“They ain’t seen anything yet in Ogun West. I can assure you,a lot of people oriented and developmental programs are about to be unleashed on Ogun West. I’m going to give Ogun West maximum representation.
My best is yet to come. I thank my Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and my leader Chief Olusegun Osoba for the support”
~Distinguished Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan YAYI,FCA
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust,
The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.
Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame. (Joel 2:25-32)
The above Bible quotations are very apt when one considers the situation the Ogun West, which comprises Five Local Government was before the election of Senator Olamilekan Adeola Yayi about 14 months ago. The zone has been reduced to a second class citizens in their fatherland, and this is in spite of their tremendous contributions to the State and the country before God heard the cries of His people and send a ‘Messiah’ to His people.
Since Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi) was elected to represent the district in 2023 general elections, he has been making waves with his empowerment programmes for the youths, women and even the elderly. By accident of birth, some people are born to lead, while others are called to service.
There is a world of difference between the paradigms. Often times, the majority of those who claim to be born to rule hardly labour to get to the position of authority. And as such, their sense of entitlement usually leads to negative energies, impunity and arbitrary use of power. In the end, they leave society worse than they meet. Whereas, a few privileged individuals whose ascendancy is linked to a dint of hard work will always go out of their way to make things better and change the old narratives for prosperity. Adeola’s record of performance as the Senator representing Ogun West is unequalled and unparalleled. His unwavering commitment to serve the people of his constituency typifies the latter scenario. Little wonder, within the short time of his election into the Senate, he has left his imprints in the sand of time. Never has it been so good for the people of Yewa/Awori communities and the state at large. Since the turn of the year, it has been celebration galore for hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of an empowerment initiative that is meant to transform the socio-economic fortunes of the Senatorial District. It is a life-changing story that has become an envy of others. No one has done it before and it will certainly be hard to get anyone else who could do it better because people with such a spirit of generosity are like comets, they come once in a blue moon.
With his excel of philanthropy and generosity of giving back to society as already demonstrated in his mega empowerment programmes; we may be having another MKO Abiola in the making. Ogun West people must count themselves lucky to have him in their midst. He had done similar empowerment programmes before he was elected to represent the Senatorial District, but the latest initiative came with a bang. As of the last count, he already has over 78 life-impacting projects to his credit while several others are in the pipeline. Of all his numerous benevolence gestures, the one that is currently making waves in both conventional and social media is his scholarship award to 1600 indigent students in tertiary institutions spread across the five local governments in the senatorial district. Under the scheme tagged ‘1st Yayi Scholarship/Bursary Award Programme’ recently held in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, each of the selected indigent students from 53 tertiary institutions went home with N200, 000 for university undergraduates, N180,000 for polytechnics and N150, 000 for Colleges of Education. The disbursement followed successful verification of the academic records of each beneficiary in line with the set out criteria and guidelines. Speaking at the event, Yayi explained that the scheme was in fulfilment of his electoral promises to the people of Ogun West. He said the gesture was meant to complement the laudable educational initiatives of the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, particularly in the area of provision of educational infrastructure across the three senatorial districts of the state.
His words: “For the effective implementation of this programme, I constituted a team of top educationists, academicians, and selected stakeholders led by Professor Tope Popoola to organise the modalities for the success of the programme. I am glad they have not disappointed in their professional handling of the educational support fund for our youths that I now refer to as ‘Yayi Scholars’. “Today, a total number of 532 students spread across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in different parts of the nation are to be awarded scholarships to the tune of N200, 000 for university scholars; N180, 000 for polytechnics and N150, 000 for Colleges of Education upon successful verification of their academic records in line with the set out criteria and guidelines. “I have also included a Bursary Award of N100, 000 for 1,000 students of the senatorial district distributed to all the five local governments (Ado-Odo/Ota, Ipokia, Yewa South, Yewa North and Imeko-Afon) at 200 per local government.”
….. Additional reports by Tope Ogbonnikan
