Senator Solomon Adeola, a loyal party man and a legislator par excellence By Omooba Damilare Oloyede

Not a newbie in the political firmament of Africa’s most populous black nation, Nigeria, neither is he a wannabe in the corridors of power, having successfully maintained steady, significant and impacting rise as a veteran legislator of immense repute. Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, YAYI FCA is a thoroughbred politician, quintessential legislator and dutifully loyal party man with great passion for the development of our nation, Nigeria.

As a thoroughbred politician, how else do you describe a man who is a political discovery of former governor of Osun state now Minister for Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola? To those unaware, Aregbesola is the political engine box of Tinubu’s famous Independent Campaign Group, ICG; a group of young, vibrant and skilled political strategists in the early 2000s. Of note, Aregbesola brought the then Solomon Olamilekan Adeola closer to the ICG, and before one could say Jack, Adeola’s penchant for service delivery earned him direct tutelage from the then Governor of Lagos State and now National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu  and in 2003, Yayi became a member of the numero uno State legislature in Nigeria, Lagos State House of Assembly. It was due to his wide acceptance and record of delivery that he vied for the House of Representatives seat of  Alimosho Federal Constituency in 2011, and God made him the representative of the largest constituency in the Green chambers in 2011. With such steady and consistent rise, Yayi stormed the highest legislative body; the Senate in 2015, and today he is serving his second term as a Senator representing Lagos West, and now he doubles as Chairman Senate’s Committee on Finance.

Like Rauf Aregbesola who after serving as a Commissioner for Works in Lagos, returning to his state, Osun to be executive governor, Opeyemi Bamidele, who also served as Commissioner for Information & Strategy in Lagos but later returned to his state, Ekiti to become a member of the House of Representatives, now a Senator representing Ekiti in the Red chambers, Hon. Adesegun Adekoya who was was an erstwhile Council Chairman in Kosofe LG, Lagos, later returned home in Ogun state to serve as Commisioner and now a member of the House of Representatives representing Ogun state in the Green chambers, like all these aforementioned and many others scattering the length and breadth of the country, Senator Yayi in the build up to the 2015 polls, returned home to his people in Ogun state, and he wished to come use his wealth of experience to represent them in the Senate, but the political volatility of his people, lack of unity amongst the Yewa people and the threat poised by his resume squandered that opportunity for the people of Ogun west in particular and Ogun state as a whole, but the people of Lagos who weren’t too pleased that he wanted to leave them hurriedly provided him an opportunity to represent the largest senatorial district today on the second mandate in the heart Senate.

One very astonishing traits of this enigmatic, pragmatic and idealistic political juggernaut is that he is a PARTY MAN, a loyal party man, a worthy party man and a steadfast party man. Since he joined politics, he has NEVER left the fold of the progressives. In 2019, when the then Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun frustrated his chances of clinching the gubernatorial ticket of the APC in Ogun state, Yayi got overtures from some parties, particularly as former ruling party, but as a loyal man who wasn’t pleased with the ill treatment of envy and hatred meted on him, rather than defect to another party, he rebounded back to the hands of constituents in Lagos West, and from Badagry to Ikeja, Alimosho to Agege and even back to Mushin, the chorus was Yayi must return back to the Senate to represent Lagos West.

With a statewide political structure in Ogun state ready to defect with him to any available party, rather than toe the path of defecting, Yayi willed his followers into the hands of Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR and today, history has made Prince Dapo Abiodun the governor of Ogun State. Yayi stood his grounds, respected his party hierarchy and solidly worked for the victory of the APC in Lagos and Ogun states. There were days he spent his day timein Lagos campaigning for Babajide Sanwo-Olu and by evening he’s around Ota enroute Abeokuta selling the candidature of Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR.

Immediately after the polls, as a man that Yayi is with utmost loyalty to any cause he chooses to believe, he has reiterated it that God willing, in His omnipotent benevolence and magnanimity, Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR shall spend the constitutionally permitted 8 years term. Loyalty at work, fairness at play!

In his life, political sojourn and discharge of national duty, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, YAYI is known for sincerity, transparency, accountability, loyalty and defence of the rule of law. As the National Assembly resumes tomorrow, 28th January 2020, I hope all of us will watch as our distinguished and very amiable Omo west continue to make us proud.

Like Immanuel Kant once said that “Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is intellectual play”. Ogun west over the years have realised that what matters in service delivery in government, particularly the legislative arm is experience,  as many of our theories have only afforded us mere intellectual play. May God grant us another chance to choose who represents us better when the time comes.

Oloyede; a media practitioner and political commentator writes from Ota, Ogun State.