Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has shared a personal experience about discipline in the workplace, recalling how he once dismissed his own daughter from his farm for arriving late.
Obasanjo made this revelation while receiving Dr. Dayo Israel, the new Chairman of the Board of Management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Idi-Aba, Abeokuta. The meeting took place at Obasanjo’s Penthouse residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Ogun State. He used the story to stress the importance of strong leadership and strict discipline in professional settings.
He explained that leaders must sometimes make difficult decisions and should not be afraid to take actions that might upset others. “No leader of note he has ever come across achieved without stepping on toes,” he stated.
Obasanjo recalled that after leaving office as Head of State, his daughter, who was studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ibadan, was given an opportunity to work on his farm during her vacation to gain practical experience.
On her first day, she arrived at 7:15 a.m. instead of the required 7:00 a.m. Obasanjo warned her about the importance of punctuality and being a good example to other workers. He also made it clear that if she repeated the mistake, there would be consequences.
Despite the warning, she arrived late again the following day. Keeping to his word, Obasanjo immediately sent her back home.
This decision had a strong impact on his other employees. He noted that they were shocked, realizing that if he could be strict with his own daughter, he would not hesitate to discipline any of them for similar behavior.
In his words; “Shortly after I left office as Head of State, my first daughter, then at University of Ibadan, studying Veterinary Medicine was engaged on my farm to gain some practical experience during long vacation”.
“On day one, she resumed a quarter past seven in the morning as against the usual 7 o’clock. I warned her, reminding her that she has an obligation to be of good example to other workers. I told her I will not hesitate to wield the big stick should the same be repeated going forward.
“To my amazement, the following day, she was late to work again. I did not hesitate to send her back right from the gate.”
“Not surprisingly, this had an indescribable effect on all my employees, saying “if Baba could do this to his daughter, who are we?”
During the visit, Obasanjo advised Dr. Israel and his team to be firm and ready to make tough decisions in their leadership roles. He noted that being effective in any position often requires making unpopular choices.
Dr. Israel, in response, described Obasanjo as a leader with great wisdom and experience. “Meeting Baba Obasanjo is always so much fun. As we begin this journey of transformation at FMC Abeokuta, Baba’s wisdom and experience are invaluable,” he said.
