Thumbs up for Oga Bello @ 65, By Tunde Akanni

In a country where officialdom is often weighed down by bureaucracy, territoriality and needless rigidity, encounters with genuinely humane public officers are rarities. Indeed, many public officials in Nigeria erect invisible walls around themselves, making access difficult and possible collaborations even more daunting.

Tunji Bello, Journalist, Lawyer and Veteran Public Servant and current Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, as an extraordinary person and material manager would take none of all such misdeeds.

It is therefore not surprising that several colleagues, days away from the 65th birthday anniversary of Oga Bello, Wednesday July 1, 2026, Nigeria’s leading columnists have been relentless with tributes in his honour. It happened simply because Tunji Bello is who he is: independent-minded, warm, humane, intellectually sophisticated and remarkably devoid of airs. Specifically, foremost essayist and his former colleague, Sam Omatseye, notes that he is particularly given to “fighting for justice”. This bonds me up specially with Oga Bello.

Having served as the spokesperson for the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, during the perilous period of the military governments in Nigeria, particularly the deadly Abacha years, human rights advocacy today constitutes a major track of the development work I have had to champion and research as a development communication scholar.

I therefore resolved that whenever the opportunity for sabbatical leave came, I would deliberately seek a development arena beyond the walls of academia. I believed that crossing institutional boundaries would enrich my scholarship and broaden my understanding of public life. Having had ample experience with non-state actors with CLO and the Centre for Free Speech, CFS, which I later co-founded, next is the state actor.

Accordingly, I approached several federal government agencies. The responses ranged from indifference to outright silence. One particular agency gave indications that my request might be considered, only to eventually treat the prospect with a degree of contempt that was both disappointing and disheartening. Those experiences reinforced a painful reality about our public institutions: access often depends less on merit than on rigid official cultures.

Tunji Bello changed the whole rhythm completely

Although Bello and I had not physically seen each other for nearly a decade before 2025 when I reached out to him, I eventually decided to send him a brief message mentioning my search for a suitable sabbatical placement. I had no grand expectations. Years apart, combined with the enormous responsibilities of his office, could easily have warranted a polite silence. Not only did my prayers get answered, it also received an accelerated hearing.

“We can fix it. Send in your papers,” he replied.

Yours sincerely immediately perceived openness, empathy and a willingness to look beyond bureaucratic conventions. More remarkably, he gave me complete freedom to determine when I wished to commence the assignment.

But why reach out to my Vice-Chancellor’s hubby without the courtesy of notifying her? Before my formal memorandum reached her desk therefore, I quickly sent her the message of my exploit. In a manner strikingly reminiscent of her husband, she merely congratulated me and wished me well. There was no unnecessary bureaucracy, no institutional resistance and no administrative drama. Like husband, like wife. The formal approval process subsequently proceeded without delay.

Yet, it is important to stress that Tunji Bello’s gesture was not a case of dispensing favours to acquaintances or merely creating opportunities for “his own people.” Nothing could be farther from the truth.

On assumption of duty, Bello as a smart administrator simply advised me to study the Commission carefully.

“The researcher that you are,” he said, “see how you can fill the noted gaps so we can appreciate you.”

That statement remains profoundly significant. Rather than prescribing what I should do, he entrusted me with intellectual freedom. Rather than seek conformity imposed routine compliance, he challenged me to create value.

To reciprocate that confidence and courtesy, I have endeavoured, within modest limits, to contribute meaningfully to the Commission’s mandate. Thankfully, those efforts have yielded dividends that transcend, while never compromising, the institutional objectives of the FCCPC.

As a long-standing human rights advocate privileged to have enjoyed some of the finest professional international training opportunities, I have consistently integrated the consumer protection perspectives of the FCCPC into my recent newspaper interventions and public commentaries whenever relevant. In doing so, I have sought not merely to publicise the Commission’s activities, but to deepen public understanding of consumer rights and responsibilities. It’s my own intellectual appreciation of the enablement to typify a rare specie of scholar cum practitioner with the full experience of advocating for full gamut of rights beginning with fundamental human rights through socio-economic rights for which FCCPC stands.

Since Bello took over the leadership of FCCPC, it has been plaudits all the way for both the Commission and the man who leads it. Under his stewardship, the FCCPC has continued to assert itself as one of Nigeria’s most visible and impactful regulatory institutions. Beyond policies and enforcement actions, however, the enduring strength of any institution lies in the quality of leadership it enjoys. In this regard, Tunji Bello has brought not only competence and experience to the office, but also the tenacity of a journo as well as to the attention to details characteristic of good lawyers.

Long before he became a respected public administrator, I knew Tunji Bello as an Editor at Concord Press, where I also worked as a Senior Staff writer. Way back, he possessed qualities that distinguished him from many contemporaries—intellectual depth, professional rigour and an unmistakable warmth towards colleagues. It is therefore deeply gratifying to work with him once again after so many years.

Perhaps Bello’s greatest asset remains his relationship with people. His warmth draws people to him as naturally as bees are drawn to honey. Across professional, political and social circles, one constantly encounters individuals eager to testify to his kindness, generosity and readiness to assist. He is celebrated not merely because he occupies high office, but because he has touched lives in meaningful ways.

As someone privileged to have known him first as an editor and now as Chief Executive of the FCCPC, I remain proud and grateful for the opportunity to work with him once again.

My very best wishes therefore go to a man whose humanity remains as impressive as his accomplishments.

Sixty five hearty birthday cheers sir.

*Akanni, LASU’s first Professor of Journalism and Development Communication, is currently on sabbatical leave at FCCPC.

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