” He is currently the Director General/C.E.O of Total Workplace Safety Management Systems Limited which specializes in Occupational Health and Safety.

Awards/Achievements

In the years since his chairmanship, Hakeem Olaogun Dickson achieved enormous success as a public speaker. He founded the Surulere Law Enforcement Corp which helped in empowering the youths with jobs and taking the “area boys” off the streets, thereby addressing safety and security for anyone coming in and going out of Surulere as a whole. The foundation achieved considerable success in promoting public health and safety in Lagos State and received high ratings from organizations, State government and Federal government for spending its largest part of its resources and contributions directly on its programs. He was awarded The Best Cleanliness LGA Award from 1999-2002 from both Federal and State Governments.

In his tenure as the Director General/CEO, Lagos State Safety Commission, he achieved notable safety policy successes, rebranded the Lagos State Safety Commission, by introducing a new logo and a new means of identification for staff and consultants – 2017, developed Safety Guidelines and Checklist in 18 Sectors of the Economy – 2017 till August, 2019, Trained Safety Champions in MDAs on issues bothering Safety – 2017 till August, 2019. He made Lagos Safety Commission a member of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and International Social Security Association (ISSA)-2017 till date. He represented Lagos State Government and delivered a lecture at the XXI World Safety and Health at Work Conference with over 7,000 delegates worldwide in 2017, where he was handed the mantle of Vision Zero, which was successfully launched in Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia as well as Lagos State. He launched Vision Zero in Lagos State, which aims to achieve Zero Accidents, Zero injuries, Zero Fatalities in all workplaces. He was awarded the Transport and Logistics Excellence Award (TLEA), which is the highest honor accorded to stakeholders to recognize their outstanding achievements.

There is a major Road in Lekki which is on the map that is named after Hon Hakeem Dickson (Hakeem Dickson Road) and that honor was bestowed upon him by the former Lagos State Governor, His Excellency Akinwunmi Ambode, which was commissioned in 2019.

Article written by: Chioma Stephanie Okeke. (DS)

Credits: Pastor Anthony Olurotimi Oyetayo. JP

Samuel Oluwasegun Ojo

Chioma Stephanie Okeke. (DS)