Olusegun Agagu
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Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu was born at Okitipupa in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State on February 16, 1948. His father Chief, Isaac Olorunfemi Agagu was a Court Clerk for several years, Local Government Council Administrator and later a Community leader. His mother, Madam Leah Omopelumi Agagu was a trader in food items and also a Community Woman leader. As an off-shoot of a disciplined and cultured environment, he was prepared for life in various capacities as a professional, lecturer, entrepreneur, politician and public administrator.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
It is often said that traveling is part of education. Either inadvertently or by design, the little Segun had a wide spectrum of interaction with different major ethnic groups in Nigeria, having lived in different parts of the Country.
At six, the young Olusegun Agagu began his search for knowledge. He commenced his elementary education at St. Luke’s Anglican School, (now known as St. Paul’s Anglican School) Okitipupa, in 1954. In January 1958, he moved to live with his cousin, Edward Fagbohun in Ibadan, where he continued his primary education at Ebenezer African Church School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. The budding Olusegun went with his Cousin on transfer to Kano in 1959 where he studied at the Ebenezer Methodist School and Baptist Primary School Sabon-Gari, Kano. Olusegun Agagu moved from Kano back to Ebenezer African Church School, Ibadan where he completed his primary education in 1960.
Thereafter, he was in Ibadan Grammar School between January 1961 and 1967 where he passed his West African School Certificate and the Higher School Certificate examinations in flying colours.
He got admitted to the University of Ibadan in 1968 to study Botany but later changed to Geology in which he graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Second Class Upper Division, in 1971. As an undergraduate, his academic record was replete with laurels and prizes. For instance, in 1969 alone, he won three Scholarships, namely:
- Western State Government Scholarship
- University of Ibadan Scholarship
- Gulf Oil Scholarship
Olusegun Agagu, still filled with the insatiable appetite for knowledge, and treading the path of the intellectuals, was at the University of Texas between 1973 and 1974 for his Masters degree in Geology. Returning to Nigeria, he crowned it all with a Ph.D degree in Petroleum Geology, obtained from the University of Ibadan in 1978. He had since been attending numerous professional courses, workshops and conferences in almost all continents of the World.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Olusegun Agagu started his professional career as a geologist with the Gulf Oil Company, Lagos between 1971 and 1972. He however curiously voluntarily resigned his highly financially lucrative employment in the Oil industry, after only 15 months for a seemingly less glamorous academic career at the University. He was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in the Geology Department of the University of Ibadan in September 1972. He worked there for 16 years until he retired voluntarily from the services of the institution in 1988 as Acting Head of Department of Geology having made up his mind “to quit salaried employment by age 40”.
As a professional and academic, he has contributed immensely to the field of geology. His research works have produced several publications that include chapters in several books, 4 monographs, 15 articles in learned journals and over 50 technical reports in diverse areas of Earth Sciences which include Sedimentology, Sedimentary Petrography, Basin Analysis, Geotectonic, Petroleum Geology, Geothermal Energy, Clay Mineralogy, Salt Domes Geology, Subsurface Overpressures, Mineral Exploration and Hydrogeology.
As a practically minded geologist he did not only teach, carry out research and consultancy services, he also established quarries, mines and processing facilities for kaolin, marble, feldspar and drilled hundreds of boreholes in most parts of Nigeria.
His membership of learned and professional Societies include:
- Member, American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
- Member, Geological Society of Africa.
- Fellow, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society
- Fellow, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists.
Dr. Olusegun Agagu had also served on boards of many companies and business ventures:
- Director, Brink Jones and Co. Ltd, Ibadan
- Director, Faagol Instruments Ltd, Ibadan
- Director, Petramin Nigeria Ltd, Ibadan
- Director, Oluwa Glass Plc.
amongst others.
POLITICS
Though, his landmarks in the intellectual and business worlds are enduring and enviable, yet his achievements in politics, which he called his hobby, is by every means remarkable. In politics, he is in the mould of political giants and treads the political firmament of Nigeria like a colossus.
Dr. Olusegun Agagu’s foray into partisan politics started in the period between 1978 and 1983 when he became a member and resource person for the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). He also actively participated in politics, between 1989 – 1993. He was in the then unregistered Peoples Solidarity Party and Social Democratic Party on the platform of which he became the Deputy Governor of Ondo State under Governor Bamidele Olumilua from 1992 to 1993 in the aborted Third Republic. That was the period Olusegun Agagu was actually first exposed to the people of Ondo State as a budding political leader. He was a foundation member of the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and was a gubernatorial aspirant of the party in 1998. Dr. Segun Agagu was also a foundation member of the Peoples Democratic Party and was the gubernatorial flag bearer of the party in Ondo State in 1999; an election which though he lost showed him clearly as a good sportsman as he wrote to congratulate the winner then, ever before the election results were officially announced. He later became Minister of Aviation in 1999 to preside over a comatose Aviation industry. It is on record that during his short one year tenure, the Aviation industry experienced a noticeable turn around starting with a pragmatic restructuring of the industry, then a reequipping of 14 Nigerian Airports with modern landing facilities, a general face lift of the airports, improved safety and security at the airports, an increase in the number of aircraft in the Nigerian Airways fleet, a resumption of the much sort after daily Lagos – London direct flight by Nigerian Airways and the American Government lifting of the then 5-year old ban of flight to and from Nigerian airports.
In recognition of his contributions to the development of the aviation industry, President Olusegun Obasanjo moved him to the Ministry of Power and Steel in year 2000 where again, he showed his midas touch. Within a space of 30 months, NEPA was able to triple its power generating capacity from 1400 megawatts to more than 4000 megawatts. The transmission and distribution systems were appropriately strengthened for the added load. More than 500 communities, which hitherto had no electricity, were linked to the National Grid. The three Inland Rolling Mills that had been shut down for 10 years began to work again and rehabilitation work on the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, Delta Steel Company (DSC), and the Aluminum Smelting Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) progressed substantially to more than 70% completion.
In response to the call of the people of Ondo State, he voluntarily resigned his ministerial appointment in November, 2002 to re-contest the gubernatorial election in Ondo State in 2003. He won the election by a very wide margin and was sworn in as the Governor of Ondo State on 29th May, 2003. Dr. Agagu has since brought his varied experiences to bear on governance in Ondo State. Within 3 months of his assumption of office, his administration published a 200 paged book titled ROAD MAP TO PROGRESS which outlined and 'calendarised' programmes and projects which his administration intends to embark upon in 4 years. The Road-Map is basically a structured form of the "State of State Address" earlier delivered to parliament on his assumption of office. Like an achiever that he is, these programmes are being implemented to the letter, and this is to the admiration of the people of the State, so much so that people are saying “We have never seen this type of Governor before”.
He is married to Mrs. Olufunke Ibidun Agagu (Nee Aliu) who hails from Ibaram, Akoko, also in Ondo State. They are blessed with three children.
Dr. Olusegun Agagu has been variously honoured with chieftaincy titles, too numerous to list here. He is an erudite scholar, shrewd businessman, quintessence administrator and an astute politician. He is a man of focus and determination. He plays Lawn tennis and loves music and traveling. As at the last count, he has been to 36 countries around the world.
