ENGR Olusegun Oni was born in Ifaki Ekiti. Both parents, Hezekiah Adebomi Oni, late Baba Ijo Methodist Church Cathedral, Ilogbe, Ifaki- Ekiti, and Comfort Ajayi Oni, have their roots firmly in Ifaki Ekiti. Hezekiah (died Jan. 28,1981) was a John Holt Factor in the thirties, fourties and fifties. He owned two John Holt outlets in Ifaki Ekiti and Ilesa.
Hezekiah’s greatest preoccupation was not his business (John Holt, timber, Cocoa and Farming) but service in the house of God. A devoted Christian, Hezekiah was at various times at the Methodist Church Ilogbe, Ifaki-Ekiti, the first Society Steward (1926-1927), Baba Egbe Majeobaje (1930-1938), Baba Egbe Odo Ijo (1939-1943), Balogun Ijo (1944-1957), Baba Egbe Ijo (1958-1970), Baba Ijo (1970 -1981). He was for a record period of over two decades, the Chairman, Finance Committee of Methodist Church, Ifaki Circuit (later converted to a Diocese).
CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
Young Segun started schooling at Methodist School, Ilogbe, Ifaki by happenstance, having been declared too young but accepted on a non-formal status in January, 1959. He was not admitted formally into the school register until after the first half-year examinations, having proven by his results in the examinations that he could cope with school life despite his age. He completed his Primary School education in the same school in December 1964.
In the last two years at school (1963 & 1964) he was the school Librarian.
Segun Oni, thereafter, attended the Methodist Secondary Modern School, Ifaki Ekiti (1965-1968) and Wesley College, Ibadan (1969-1971) where he was probably the youngest student ever to be admitted into the College at that time. Olusegun Oni, the trained teacher, having completed his education at Wesley College Ibadan in December 1971, returned to Ekiti to work at Community Secondary Modern School, Ido Ekiti, where he taught Arithmetic, Mathematics and Geography from January 1972 to July 1973. He was then invited to join the staff of Ayetoro-Iloro High School, Ayetoro/Iloro Ekiti where he taught Physics, Mathematics and Yoruba until he left for the University of Ife in September 1974.
INSTITUTION BACKGROUND
At Ife, Segun Oni studied Chemical Engineering and was actively involved in student journalism, as a member of the defunct Spit-Fire News Agency, and politics.
He was an Electoral Commissioner in 1977 /1978 session in the commission that conducted probably the then best-ever students union elections in Ife having introduced amongst other innovations, a Press parley (at Moremi Hall common room) for Presidential candidates and relocation of the election-eve speech night from the cafeteria to Oduduwa Hall amphi-theatre. That election, widely acclaimed by students, staff and the authorities of the University, produced the then youngest ever President of the Students Union of the University.
WORK EXPERIENCES
Olusegun left Ife with a Second Class Upper division degree in Chemical Engineering in June, 1979. He was thereafter at National Steel Development Authority (NSDA) Ajaokuta, later Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCO) for the National Youth Service Corps scheme (1979 -1980). During the National Youth Service Corps in Ajaokuta, Segun worked at the Metallurgical Coal Research Laboratory.
After NYSC, he was offered immediate employment by Ajaokuta Steel Company where he worked briefly as Chemical Engineer II in the Planning Division.
In September 1980, Segun returned to school and was in University of Lagos, Akoka for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme from September 1980 to January 1982. Simultaneously, he was a teacher under the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission. He taught Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at CMS Grammar School, Bariga and Anthony Village High School, where he was deployed on special assignment to help prepare the then fifth formers for West African School Certificate (WASC) Examination in Physics, after being without a Physics teacher for almost one year.
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
After the MBA degree, Segun was offered employment at Delta Steel Company Ltd, Aladja (1982-1984). He worked in the Marketing and Sales Sector of the Commercial Division as a Commercial Officer I, later Senior Commercial Officer, where he was at various times in charge of steel billet allocation to the Inland Rolling Mills (Katsina,Jos and Oshogbo) and Market Analysis and Product Development. He pioneered the marketing of lime, oxygen/ nitrogen/ argon and foundry products and worked closely with the external Management Advisors to Aladja, Booz Allen and Hamiton Associates, a USA based International firm of Management Consultants, where he assisted mostly with corporate strategy development.
He left Aladja in January 1985 to join Leventis Staff Development Centre of AG Leventis & Co. Ebute Metta, where he was a Consultant and Management Trainer. He was a member of the pioneer team that designed, delivered and executed the Leventis Group Foundation Course for Managers, a very successful Management Development package targeted to develop high flying management resources for the Leventis Group. After Leventis, Segun worked briefly at Public Finance and Management Consultants Ltd as Director of Projects. Here, he anchored the first National Workshop on Investment Opportunities in Downstream Oil and Gas Industries in Nigeria, and another for the Steel and Metallurgy industries.
Engr. Segun Oni joined Rank Xerox Nigeria Ltd as Technical Support Manager in May 1987. H He was responsible for operational and strategic planning for the Customer Services and Logistics Division.
His performance on this job was recognized with a move to the position of Regional Sales Manager for the Western Region covering present day Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta States in January 1992, a position he held briefly, leading the Western Region from the last position (out of seven) to first position in sales in six months.
In July 1992, Segun was posted out to Kenya by Rank Xerox Headquarters (in UK) as an expatriate, the first time an African was being so treated. In Kenya, he held the position of Customer Service Operations Manager responsible for service and logistics, including imports and exports. In addition, he was also responsible for Service Support to the Xerox Dealership Operations in all countries of the entire East and Central Africa sub-region.
He returned to Nigeria in 1995 to take over the position of General Manager, Customer Service Operations at Rank Xerox Nigeria from the expatriate General Manager, thereby becoming the first Nigerian to manage the Xerox service force in Nigeria. This position has since remained Nigerianised.
The position of General Manager, Systems Business was added to Segun’s portfolio early 1997. When Xerox Nigeria was reorganized in October 1997 and the functional structure replaced with a regional structure, Segun became the Director responsible for Northern Regional Operations based in Abuja. He led the Northern Region from 15% of total company revenue in 1997 to 36% in 2000 when he retired voluntarily from the services of Xerox.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Segun attained the status of corporate member, Nigerian Society of Engineers (MNSE) in 1987. In addition, he became a full Member of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria (MIMC) the same year.
In 1988, Engr. Oni became a COREN registered Engineer.
He had served as Treasurer, Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (1986-1988).
In, he was conferred with a Fellowship by the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers.
POLITICS
In Ekiti State politics, Segun Oni was a foundation member of the United Nigeria, Congress Party / (UNCP) where he played a largely supportive role as a party loyalist. He is also a foundation member of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in Ekiti.
His support for, and his services to the PDP has been consistent and without any strings attached since the inception of the party. He was nominated by the Honourable Minister of Education in September 1999, to serve on the Board of Trustees of Education Trust Fund (ETF) as Trustee representing the South West. He is still serving on this Board.
He was elected governor of Ekiti State in 2007 and took office on May 29, 2007.
Segun Oni believes that service should be the primary and cardinal objective of politicians, whilst quest for position and leadership should be a by-product of service and loyalty to the political system.
CHIEFTAINCY TITLE
Segun Oni was conferred with the prestigious title of Asiwaju of Ifaki-Ekiti on Friday, October 29, 2010, exactly 15 days after he left office as governor of Ekiti State.
VISION
Segun Oni is a Christian of the Methodist denomination. He believes in service to God and people. While in Kenya, he was a volunteer Honorary Consultant to the Kenya Management Advisory Programme (K-MAP), an entrepreneurship development initiative. There, he anchored all their programmes on Customer Service and Satisfaction Management. In Nigeria, he is involved in micro credit, where he sponsors a couple of micro credit cooperatives targeted at the youth and women in Ekiti.
Engr. Segun Oni’s vision is that of Ekiti State whose leadership excites in the followership and generality of Ekiti people, a sense of dignity and a determination to attain quickly, a world class status to become a source of pride not only for Nigerians but the entire Black race.
To achieve these goals, governance must be conducted in the most competent manner, in a result oriented, development focused, and transparently accountable domain.
Ekiti is blessed with abundance. This abundance of human and material resources should be packaged to engender rapid development.
In Ekiti, our quest (did you say revolution?) must be a unique strategic package, anchored on our History and Sociology, propelled by modern-day Economics and enabled by contemporary Technology; a world-class development model that engages people and mobilizes all Ekitis at home and the diaspora towards the achievement of world-class results in all areas viz Education, Health, Social Services, Security, infrastructural development, utilities ete
Engr. Olusegun Oni is married to Olukemi Adetola (nee Ogunsiji). They are blessed with two children, a girl and a boy.
His hobbies include Tennis (Table and Lawn), Music (Jazz and Classical), Community Service and Politics.
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