By Hezekiah Oyero
Ogun West Senatorial District will not cease to appreciate Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi) for all he has been doing to improve the socio-economic well-being of his constituents. He is particularly a likeable jolly good friend of the grassroots people. His closeness to the underprivileged makes him so dear to the hearts of so many individuals and groups who have benefitted in one way or another from his gestures. So much has been said about this, including his empowerment initiatives, generosity of mind, kindheartedness, philanthropy, and good representation.
However, one dimension of his symbiosis engagement with the various stakeholders in his senatorial district that has been under-reported is his relentless effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) objectives of the United Nations (UN) for the good of all. It is necessary to put this in correct perspectives for a broader understanding of his concern for initiating some of the projects he has implemented and how they have impacted the lives of the people directly or indirectly.
Some of the core objectives of the MDGs targets as adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations include, among others, poverty eradication, food security and improved nutrition, good health and well-being for all ages, inclusive and equitable quality education, gender equality and empowerment of women and girl child, availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, environmental sustainability as well as collaborative action on climate change and its impacts.
These goals build on the vital principle of “leaving no one behind”, emphasizing a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all. While reports say that Nigeria has made some strides in attaining some of these objectives, there has not been significant improvement in the attainment of the goal of poverty reduction, food security, maternal mortality rate as well as improvement in access to healthcare delivery and out-of-school children etcetera. Some experts have identified a general lack of human capacity for implementation, poor access to primary healthcare delivery systems with high costs of healthcare, inadequate and unreliable data systems, underfunding, indiscipline with endemic corruption, and other challenges hindering the attainment of MDGs in Nigeria.
With the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it has, therefore, become imperative for the National Assembly as a critical stakeholder to work in tandem with the executive to combat the current threat of poverty, hunger, and insecurity stirring the nation in the face.
This onerous responsibility is the primary motivation for the empowerment and development projects Senator Adeola has initiated since he got to the Senate to change the narratives for the better, focusing on pro-poor policies, human capital development, investment in social services like health and education, and expanding opportunities for youth, women and girls.
A cursory look at the list of school projects he has initiated and completed shows evidence of his commitment to human capital development and empowerment of the youths in his Ogun West Senatorial District. This includes the construction of a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Imeko comprehensive College, Imeko-Afon LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Government science college Ayetoro, Yewa North LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at AUD primary school Igbogila, Yewa North LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at District High School Ipokia, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Ipokia Local Government primary school Ifonyintedo, Ipokia, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Yewa Egbado College Ilaro, Yewa South LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at C A C primary school Abekoko Ilaro, Yewa south, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Area community high school Owode, Yewa South LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Methodist primary school Ado, Ado-Odo, a block of 12 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Iganmode Grammar School Ota, Ado-Odo LGA, a block of 9 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Police nursery and Primary school, Osuke, Ado-Odo Ota and a block of 9 classrooms with Staff room and Library at Ejila Awori Community High School Ejila, Ado-Odo Ota.
Another further demonstration of his unwavering commitment to education is the recent award of scholarship and bursaries to some 1600 indigent students of Ogun West origin to enable them realise their dreams in life. These recipients were drawn from across the five local governments in the district following the scrutiny of a special selection committee set up to ensure fairness to the deserving beneficiaries regardless of their religious or political affiliation. They will remain eternally grateful for in intervention in their aspirations.
Alongside these laudable programmes, Senator Yayi has also invested a huge sum of money to equip the ICT centres at Nazareth High School Imeko, Imeko-Afon LGA, School of Nursing Ilaro, Yewa South LGA and AUD Comprehensive High School Ota, Ado-Odo, among other, to train the youth for global competitiveness in today’s knowledge-driven economy.
For the health sector, his contributions to the development of primary health centres across the Ogun West Senatorial District remain a talking point with a quick reference to the Primary health care at General Hospital Imeko, Imeko-Afon, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) Primary Health Centre Ayetoro campus, Yewa North, Primary Health Centre Okeodan, Yewa south and Primary Health Centre Pahayi Ilaro, Yewa South. More important is his generosity in equipping the Intensive Care Unit Centre (ICU) at ICU General Hospital Ilaro, Yewa South, and ICU General Hospital, Ota, Ado-Odo Ota with state-of-the-art facilities to make secondary healthcare service delivery accessible to the people.
All this is without losing sight of the infrastructure revolution being carried out by Governor Dapo Abiodun to create an enabling environment for industrial growth as well as the overall improvement in the socioeconomic well-being of the people of Ogun State. Therefore, as part of his contribution to the vision of the administration to make road construction a critical part of its transformation agenda and as a catalyst for development, Senator Adeola also has a long list of road projects which have been completed. These include Afon Township Road Imeko, Afon, Area 5 to Immigration junction road Imeko, Imeko-Afon LGA, Oja Agbe Market Road Ayetoro, Yewa North, Foursquare Road Oja-Odan, Yewa North, Ebute Igbooro township road, Yewa North, Housing Road, Ilaro Yewa south, Pahayi Moloni Road Ilaro, Yewa South, Owode Market Road, Yewa south, Ajilete Township road, Yewa south, Alapara-Alatan-Ago Egun Road Owode, Yewa South, and Ajegunle Township Road Ajegunle, Ipokia. Others are Tube Market Road Ipokia, Library/Iloro /Oja Ale, Ishaga Ado, Ado- Odo Ota LGA, Maltina Road Ota, Ado-Odo Ota, Senator Akin Odunsin street Ota, Ado-Odo, Ota Itele Road, Ado-Odo, ICT Polytechnic Campus Road Igbesa, Ado-Odo Ota, Yayi Street Joga, Yewa North and Aso Obowa/FPF Road to Campbel Arije Ota, Ado-Odo Ota.
Though Adeola’s empowerment initiatives come in different dimensions, it will not be out of place to equally mention here several market construction projects he has undertaken and completed. For quick reference purposes, Ijoun Market, Yewa North LGA, Igbo Aje Market Ilaro Market, Yewa South Agosasa Market, Ipokia and Lusada Market, and Ado-odo Ota, readily come to mind.
To engender participatory governance, he has also deemed it necessary to construct a Town Hall in various locations within the Ogun West Senatorial District. Most prominent among these are Owode Ultramodern Hall, Owode, Imeko-Afon, Ayetoro Ultramodern Hall, Yewa North, Oja-Odan Ultramodern Hall, Yewa North, Pavilion Ultramodern Hall Ilaro, Yewa South, Idiroko ultra Modern hall Idiroko, Ipokia, Ultramodern Pavilion Section 3 at Empire ground Ilaro, Yewa South and Ultra Modern townhall Otun Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota LGA.
As no meaningful development can take place without peace and security, Senator Adeola also places a high premium on the safety of life and property by investing in the construction of a police state in some communities making his constituent and Ogun State a haven for all and sundry. For instance, Iwoye Police Station, Imeko-Afon, Egua Police Station Igan-Alade, Yewa North, and Pahayi Police Station Ilaro, Yewa South, are all parts of his benevolence gestures. The list is inexhaustible.
In one way or another, all of the projects listed above have a direct link with the Millennium Development Goals of objectives of eradicating poverty, empowering women and youths, human capital development, accessible healthcare service delivery, social safety as well as the creation of economic opportunity for those at the lowest rung of the ladder.
Beyond that, by his eminent position as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Adeola stands a good stead to work in tandem with the executive to facilitate the quick realization of the Sustainable Development Goals which are part of the overarching objectives of all the signatory countries to the MDGs.
Unlike before, the Tinubu administration has a renewed commitment to the social safety sector to make effective implementation of the sustainable goals objective achievable. For that to happen, the National Assembly will play a key role in terms of ensuring adequate financing, oversight functions on the programmes and policies as well as the budget allocated to the government, departments, and parastatals in achieving this.
This implies that the National Assembly needs to be carried along to support the mainstreaming of the sustainable development goals to ensure adequate allocation of resources to the relevant areas of need. It is also the responsibility of the National Assembly to track the implementation of the projects that have a direct link with the objectives of MDGs and ensure the realization of the key objectives. Senator Adeola perfectly fits into this role as the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee. He will not fail in his responsibility to ensure that the development framework for achieving the goals is implemented.
We have only recently witnessed how he has brought his experience to bear on his position as the Chairman of the appropriation committee and saved the executive from the embarrassment arising from the plot of the recalcitrant opposition members of the Senate led by the suspended Senator Abdul Ningi. All of us know that it is a norm that whenever the executive sends in a draft for a budget proposal, the National Assembly will scrutinize and ensure that all the necessary areas and components in the budget are taken care of. But for some parochial reasons, Ningi and his cohorts raised the false alarm of budget padding to embarrass the executive and the Senate leadership. But Adeola proved his mettle and dismissed the claim with facts and figures in the full glare of the camera. That was no mean feat.
As a prominent member of the inner circle of the present administration, one can say further without any fear of equivocation that he will use his experience to support the executive by enacting relevant laws that will facilitate effective financing of the health sector, education, poverty reduction and other critical areas that form the basic component of the MDGs. For example, Nigeria is a signatory to the declaration that at least 15 percent of the national budget should be devoted to health. Over the years, this condition has not been met by the successive administrations. If the National Assembly is carried along by the executive for a common understanding through constructive dialogue, it won’t be difficult to bridge the financial gap and even raise the bar higher for the good of the greatest number of the citizenry.
