L-R: Mrs. Gbemi Legunshe, from Post Service Matters, Public Service Office; The birthday celebrant and retiring General Manager, Lagos State Drivers Institute, (LASDRI), Mr. Philips Femi Ogunlade; the Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Ladi Lawanson and the Acting General Manager, LASDRI, Alhaja Tiamiyu.
By Cliffsimeon Akalonu
It was a joyous mood over the weekend when the General Manager, Lagos State Drivers Institute (LASDRI) Mr. Philip Ogunlade retired from the services of the Lagos State government, which also marked his 60th birthday.
Presenting him with certificate of retirement, the Commissioner, Ministry of Transportation, Lagos state, Mr. Ladi Lawanson, urged him to retire well and make considerations on how to continue sustaining his family now that he is no longer a salary earner and that the junior colleagues should also emulate him to get to the height that he has attained as a public servant.
Ogunlade comee from a humble background and was born on March 4, 1959 at Oke Aba in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State to Mr. and Mrs. Ajide Ogunlade. He attended Local Education Authority (LEA) primary school from 1967 to 1973 at Oke – Oba, Kwara state, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate after which he proceeded to ECWA secondary school, Igbaja Kwara state between 1973 to 1978 and acquired his (WASC).
He later went to Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin from 1978 – 1981 and obtained GCE A-Level. He also holds a BSc.(Hons) in sociology from the University of Ibadan, Masters Degree in Public Administration & Human Resources from LASU and Masters Degree in Transportation Planning & Management, at UNILAG.
His track records shows that he has handled many offices, as he started in the civil service as a higher traffic officer GL08 with the old Lagos State Transport Corporation (LSTC), on the 16 of November 1987, before he was promoted to the post of a senior traffic officer GL09 in 1990.
He was among the pioneer staff of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) upon its creation in 2000. He started his career in LASTMA Zone 7, Ejigbo as Head of Operations before heading to Zone 3, Iponri in the same capacity, later rose to become the Zonal Head in the zone and Zonal Head at Zone 5, Mile 2. He also served briefly at Zone 2, Alausa, as the Zonal head before he was posted to the Headquarters Operations.
His discipline, commitment, diligence and outstanding performance in ensuring free flow of traffic within the agency was not unnoticed as he was appointed the provost marshal of the agency to help improve on discipline and conduct of officials in 2007.
In 2012, he was appointed as the Assistant Comptroller (Operations) , and later drove to become the first Deputy Comptroller of Operations which created vista of opportunity for him to prove his mettle. His excellent and efficient service delivery did not go unnoticed in the state as he was appointed the General Manager, Lagos State Drivers Institute (LASDRI) in 2016. He is also a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).
Giving testimonies of a man with the vision to lead, the staff of LASDRI described him as a man with good listening ears to issues, saying that he is a man who maintains integrity.
In addition, Mr. Oshindiya Sunday Olawole, a retired LASTMA Commander, described the retiree as a man who even give respect to his juniors in the office, saying that, “for the love I have for him, he will live long”.
Speaking at the event, the CEO, LASTMA, Chris Olape; described Mr. Ogunlade Philips as a consulate public servant, a diligent officer and one who has contributed immensely to the growth of LASTMA and LASDRI.
The Acting General Manager, LASDRI, Alhaja Tiaminu, said that “today is worth celebrating and that was why I insisted that the management of LASDRI must hold this ceremony on behalf of our retiring GM, in the person of Mr. Philips Ogunlade, because I have never seen a boss like him before. I will also maintain the relationship between our sister agencies as the media will not be left out in my reign”.
The ceremony witnessed presentation of gifts from different organizations such as LASDRI, VIS and Fidelity Bank to Mr. Philips Ogunlade.
