Yayi: New Lease of Life Through Politics of Good Representation

Olanrewaju Fatunmbi

The commissioning of signature projects facilitated by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi) in his Ogun West Senatorial District between January 16 and 22, 2025, exemplifies a clear commitment to service delivery to the grassroots. It fulfills the yearning of the Yewa/Awori people longing for federal presence in their communities. Like never before, the event brought smiles to the faces of the residents who converged on various locations to catch a glimpse of the commissioning of the projects aimed at transforming the socio-economic development of their areas. Above all, it highlights the renewed hope agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signaling the beginning of a new lease of life.

What is most gratifying is that no community is left out of the project distribution. From Yewa to Ado-Odo Ota (Awori), each constituent part has its fair share of what is due to it. This, however, depends on the peculiar needs of the benefiting communities. Thus, as some celebrate road connectivity, others applaud education and primary healthcare facilities. It’s a whole packaged basket of goodies that lighten up the people’s spirit. It is not surprising that the joy heralding the new dawn has continued to resonate within the constituent and beyond days after the epoch-making event.

In Yewa South Local Government, the event witnessed the serial commissioning of 17 projects, including road network connectivity, construction of classrooms and ICT centre, among others. These are ICT centre at Muslim Progressive High School, Oke Odan, the newly constructed Ajilete Township road, a block of 16 classrooms at Army Day Secondary

School, Owode, Ultramodern Town Hall, Owode, 2 blocks of 16 classrooms at Iwoye area Community High school Iwoye, Yewa South, the newly constructed Idogo, Ipaja Road,

Igbeji Road, Yewa south, lleba Oke-Okuta road, Ilaro, Olori Adebisi Road, Ilaro, Ultramodern Pahayi Market, Ilaro, Pahayi Township Road llaro, Yewa south, Ansarudeen Road Ilaro, Yewa South and Oke-Ola Road, Ilaro, Yewa South. Others are the reconstruction of bridge, channelisation and Road works Gbogidi Bridge Ilaro, reconstruction of bridge, channelisation and Road works Oke Ela Bridge Ilaro, reconstruction of bridge, channelisation and road works double crown to Hosannah Bridge, Ilaro, and reconstruction of bridge channelisation and Road Works Orita Bridge Ilaro.

The commissioning of these projects on Wednesday, January 22, followed a similar ceremony held between January 16 and 17 at Ado Odo /Ota Local Government Area where the landmark projects facilitated by the distinguished Senator Adeola marked the beginning of a new era of development.

Top on the list of the life-changing projects that impact the socio-economic development of the benefiting communities include Maltina Road, Arije Road, Anglican Odo Pako Road and Itele Road (sections 1&2). The importance of these projects cannot be over-emphasized. Apart from the immediate benefit of enhancing connectivity within the area, the roads will also facilitate economic growth leading to improved quality of life for the residents.

Both in the long and short terms, education and healthcare infrastructures will improve the learning environment for the students and also ensure accessible healthcare delivery to the residents. Some facilities facilitated in this regard include three blocks of twenty-four classrooms at Sang High School, its ICT Centre, the newly constructed Primary Healthcare Centres at Itele and Iyesi as well as Utra Mordern Town Hall in Ijoko.

The provision of these facilities marks a significant milestone in the government’s effort to provide a conducive learning environment for students to empower them to succeed in their academic pursuits.

Also, accessible healthcare delivery is very essential for the overall well-being of the residents of the benefiting communities. The health centres will provide prompt and essential medical services to the people without tears. The ultimate improvement in healthcare services will in turn promote economic growth and community development as the two variables are mutually reinforcing.

The same concern informed the construction of an ultra-modern Health Centre at Oke Agbede in Imeko-Afon LGA. Recently, a former Chairman of the House Of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes and currently, a member of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Hon. Kayode Oladele, was at Imeko -Afon Local Government Area with his team of Yayi supporters to commission several other projects, including Ilara Road and the newly built Palace of Onidofa of Idofa on behalf of Senator Adeola.

While performing the commissioning ceremony, Hon. Oladele declared that many more projects were also in the pipeline, adding that the people of Idofa had yet to see the full extent of Yayi’s impact. He described the projects as a demonstration of Yayi’s commitment to the well-being of the people of his constituents. And in truth and spirit, Adeola’s tenacity and doggedness with which he fought for the successful facilitation of these projects cannot be wished away. It is a clear testament to his good standing as one of the highflyers among the rank of lawmakers in the Senate.

It is also consistent with the passion that drives several of his other impactful interventions that have established his imprints across health, education, social safety nets, scholarship schemes, youth, and women’s empowerment programmes, among others.

It will be recalled that before the latest grassroots development efforts, he had initiated several projects in Imeko-Afon, Ipokia, Yewa South and Yewa North Local Government Areas. In Imeko-Afon LGA, he has to his credit the Ilara Ultramodern Market, Ilara, Iwoye Police Station, the Primary Health Centre at General Hospital, Imeko, ICT Centre at Nazareth High School, the newly constructed Area 5 Immigration Road, a block of 12 classrooms at Imeko Comprehensive College, Imeko, a block of 12 classrooms at Community High School, Afon, Afon Township Road, Afon and Owode-Afon Ultramodern Townhall, Owode, to mention but a few.

The same story has also been told in Yewa South Local Government LGA where he recently commissioned an ICT centre at the School of Nursing, Ilaro, with the state-of-the-art facilities, a new primary health centre and the Intensive Care Unit (ICT) at the state hospital, Ilaro.

Yewa North LGA has also had its fair share of life-impacting projects. These include a 12-classroom block at Ansar Ur Deen Primary School in Igbogila and another 12-classroom building at Technical College in Joga Quarter, Ayetoro.

Apart from these, other road projects he has facilitated included the Omidokun Ultra Modern Hall, Ayetoro, Isale Araba Road and Èbúté Igboora Road.

As a demonstration of his commitment to human capital development, he has also facilitated the construction of 156 classrooms with other facilities in some select schools across the senatorial district. This is in addition to the Information, Technology Communication Centres (ICT) constructed at various centres within the senatorial district.

To enhance the quality of the environment for learning, he has supplied school furniture to 25 Primary, Secondary and Post- Secondary schools in the state.

The recent commissioning of a block of classrooms and office complexes at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, and Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele Abeokuta, all in Ogun State, also bears an eloquent testament to his desire for qualitative education for the youths of his constituent.

History will also not forget Senator Adeola in a hurry for being instrumental to the Tertiary Education Trust (TET) Fund-sponsored projects valued at over N7 billion. During the inauguration of the project at FUNAAB, Adeola assured that the 10th Senate would continue to support TETFUND to advance tertiary education through the enactment of legislation.

In furtherance of his passion for the growth of education in Ogun West and his determination to support the only Federal Government-owned tertiary institution in Ogun West, Yayi has built and donated a state-of-the-art library to the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro to boost learning for the youths of his land of birth.

In the run-up to the 2023 general elections, he magnanimously presented 1,500 school chairs and tables to 10 select schools and 19 transformers for the rural electrification project. The beneficiary schools were selected based on the recommendation of volunteer teachers who went round before recommending the schools with the most need.

The hallmark of his contribution to accessible education in his Ogun West Senatorial District is the construction of several classrooms to improve the quality of the learning environment. These include a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Imeko Comprehensive College, Imeko, Imeko-Afon LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Community High School Afon, Imeko-Afon, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Government Science School Ayetoro, Yewa North LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at AUD Primary School Igbogila, Yewa North, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at District High School, Ipokia, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Ipokia Local Government Primary School Ifoyintedo, Ipokia, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Yewa Egbado College, Ilaro Yewa South, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at C A C Primary School Abekoko Ilaro, Yewa South, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Area Community High School, Owode, Yewa South, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Methodist Primary School Ado, Ado-Odo/Ota LGA, and a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Iganmode Grammar School Ota, Ado-Odo.

Others are a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Police Nursery and Primary School, Osuke, Ado-Odo/Ota LGA, a block of 12 classrooms with a staff room and library at Ejila Awori Community High School Ejila, Ado-Odo/Ota LGA.

Transcending the education sector, his concern for rural electrification has equally spurred him to donate three 300KVA/33KWA, five 500KVA/11KWA, and twelve (12) 500KVA/33KWA electric transformers provided to 200 communities and Community Development Committees and Area (CDAs) across the five local governments of Ogun West Senatorial District to ameliorate the suffering of the people who had been without power supply for over five years.

Similarly, other communities have also benefitted from the borehole projects and street lights Senator Adeola has sponsored for ease of movement and security purposes.

Though some critics have misconstrued these gestures to mean a way of taking undue advantage of the poverty-ridden populace to achieve cheap popularity, it is not enough to diminish the significance of his good representation and the reputation he has built for himself among the teeming populace. Neither will it dissuade the minds of the people of Ogun West who have already adopted him as their consensus candidate based on the popular wish of the majority. On no account will they succumb to any insinuation aimed at discrediting him for his good gestures.

Understandably, because of the politics of power transition and diversity of interests, people are bound to make insinuations. Yet, no one can deny the fact that Adeola has won the admiration of the people of his constituents due primarily to his track record of good representation, grassroots connection, generosity, and philanthropy.

Based on experience, academic achievements, exposure to the ideals of good governance, politicking, and overall national relevance, he also stands shoulder-high among the majority of his peers.

Beyond Ogun West, Adeola’s effort aimed at transforming the grassroots aligns with the development agenda of Governor Dapo Abiodun. Everything put together, he is the best candidate to fly the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 governorship contest for the continuity of the good developmental agenda of the present administration. He has demonstrable capacity, competence and the right exposure to lead Ogun State to the next level of economic growth and industrial development. Let us all support him.

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