By Emameh Gabriel
His Royal Majesty Michael Olorufemi Sado, the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, knows what it means to be a father.
When over 700 truck drivers lost their jobs at BUA Cement, the whole of Okpella was thrown into distress. The monarch did not wait for anyone to come to him. He felt the pain. First, he approached the management of the company in Okpella. He sat with them, made his case, and hoped for a resolution. But nothing moved. So he packed himself up and travelled to Lagos. Because he knew that if he did not, who would?
The dispute had dragged on for weeks. The company had made it clear, no going back. The drivers were done. Their jobs were gone.
Stepping into a situation like that is risky for any leader. But the Okuokpellagbe went anyway. He gathered a delegation and went to meet with Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA Group.
He did not go with threats. He went with an appeal, as a father should. He told the chairman about the families. He spoke about the men who had worked for years, who had done nothing wrong except protest when they felt pushed too far. He asked for mercy. He asked for a second chance.
For weeks, management had said the drivers would never be recalled. But after that meeting, everything changed. The drivers got their jobs back. Not only that, the chairman also approved the payment of their salary arrears from January to March. Money those families had given up on would now start flowing back to them.
The monarch later spoke about the meeting. He said the intervention was necessary because the hardship had become too much. What he did not say, because he is not the type to talk about himself, was that none of it would have happened if he had not made that trip. If he had not sat in that room and made the case for his people.
For him, that is just what a royal father does. You do not pick and choose when to be a father. You are one, always. Especially when your children are suffering.
He carries himself with quiet dignity. You will never hear him attack anyone in public. You will never hear him use harsh words about another person. He understands that the seat he occupies demands a certain kind of behaviour, and he lives up to it every day.
He sees everyone as his own. Not just the people of Okpella. Everyone.
That is why, when the labour dispute was resolved, he did not stop there. He used the opportunity to talk about other things that matter to his community. Like the hospital that BUA Cement had promised to build years ago but never did. He brought it up. He pushed for it. And now, the designs are ready. The groundbreaking is coming soon.
That is what happens when you have a leader who actually cares. Not just about getting credit, but about getting things done.
There is a saying that what matters in life is not the absence of crisis, but how you handle it when it comes. The Okuokpellagbe said something like that himself: “What is important is not the absence of crisis, but the willingness to resolve issues and move forward for the collective good.”
That is how he leads. Quietly. Deliberately. Without noise. But with results.
Four hundred drivers have their jobs back. Their entitlements are on the way. A community that was heading for disaster has been pulled back. And a hospital that people had almost forgotten about is finally becoming real.
All because one man decided that being a royal father means more than just wearing a crown. It means taking the pain. It means travelling when nobody else will. It means sitting in the room and pleading until someone listens.
That is how you do it. That is how you become a royal father for all.
My Name is Emameh Gabriel.
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