SSS honours Alaaje Ologo Ogbomoso, others with Director General's Merit Award

SSS honours Alaaje Ologo Ogbomoso, others with Director General’s Merit Award

Femi OGUNLANA

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The Alaaje Ologo of Aaje Ologo, in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, HRH Reuben Adesina Amao, Thursday, was conferred with the Meritorious Award of the Director General (DG) of the State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Tosin Ajayi.

HRH Amao along with three others (Adeleye (absent), Dr Muhammed Gimba and Mr. Solomon Ajao) received their award at the Kwara state Command of the SSS. The ceremony was held in other states capitals across the country.

“The Service (SSS) recognizes and highly appreciates your services and rejoices with you that you retired successfully,” Alhaji Muhammed Alabi Bakre, Kwara state chairman of the Association of Retired Department of State Services of Nigeria (ARODSSON), said, while decorating the honourees on behalf of the Director General of the SSS.

Something like this never happened

Expressing thanks, Alaaje enthused it was the first time an honour like that was being bestowed on ex-service men.

“It is commendable. I appreciate the Director General of the SSS. It is one thing to have an idea, it is another to implement it,” Alaaje said, adding, “I have never seen such a thing in this service, it has never happened. May God be with him and all of us.”

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Also, Mr. Solomon Ajao, stated, “I very much appreciate everyone here, it is a day of glory, a day of honour. We have people who served and got to the apogee of their profession and left without being hurt.

“This honour is not for us alone, it is for everybody. We all know the nature of the job, you cannot singlehandedly get to the top, you need the cooperation of your subordinates, you need the cooperation of your colleagues and you need the blessing of God. We thank everyone here.”

The Alaaje handed over gifts to three widows of ex-servicemen (to be selected by ARODSSON) on behalf of his foundation, Abigail Ebun Asakun Widowhood Foundation (AEAWF).

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Alhaji Bakri, ARODSSON chairman, remarked in a chat with ogbomosoinsightonline.com that it was a well-deserved honour, noting the profession was a lot hazardous. He added that retiring from it is lot of grace.

“Yes, the award is meant for the recognition of services rendered because they spent most of their lives in the Service. It is a hard work, very, very tedious. It is a matter of life and death, l won’t deceive you. So, it is a well-deserved recognition.”

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Alaaje served as Assistant Director in Kwara and few other states after which he rose to the position of Director serving in four different states – Lagos, Kogi, Borno and Gombe. He retired in 2017.

Meanwhile, being conferred with the meritorious award invalidated an insinuation against him by detractors in Ogbomoso a few years ago that he was dismissed from service.

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When Ogbomoso Insight raised the issue, he quietly retorted, “lf l was dismissed as claimed, would l be conferred with such a meritorious award? This is a vindication of my impeccable record in the Service. You know people like to peddle rumours; they would concoct a report and spread it just to smear you and the report is taken hook, line and sinker by equally mischievous people without verifying it. We thank God this is coming up now.”