Nothing is as wild as a Writer’s mind. It’s a forest of many ideas and processing place of news items. Picking, shuffling, dumping, squeezing news for news. What was the news this time around upon which my mind was squeezing? It was the disengagement of Adelabu from the Ministry of Power by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. My mind was running fast and wild there was something about doing power right to make Nigeria great again that the icon on my mind’s computer was searching for.
Dr Adedeji Adeleke is a Nigerian business magnate and the brain behind Adeleke University Ede, Osun State. He isn’t too much into social hype nor political vibes but disposed to social life or not, his name is a legacy of success in the music and entertainment industry; where his son, David Adeleke a.k.a Davido is one of the leading icons of afro genre of music on the global stage. This doyen of the Adeleke political dynasty hardly lends his voice to political discourse notwithstanding his influence in politics. Any political player will ignore him to his or her own peril. The elder brother of His Excellency, Demola Adeleke, I will describe him as the wings upon whose brother Demola’s destiny took the flight to the destination Okefia Government House Osogbo.
The month was July in the year 2023, 13th July to be precise and a day after the ritual of my commitments for over two decades to another illustrious son of Osun State has been performed, 12th of July being the Birthday of Distinguished Senator Ade Fadahunsi has always have me around him.
13th rolled out the next 2 days of what was to be the 9th undergraduate, 5th postgraduate and 3rd doctoral hooding of the Adeleke University Ede. Coincidence or not, July 2023 was going to be after Ademola won the Osun State Governorship election. And interestingly 45 days after the subsidy was declared gone at his inauguration ceremony by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Universities are what they are, ivory towers but neither Adeleke nor his University will choose seclusion from the reality of the nation both him and his founded institution are so proud of. The University’s 3 days event was designed to reflect on the Nigeria situation and profer solution to add value. Professor Labode Popoola, former Vice Chancellor of Osun State University served the first salvo of a thought-provoking week; in pre-convocation lecture, titled; the change maker must change”. Setting the stage for Dr Adedeji Adeleke explanations of the reason why his intervention project to support power supply in the country is being delayed; why my $2b power plant will be delayed for one year.
The business mogul and Pro-Chancellor of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, Dr. Deji Adeleke, has explained the reasons the ongoing construction of a 1,250-megawatt power plant which cost $2 billion in Ajebandele village, Ondo State may be delayed for one year. Ajebandele is a village strategically located on the Sagamu Ore Express Road. The plant when completed can successfully end the trauma of Okitipupa environs and all the adjoining communities that hasn’t seen power supply in the past 15 years.
Adeleke is one of the leading industrialists in Nigeria. He commenced the project a few years ago to complement the existing 4,000 megawatts of Nigeria. He made the revelation while addressing the 9th set of graduates of Adeleke University Ede, Osun State. Adeleke disclosed that looters invaded the power plant site to steal components of the turbine machines which worth $5 million and may lead to delay in delivering the project in record time.
His speech was entitled; ‘Change Begins with You’!
Adeleke counselled that citizenship comes with responsibilities which will go a long way in nation building, saying everybody must contribute its quota, by doing the right thing, then and only then can we conscientiously be able to hold our leaders accountable.
In his word: “I am building a 1250Mgwt power plant, Nigeria has about 5,000Mgwt, adding mine to it is a lot. The cost is $2 billion. We started it in a village in Ondo state. We brought in turbines that cost about $72 million.
“The construction of the project engaged over 1000 people and at a minimum 200 to 300 people will come from that village, that is for direct employment not to talk of indirect. The few security that we engaged are to protect our engineers so that they will not be kidnapped so we need young men from that village to help us guide the power plant.”
”Last month, we discovered that some of the turbines have been broken into, some of the components built with copper have been looted, those components were yanked off in each of those turbines, these are heavy items that will require at least 10 people to lift single one. This means that somebody would have brought in a truck at night to carry those things away.
“The project will be delayed for another year to get those things they looted back. This is going to cost us a minimum of $5 million to replace. So can we blame our leaders for that? These are young people in their twenties that we employed. We have to sack them out of the plant and bring in securities from top agencies in Nigeria to man and take over the whole plant. I am sure that those things they looted, they won’t sell for N5 million.”
Weeks from now, the changers would be up for 365 days appraisal in power. How well have they changed? How much has changed from life under Buhari to life under Tinubu in the thought of Popoola’s lecture. If change begins with you, according to Adeleke, how well have you, my readers changed from the old Nigerian to the New Nigerian portrait upon which a better and greater nation can be built?
Adeleke asked for a year’s delay, will he keep his word and add life to the epileptic supply that power has become. Will Adeleke helps light up Okitipupa and its environs.
Will changing Adelabu change the supply of Power to our homes a year after Tinubu’s ascendancy to power? Time like they say will tell!
Adeleke explained that he turned down an exemption letter from the United Arab Emirates(UAE) because the country had banned Nigerians from visiting.
“I buy a lot of spare parts from a company based in Dubai, so I was sent a letter that I will be given a special exemption to be visiting Dubai if I wanted to, so I told them that I am not interested. If Nigerians are not welcome to Dubai, why should I be happy to get an exemption to go to Dubai, what is Dubai anyway?”
One would expect that such a project by an individual would have enjoyed Government protection. Particularly in a state that almost a quarter of its citizens have been thrown into darkness for almost 2 decades.
Two things are my own take from Dr. Adeleke’s audacious approach to living as per this explained scenario.
First is his sense of patriotism to our motherland. If it’s just all about business, he could have accepted the suggested letter of exemption which he turned down in the interest of the larger Nigeria.
The other is his unquenchable craving to be a solution provider especially in the energy sector. His 1,250Mgwt project had quartered the 5000Mgwt the national grid is groping to sustain.
With his kind of spirit, I can understand and reiterate with him; WHAT’S DUBAI ANYWAY!
Going forward and especially with a new government about to be decided, both the government and the people of Ondo State need to be pro development, particularly in the area of protection of lives and properties.
Dubai was a wilderness of barrenness in 1983, until the Emirates Restructured and adopted the 1963 model of our regional constitution upon which the envy of the world questioned by Adeleke was built. What indeed is Dubai, modelled after what we abandoned that we can not become if Nigeria is restructured to promote regional healthy competition we once experienced that made Western Nigeria the fastest developing region in the world in the mid sixties?
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table.
email: bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
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Phone: +2348033041236
The off-season election in Ondo State come 14th November, 2024, had precipitated a flurry of political activities in the State since the beginning of this year. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier set the month of April, 2024, as period for political parties in the State to conduct their primary elections to choose candidates for their different political platforms. So far, the two major political parties in the state, the APC and the PDP have dominated the space since the beginning of the month. There are 3 constitutional provisions for political parties to choose from for the credible emergence of party candidates; direct, indirect and consensus options. The APC held its primary election on Sunday 20th April, 2024, using the direct mode of party members voting for candidates of their choice in their different wards as opposed to the indirect modality where delegates are used to elect party candidates. This option, though is the most direct way to enshrine democracy as a government of the people by the people and for the people. It is the easiest way to manipulate the wishes of the people because of the multiple voting centres; 203 in the case of Ondo State. Media reports and past experience attested to lack of capacity on the part of APC to conduct a seamless party primary. It is always their option when ‘Baba So pe'(baba said) is the option. It disposed Ambode of his second term ticket as Baba wanted… if you know what I mean. The testimony of a party faithful in my Abule Egba Area on the primary that ousted Ambode out of power was, “we arrived at the ward centre for election determined to make it Ambode, we were accorded respect as senior citizens under a canopy to have our verification done, the verification was ongoing when noise erupted. Some thugs shouting, “It is Sanwo! We asked what happened to Sanwo? Only to be told Sanwo has won the election for which we were still been screened to vote.
Like Lagos like Ondo, media reports are in sync with public opinion. Its indicated that the election was marred with irregularities which culminated into widespread protests by other contestants who lost to the declared winner; Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The said protests carried out by a group called Ondo APC Youths, had marched to the national headquarters of the APC in Abuja insisting on a re-run of the election to ensure fairness and equity which they said eluded the last outing on Saturday ending on Sunday 20th April, 2024. The reaction of both the APC national leadership and Governor Aiyedatiwa himself showed that they have not taken the allegations and agitations against the flawed primary seriously enough. In his reaction, he simply called on the aggrieved aspirants to join forces with him to win the guber battle ahead of the party, not minding how they feel about it. The headquarters itself does not help matters by describing the protests as a storm in a tea cup. This is the summation of the APC journey towards the November election so far.
On the other side of the divide is the main opposition party in the State, the PDP. It must be noted that since the onset of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, Ondo State had always been a PDP State until former Governor Olusegun Mimiko decided to handover the State to his bossom friend and best man for his wedding ceremony, the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in APC. Although money has been used to sustain the party in the state in subsequent elections since Akeredolu’s first appearance with the APC flag, PDP from every from indications remains the party of the average Ondo man. Consequently Mimiko and the PDP family in Ondo State seem determined to have the state back. This is proven by the penchant excellence and organisational ability that supervised the PDP Primary. Leaving the public with the fact that the people of Ondo State can be more organized and do better elections than the ruling APC in their State. The date was Thursday 25th April, 2024. The time was 9am at the popular Dome international conference centre Akure. Delegates of the party came in from the 18 Local Government Areas of the State. The mission at hand was to choose one out of 7 people contesting for the party ticket towards the November 2024 gubernatorial election. The use of delegates constitutes what is called indirect primary election according to Nigeria’s electoral Act 2023 as amended. Many people did not give the party any chance of a successful primary election considering the can of worms emanating from the ruling party’s outing.
Both the security and the physical arrangements at the venue of the party indicated a sign of good tidings to come for the party. Proper sitting arrangements were made for 621 expected delegates to sit according to their LGAs. Each booth carries the name of the LGA. When all delegates were fully seated, accreditation commenced during which each delegate was screened to establish their true identity and that they were carrying the requisite documents which included party membership card and permanent voter’s card. Then such delegate was ushered into the large hall adjoining the main bowl of the conference centre. When all the delegates were ushered into the hall, the stage was set for actual voting to commence. By this time there were apprehensions as to the fact that the election might spiral into the night which might not be convenient for most people and which usually lead to problems of manipulations because the people’s alertness will wane. But the electoral committee which was headed by the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Sen. Lawrence Ewhjudkpo had something up their sleeves. The overly confident Chairman suddenly relieved the tensions building up when he announced that the voting was to be LGA by LGA. At first some people who did not process the information properly reacted on mere impulse by trying to question why that was so and particularly when the Chairman said there would second level accreditation. He then took the time to explain to delegates that the modality adopted was to save time. He went further to explain that head count would be taken according to LGA. This was done for all the LGAs and the committee used the figures from the head count to invite delegate according to LGA to move into the main hall to cast their votes simultaneously as a group and according to the head count figures. Voting finally began with Akoko north east LGA by 5pm and ended with Owo LGA by 6pm. The votes cast were immediately counted under the prying eyes of the agents of the aspirants. At the end of the counting, the chairman formally announced the results and declared Mr. Ajayi Agboola the winner with 264 votes to clinch the ticket. Whilst Mr. Akinjo Kolade came second with 159 votes and Mr. Olusola Ebiseni took the third position with 99 votes.
After the declaration of the results, there was pin silence in the huge conference hall. Stakeholders were lost for words in describing the seamlessness and the peacefulness that prevailed over the primary election. Nay sayers have been put to shame. It was a flawless process that brought out the beauty of democracy. It can be this smooth and sweet if all political actors can choose to do the right thing. To seal this victory of the PDP over it’s detractors, the Chairman of the event boasted to newsmen that as his track record, anywhere he conducted primary election, PDP always win the Governorship election in those places. He said he was confident that PDP will reclaim Ondo State in the coming guber elections in November, 2024.
Arising from this two primary elections in Ondo State is the challenge of leadership and commitment to due process and adherence to democratic ethos. They both represent the choices Nigerians have to make going forward in our democratic journey to nationhood.
In courtesy, I say to the lucky man named Lucky Ayedatiwa, congratulations. We all can not but celebrate the civility that the conduct of PDP primarily represents of us to the global democratic family and a big congratulations to the political gladiator Mr. Ajayi Agboola whose ambition on the ticket of Zenith Labour Party; a party new and unknown produced 69,127 votes which 12.1% of the total vote cast that placed him in number 3, behind Eyitayo Jegede and Rotimi Akeredolu as the winner in the 2020 Governorship election.
The die has been cast. The battle line has been drawn between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the ruling APC and Mr. Ajayi Agboola of the opposition PDP. The two will clash in a battle of the titans for the soul of Government House, Alagbaka and hopefully; the people’s choice shall prevail!
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, Apostle and Nation Builder, is President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. Initiator of Community Ambassador for Peaceful Election in Edo & Ondo 2020, a project very well received by the electorate.
email: bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
Facebook: Bolaji Akinyemi.
X: Bolaji O Akinyemi.
Instagram: bolajioakinyemi.
Phone: +2348033041236
Once again, "Happy birthday to a livelier you". Keep keeping On!
Well said sir... The truth is that, by themselves they will begin to expose themselves bit by bit untill the…
Well done sir for this analysis
This is not going to end soon Let's wait and see!
Well written sir. May God continue to bless you with more of His superior wisdom. Well, there's no doubt in…