Senator Yayi @57: A True Progressive Berths In Ogun 

KAYODE ODUNARO 

My very first encounter with Senator Solomon Adeola, representing Ogun West Senatorial District about 14 years ago was coincidental. I was about raising fund for the then fledging Oronna Day Celebration, Ilaro, as the newly appointed chairman of the central planning committee. I met an associate, Hon Adekunle Adeyemi, then representing Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency in Abuja seeking for his donation. He made a promise but said he will take me to someone from Yewa area that will donate handsomely.

He took me to the office of then Hon. Solomon Adeola, representing Alimosho Federal Constituency and upon my introduction in relation to Oronna Festival, the legislator became so very excited and told me we have to have a discussion. I was wondering if this has to do with more than seeking funds for a community festival geared towards self-help development as I was meeting him for the first time in my life.

As far back as then his office was a crowded office with many of his colleagues hanging around. In his office that day was the son of my former boss, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Hon. Olumide Osoba who took me aside and actually solved the mystery of then Hon. Adeola excitement about meeting me. In passing, he told me that the honourable was aspiring to be the governor of Ogun State as he is from Yewa area of the state in spite of currently serving in Lagos State. At that point the puzzle of his excitement about meeting me was solved as he probably and rightly saw me as an ally in his ambition. By this time, I had already served three administrations in Ogun State as Chief Press Secretary to Military Administrators and a governor and subsequently a Special Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. And as a Yewa man, I had been involved in the agitation for a Yewa-Awori man to be governor with reference to late Engineer Wale Bajomo. Later that day, when his office was freed of visitors, we had a heart-to-heart discussion on the marginalization of Yewa-Awori in Ogun State and the need to redress same. On this we were agreed beyond what accidentally brought me to his office. Of course, he was instrumental to the rebranding of the Oronna Ilaro Festival as he made a huge donation after our discussion and was always the highest donor for the yearly celebration for all the 4 years that I chaired the planning committee and till date. So, from day one of meeting Senator Adeola about 14 years ago, we are on the same page on the matter of Ogun West person becoming Governor. The narrative above is already documented in my autobiography, “Colours of Perception” published four years ago.

As a person closely associated with him for almost a decade and half, first as Media Consultant, then Senior Legislative Aide/ Media Adviser and currently Chief of Staff, one can say on the matter of Ogun West for Governor of Ogun State that Senator Adeola is more or less on a divine mission all things considered. From his first attempt to become a senator in Ogun West in 2015 to his push to run for governor in 2019 and the various push backs from reactionary forces of all kinds and the myriads of unsuccessful litigations to prevent his becoming Ogun West Senator in 2023 from being a Lagos West senator, one is forced to conclude that there must be a divine backing for the relentless hard work of Senator Adeola to achieve the dream of breaking the jinx of now over 5 decades of Ogun West people not smelling the seat of Ogun State governor.

As a close observer and indeed, participant in the process, one cannot but be in awe of how through dint of hard work, perseverance, networking and most importantly, showing practically that politics and governance can be tailored to benefit the people, this technocrat/grassroots politicians have so endeared himself to the majority of Ogun State people as to be accepted as the incoming governor of Ogun State even, before electoral campaigns starts. Before the primary of his party, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he will defeat other aspirants in any primary of his All Progressives Congress, APC, based on his popularity.

However, the miraculous happened. His emergence as the consensus candidate of APC with all three former governors namely Chief Olusegun Osoba, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the incumbent governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as well as key party stakeholders on the same page for the first time in Ogun State with a history of hostile successions was nothing short of miraculous. All other major aspirants namely, Hons. Gboyega Nosiru Isiaka and Abiodun Akinlade both from Yewa as well as Hon Kayode Amusan, Mr. Tunde Lemo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo and Ambassador Tunji Ishola Sarafa willingly acquiesced to the consensus candidateship of Senator Adeola!

Since his emergence, key sectors of the civil population have unabashedly come out in support of his candidacy not only on its merit but on the Senator’ massive delivery of key infrastructure and empowerment not only for his constituents but across Ogun State. Indeed, it will be impossible for any Ogun State indigene resident in the state not to have enjoyed one of the infrastructures he delivered like roads, transformers, schools’ construction, health facilities or indeed benefited from his empowerment directly or know a beneficiary. Three thousand strong Ogun State Baales Council and about 20,000 strong Ogun State Teachers have endorsed him. Ditto for Ijebu and Yewa Traditional Councils as well as over 700 support groups ahead of political campaign.

Currently serving as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Adeola was born on August 10, 1969 at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos State to family of Mr. Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye of Ago-Ishaga, Pahayi, Ilaro and Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Ogunleye (nee Akinola) from Kemta, Abeokuta, Yayi, as he is popularly called, began his education at the State Primary School, Alimosho in Lagos State. He proceeded to Community Grammar School, Akowonjo, Lagos for his secondary education and his educational advancement in life took him to the prestigious Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo, now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, where he bagged the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting.

He became a Chartered Accountant at a relatively young age. A distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, (ICAN) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Yayi is also a honourary doctorate degree awardee from the Federal University of Oye, Ekiti in Accounting as well as Fellow of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro and Fellow of Yaba College of Technology.

Senator Adeola’s working experience in private sector finance started in “The Guardian Newspapers Limited”, where he put in almost 12 years of meritorious service and rose to the position of Accountant. He resigned from “The Guardian” and proceeded to Olatunji Omoyeni &Co where he led the audit team for several years and was later promoted to the position of a Senior Auditor. Adeola later established his own company, Sootem Nigeria Limited, where he was the managing director and chief executive officer.

At the age 57 years, Yayi has rendered quality representation to the people he has represented as a legislator at all levels of legislature as well as served the nation meritoriously leading to his being awarded the national honour of the Commander of the Order of Niger, CON. He had served as chairman of Public Account Committee of House of Representatives (2011-2015), pioneer chairman of Senate Committee on Local Content (2017-2019), chairman of Senate Committee on Finance (2019-2023) and now in the 10th Senate, chairman Senate Committee on Appropriations (2023- till date).

Indeed, Yayi is a man with many historical accomplishments in his legislative career spanning over 23 years and still counting. He has won 6 competitive democratic elections back-to-back from the state to federal legislature. Again, unprecedentedly, Yayi moved from serving in a senatorial district in one state to another senatorial district in another state with him at some point being a senator in one state and a senator-elect in another state. The record can only be rivaled in the future if possible.

Yayi did not achieve his current grassroots popularity and national relevance overnight. He tasted his first political position as the elected state legislator representing Alimosho State Constituency1in Lagos State House of Assembly in 2003. For 8 years he was the Assembly’s, Chairman of Finance Committee and Joint Chairman of Appropriations Committee. This was the period when the financial legislative foundation was laid for the now burgeoning Lagos State revenue base.

His performance during his two terms as a state legislator easily recommended him for promotion to the House of Representatives to represent the Alimosho Federal Constituency in 2011. He was selected as the chairman of the only constitutional committee of the House, the Public Accounts Committee. It was a feat that he got this important legislative post as a first-timer.

It was no surprising that Yayi in 2015 got a further promotion from the electorate to serve in the highest legislative body in Nigeria. He contested and won to represent, Lagos West Senatorial District, the largest senatorial district in Nigeria in terms of population of some 12 million.

Again, in 2019, it was not a difficult decision for the Lagos West electorate to return a legislator par excellence to continue his effective representation. Senator Adeola is indeed a man of history. In the 9th Senate, he was the one who seconded the motion to elect Senator Ahmad Lawan as President of the Senate. This earned him the parliamentary privilege of leading the newly elected president of the Senate to his presiding seat and taking the iconic picture alongside the mover of the motion and the Clerk of National Assembly. This photograph is only taken once every 4 years except there is a removal of President of Senate. And in a historic coincidence, in the 10th Senate, Yayi played the same role in the election of Senator Godswill Akpabio and took the iconic photograph again. As written this feat is historic in every 4 years and more historical as Senator Adeola is the only senator to have achieved this feat twice in the parliamentary history of Nigeria.

In all his years as a legislator, Adeola set the standard for effective representation that saw his repeated re-elections. He is noted for his numerous personal and constituency projects. The people of Alimosho Federal Constituency, Lagos West Senatorial District and now Ogun West Senatorial District can never forget his developmental initiatives in the area of provision of water through boreholes, provision of electric transformers and construction and rehabilitation of roads.

Other areas of life changing programmes that are the hallmark of Yayi’s representation include educational empowerment and support in the form of building classrooms with ancillary facilities, annual purchase of GCE and JAMB forms and tutorials for indigent students. In recent times, his incomparable massive empowerments have gone viral on social media with Yayi as now the reference point across Nigeria. For the man born 57 years ago in humble circumstance, it looks movie like to see the man making huge waves in national affairs and development and now almost a fait accompli governor of Ogun State in 2027.

Adeola, a Christian, is a believer in religious freedom for all faiths. The great philanthropist is happily married to Mrs. Temitope Adeola and the union is blessed with children.

Kayode Odunaro
kayodunaro@hotmail.com