The Chairman of Ajoni Local Council Development Area, Prince Michael Ogungbemi, has said Ekiti State cannot afford to allow the intellect and technocratic depth of Mrs Titilayo Toba Ojo to fade into quiet retirement, declaring that her experience remains vital to the consolidation of grassroots governance and the advancement of women in leadership.
Ogungbemi made the assertion in Ado Ekiti during a grand ceremony marking Toba Ojo’s retirement from the Local Government Service Commission, her 60th birthday and the public presentation of her book, describing the celebrant as a pathfinder whose journey through the civil service has become a template for excellence.
The LCDA chairman noted that as the first female Permanent Secretary to rise through the ranks in the commission, Toba Ojo shattered institutional ceilings not through noise, but through competence, discipline and an unbroken record of service. He said her story proves that leadership capacity among women is not aspirational but practical and measurable.
According to him, technocrats of her calibre should not simply bow out after decades of public service but should be strategically engaged as mentors and policy advisers, particularly at a time when local governance requires seasoned hands to navigate complex administrative demands.
Ogungbemi used the occasion to underscore the importance of a functional local government system, insisting that democracy remains incomplete without a strong and empowered third tier. He argued that councils are the only structures capable of translating high level policies into everyday realities for rural dwellers.
In this regard, he commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for what he described as deliberate and sustained support for local councils across Ekiti State, noting that the administration has prioritised funding, staffing and infrastructural renewal at the grassroots.
He pointed to ongoing construction of schools and markets, renovation of health facilities and strategic recruitment within the local government system as evidence that councils are now positioned to deliver genuine development outcomes.
The chairman maintained that without such backing from the state government, local authorities would struggle to domesticate policies in ways that directly benefit communities, adding that effective decentralisation requires both political will and competent administrators.
Returning to the celebrant, Ogungbemi described Toba Ojo as one of the steady hands that helped stabilise the machinery of local governance over the years, saying her grasp of procedure, finance and personnel management ensured that councils operated within clear standards.
He said her career reflects a rare blend of firmness and empathy, recalling instances where her interventions resolved administrative bottlenecks without compromising institutional integrity.
Ogungbemi further urged younger female professionals in the public service to draw inspiration from Toba Ojo’s trajectory, stressing that her rise through the ranks demonstrates that patience, continuous learning and ethical consistency remain powerful tools for advancement.
He added that beyond celebration, the moment should provoke deeper reflection on how the state can institutionalise mentorship frameworks that allow experienced administrators like Toba Ojo to groom upcoming officers and elected officials.
Guests at the event shared similar testimonies, describing the retired Permanent Secretary as a custodian of institutional memory whose book launch symbolises not an end, but a new chapter of influence.