How I Learnt to Dine with Elders- NSC DG’s Special Assistant, Kola Daniel
By Aderonke Ojo
Director-general of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Honourable Bukola Olopade’s special assistant on media, Kola Daniel says he has worked successfully with many top shots because he learnt how to wash his hands and eat with elders.
Although he admitted that being the D.G’s image maker entails a lot of responsibilities, Daniel added in an exclusive interview with Sports247 that the peps of office make it enjoyable.
He further noted that the experience he gained working under many media gurus in various organisations since 2004 prepared him for the task he is currently engaged in.
Having also previously worked with former minister of sports, Chief Sunday Dare, before joining Honourable Olopade’s aides, gave him a better understanding of what is expected of him.
“I can’t mix professionalism with pleasure, and I can’t mix it with my personal interest. When I want to write an official press statement, I have to be principled. I have to do my job and I have to do it effectively.
“My best day was the first time I flew in a private jet with Honourable Sunday Dare. We had to go out of the shore of this country and were only four in the private jet.
“I said to myself, ‘Wow! This is how life is sweet.’ Before you knew it, I started flying in private jets here and there all the time,” Daniel recounted.
He concluded with a look at some of the assets he is naturally endowed with, which help him work effectively under pressure, as well as his understanding of how to respect people in authority.
Daniel pointed out, “I’ve been able to come this far courtesy of my writing skills and always knowing how to show good manners.
“A Yoruba expression says, ‘When a child knows how to wash his hands, he will eat with elders.’ That’s my story and it has become part of me. It’s all by the power of God.”