In honor of my remarkable boss, Mark Okoye

By Nonso Ndumanya

‘‘Thank you very much for giving me opportunities to grow and develop my career in public service – You gave me rare opportunities of representing you at high-profile official engagements and meetings, connecting me to public officials and private sector executives committed to delivering value, performance and productivity. I could still remember representing you at a subnational convening of the Federal Government Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) draft report meeting in Abuja, years back.?I had introduced myself stating that I was sitting in for you; and during the Questions and Answers session, the moderator, a director of then Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, mentioned that he wasn’t surprised at my good suggestions - as he didn’t expect anything less from a Mark Okoye’’.

It was the afternoon of Thursday, August 13, 2015, the outgone governor of Anambra State, His Excellency Chief Willie Maduabuchukwu Obiano was billed to deliver the 2015 edition of the Distinguished Guest Lecture Series of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, among other things, on the challenges of governance, politics and the development programmes of Anambra State.

?As an onye Anambra living and working in Lagos at the time, I thought to attend as it would be an ample opportunity to meet with him and/or members of the State Executive Council. And yes, that was how our paths crossed. At 29, at the time, you were Special Adviser on Economic Planning and Budget, overseeing the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget. Standing at the rear of the Honeywell Group Auditorium of the Lagos Business School with your lovely wife Philippa, we exchanged pleasantries and contact details and kept in touch.

?Fast forward to June 21st 2016, we met again on the 2nd day of The Economist Nigeria Summit where you had represented His Excellency Willie Obiano in company of James Eze, then Special Adviser on Media, presumingly days after you were appointed as Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget. You had shared views on what needs to be done by subnationals to encourage increased investment and sustained growth, citing the Anambra experience. To say the least, I was marveled at your level of confidence and the quantum of knowledge you exuded as a young person, as one of the panelists.

?Working in financial journalism as a real sector analyst, from BusinessDay Newspapers and The SMEs which I co-founded to Stears Business, the thought of working in the public sector never crossed my mind. But following your work on public budgeting in the media, I began to nurse the idea, readying for yet another opportunity to physically meet with you – then The Future Awards Africa 2016 came in December 2016!

?I had come prepared that night to the Federal Palace Hotel Lagos, the venue of the event, to shoot my shot (lol) on hearing that you were one of the?three nominees of coveted Future Awards Africa Young Person of the Year alongside Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (Wizkid) and Nigerian born Silas Adekunle, blazing a trail?in Robotics. You won the day at 30 amid electrifying excitement from the audience for being Nigeria’s youngest commissioner since the onset of the Fourth Republic in 1999, and for your work on improving the budgetary process and facilitating prudent public financial management (PFM) in Anambra State.

?But who would believe that, that bold move earned me an invitation by you to Awka Anambra State in late January 2017 to begin discussions with the wider team on joining as your Technical Assistant on Research and Strategy. And thereafter in April 2018, was appointed as an Executive Assistant to outgone Governor Willie Obiano on Research and Policy Formulation working closely with you.

?I attribute these opportunities to God, a bit of luck, my stellar educational and work background, and even more as you would often assert in your personal career?story, ‘‘determination and perseverance’’. ?I can’t thank you enough for these opportunities. It has seen me transition my erst career in business and financial journalism to policy research and advisory in the public sector. And with your guidance and the rest of the team, I humbly have a few accomplishments to show;

1. Having worked as part of the State Ease of Doing Business Coordination Unit that saw Anambra listed on the 2018 World Bank Doing Business in Nigeria index as one of the top 5 States that showed the largest advance toward the global good practice frontier.
2. Having worked as the Technical Assistant of the Anambra State 2022 Transition Committee Economic Transformation Sub-task Team co-chaired by Dr. Alex Otti and Engr. (Sir) Chris Okoye. In my capacity, I provided technical assistance and policy advisory support working with a 15-20 man sub-task group under 10 sub-components that produced a zero draft report on specific priorities, policies and programs that would facilitate the newly minted Governor Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s objective of transforming Anambra State from a dominantly informal commercial state to a formal, productive, and competitive economy underpinned by rapid industrialization, agriculture, commerce, entertainment/leisure and the creative industry, technology and innovation, solid minerals, and oil and gas.
3. In a similar vein, I worked as part of the delivery unit that provided research support to the team led by Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo that drafted the Soludo Solution, a people's manifesto for a greater Anambra. Connectedly, I served as part of the Economic Transformation Coordination Unit of the Anambra Vision 2070 inaugurated by the outgone governor Chief Willie Obiano, and chaired by Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, providing policy research support and direction that brought the plan to fruition.

Amongst the many feats, in 2021, I was selected as part of the scholarship funded pioneer cohort of The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) Public Leadership and Policy, a brainchild of Dr.?Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Vice President for the World Bank Africa Region, and more recently, the Chairperson of the Anambra State Transition Committee 2022. It's a seven-month programme offering an unconventional approach to learning about politics, policy and governance.

Looking back over the last five years, it is so easy to see why you were my favorite boss. I’d hope you accept this heartfelt piece as my way of honoring you for the positive impact you made in my career and personal life. The moments and memories are countless, but these are a few I could remember:

1. Your mental agility and empathy: You are a gifted leader with a rare combination of great finesse, mental agility and empathy. You exemplify Dag Heward-Mills quote that the reward for hard work is more work, always spurring the entire team on to deliver exceptional results. I’m lucky to have worked in your team, a manager who’s not only interested in the organization’s bottom line, but also in your team members’ professional growth.
2. Your attention to detail: Coming from respectable financial journalism brands, including BusinessDay Newspapers and Stears Business, meant that I had bosses who paid attention to detail. But you raised the bar, with your detail-oriented tact which made you an absolute pleasure to work with. You put yourself into, go above and beyond in delivering excellence on your role, and always quick to roll up your sleeves and take on tasks with the team.
3. You gave me big responsibilities – This was an opportunity to show you my best work. You repeatedly commended me how I added value to the team and you seemed sincere.
4. You gave me opportunities to grow & develop – You often asked me to represent you at official engagements and meetings, connecting me to other talented minds committed to service delivery. I could still remember representing you at a subnational convening of the Federal Government Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) draft report meeting in Abuja. ?I had introduced myself stating that I was sitting in for you, and during the Questions and Answers segment, the moderator, a director of then Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning highlighted that he wasn’t surprised at my suggestions as he didn’t expect anything less from a ‘Mark Okoye’.
5. You asked me about my personal life – You cared to know my life outside of work, including family and checked in to see how things were going.
6. You were patient and understanding the times I missed it – As my lowest points, you were patient and understanding, and never held them against me.
7. You praised me when I succeeded – When I did something really well, you were quick to tell me so. Your words were encouraging and they built my confidence. You used ‘excellent’ and ‘thank you’ often.

I guess there were many other bosses in my life that did as much. But you turned out to be one of a kind. Your proven dedication to delivering results, along with your strong leadership traits will continually make you a remarkable public servant and a worthy representative in ensuring that developmental projects and programmes that impact lives, including for women and children, youth, the vunerable, are within the reach of the people you may seek to represent. I can only wish you well in your future political and professional endeavors.

Thank you kindly for the good years, and rest assured that you’d always have my loyalty.

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