Senator Olamilekan Adeola: State Builder and Representative Without Borders

Olanrewaju Fatunmbi

Nigeria is in celebration mood. Celebrating 26 years of an unbroken civil rule alongside Icons of democracy. In democratic governance, development and happiness of the people are the primary objectives of participatory governance. For us in Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi) is effectively on course, promoting grassroots development, striving to achieve the happiness of the greater good of all and sundry. Not only that his developmental projects have changed the infrastructure landscape of his constituents, his empowerment initiatives, human capital development programmes, healthcare delivery service, and philanthropic gestures have also impacted the lives of thousands of beneficiaries across all sections of the state. In doing all of these, his focus transcends Ogun West boundary.

He maintains a close connection with the grassroots, regardless of variation in geographical locations; after all, artificial boundaries separating the various districts are merely for administrative convenience and effective representation. East, West or Central, Ogun State is one. We are a people with common destiny. But it takes a broader vision to be able to live above primordial sentiments centred around differences in our places of birth. Adeola is fit to answer the roll call of a State Builder. And, of course, being a State Builder requires far more than narrow self-exclusivity. That is why his representation goes beyond his immediate constituent.

To begin with, Yayi, has had a significant impact in his Ogun West Senatorial District. Some of the key areas where he has made a difference include empowerment and capacity building, infrastructure development, education and health, rural electrification, among others.

His capacity building and empowerment initiatives largely involve providing economic, social, and other outlets geared towards human uplift. These have been designed to detach the people of Ogun West from the current hardships and promote plans to mitigate future occurrences. To a large extent, his commitment to capacity building, poverty reduction, training, and development have transformed various areas of human endeavor not only in Ogun West but Ogun State in general.

Hear from the horse’s mouth: “I empowered 15,000 Market Women and Men with a cash grant ranging from N50,000 to N75,000 each with 2000 of this number coming from Imeko Afon LGA. Some of these beneficiaries are our people in the two other senatorial district’s markets.” This approach has endeared him to the people of his constituent and beyond.

In the area of infrastructure, Senator Adeola has facilitated the construction of notable projects like rural roads, town halls, and mini stadii, among others. For instance, the Ilaro mini stadium, built by the senator, has become a hub for community activities and events. His commitment to development and execution of massive projects has earned him widespread popularity in Ogun West. Within two years of his representation in the Senate, he has facilitated several life-impacting projects across the states, including roads, school buildings, Police Stations, markets as well as provision of over 100 units of 500KVA electric transformers and 5,000 solar street lights to communities across Ogun West. Notably, the Ilara/Ijoun/Oja Odan/Ifonyintedo/Ilashe road project, spanning over 100 km has received commendations across Ogun State.

On educational infrastructure, Adeola has constructed over 150 new classrooms in primary and secondary schools across 25 locations, as well as well-equipped Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) centres to enhance computer literacy. “I have facilitated the requisite training of over 20,000 youths, men and women in the area of ICT and in various skills acquisition and entrepreneurship,” Senator Adeola boasted.

Additionally, he has also established a Scholarship and Bursary Board comprising of eminent academics and intellectuals responsible for the selection of beneficiaries of the yearly awards of cash grant ranging from N100,000 to N200,000 for bursary and scholarship respectively. So far, over 5392 have benefited from the gesture, while 3892 are on the waiting list.

Adeola’s agriculture and entrepreneurship programmes have been a talking point since the hosting of the latest event involving the provision of farm inputs and cash grants to over 50,000 farmers, and empowerment of over 40,000 constituents through skills acquisition, vocational training, and entrepreneurship development initiatives. This is in addition to the distribution of equipment like sewing machines, vehicles, and deep freezers to support businesses and means of livelihood.

The empowerment programme adopted a three-pronged approach, focusing on the provision of farm equipment, the supply of inputs, and the disbursement of cash to benefitting farmers to support them to do what they know to do best.

In a renewed approach to sustainable agricultural revolution in Ogun State, the event witnessed the distribution of tractors, plows, tricycles, water pumping machines; knap sacks sprayers, and other machinery to boost productivity. Additionally, the empowerment initiative also provided improved varieties of seeds, cassava stems, plantains suckers, cocoa and others seedlings, fertilizers, and pesticides to benefitting farmers to enhance crop yields.

Above all, Adeola’s direct financial intervention saw each farmer going home with N100, 000 cash donation to facilitate farming activities for food assurance. No fewer than 5,000 farmers from across 20 local government areas of Ogun State benefited from the empowerment programme.

Many stakeholders have applauded the empowerment programme as an initiative with a difference. Ogun State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Àjàyí, described the intervention as “a timely and impactful support system for smallholder farmers across the State.

These achievements demonstrate Senator Adeola’s commitment to delivering dividends of democracy and good governance. This initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, focusing on agricultural development and food sufficiency.

In the health sector, Senator Adeola has facilitated the construction of several Primary Health Care Centres with ambulances and establishment of 2 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) at State Hospitals in Ilaro and Ota. The list includes the construction of Primary Healthcare Centre at General Hospital, Imeko, Imeko-Afon, construction of Moriwi Primary Healthcare Centre, Imeko-Afon, construction of Atapele Primary Healthcare Centre, Atapele, Imeko-Afon, and construction of Ilara Primary Healthcare Centre Ilara, Imeko-Afon, among others.

Outside Ogun West Senatorial District, Adeola has facilitated a number of infrastructural projects in Ogun East and Ogun Central. A notable example is the construction of Kemta-Idi Aba Estate inner road in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, which falls within Ogun Central.

So far, no less than 272 infrastructure projects have been completed or ongoing with majority of these already being put to use across the length and breadth of Ogun West Senatorial District LGAs. According to Yayi, this number excludes those he assisted in facilitating in the two other senatorial districts of the State.

While his primary focus and a significant number of his facilitated projects are concentrated within his senatorial district (Ogun West), this particular road project indicates his reach extends to other parts of Ogun State as well.

Other than roads, Senator Adeola also played a role in facilitating the commissioning of some projects at federal tertiary institutions in Ogun Central, such as the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), and the Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele Abeokuta, although these are typically TETFUND projects where he likely used his influence as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Adeola has equally impacted Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) through his commitment to qualitative education and infrastructure development.

Specifically, he was instrumental to facilitating the commissioning of a block of classrooms and office complexes at TASUED, Ijagun, as part of projects valued at over N7 billion sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). He has also assured that the 10th Senate would continue to support TETFUND to advance tertiary education through legislation.

Furthermore, the recent conversion of TASUED to a federal university is a significant development for the institution. While he might not be the sole driver of the conversion process, he deserves commendation for this move. The conversion of TASUED to a university is expected to bring increased funding, enhanced infrastructure, lower tuition fees, better pay for lecturers, and more research opportunities for the university.

Over the last 22 years of his legislative career, Senator Adeola has established for himself a history of sponsoring various bills throughout his representation, from the Lagos State House of Assembly to the National Assembly. Some of his notable bills which have continued to receive applause across the stakeholders include a bill proposing the establishment of Federal College of Geological and Cement Studies to be located in Iselu, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Federal University of Technology, Ilaro (Establishment) Bill 2024, Agricultural Processing Zones (Establishment) Bill, 2024, Federal University of Technology, Ilaro (Est, etc), 2019″ (Passed), a Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of Nigeria French Language Village as an Inter University Centre for French Studies and other matters Connected therewith, 2020″ (Awaiting Passage after public hearing) and a Motion on the Urgent Need for Palliative Repairs and Total Reconstruction of Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Express Road.

Beyond legislative duty, the focus of these bills demonstrates Adeola’s commitment to general improvement in the socioeconomic well-being of the people of Ogun State. In a way, these moves are seen as laying the groundwork for potential governorship bid in 2027.

*Fatunmni writes from Okeagbede, Imeko-Afon LGA of Ogun State