By Bukola Badmus, Abeokuta
The attention of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, FCA (Yayi), representing Ogun West Senatorial District, has been drawn to a story published in some online newspaper under the title “Group Accuses Yayi of ‘Personalising’ Govt-Funded Projects” on February 14, 2024 edition.
We would not ordinarily engage a faceless group going by the name of Yewa/ Awori Youth Network with an unknown signatory. However, the fact that the story was used to put out what amounts to mis-information of the public tending towards a libelous and fake news compels us to correct the mis-information and enlighten the general reading public. Incidentally, the blogs never made any effort to hear from the Senator or his representatives as the profession demands on a ‘statement’ impugning the person of an elected representative by the purported group whose identity cannot be verified or ascertained beyond the reporter.
Chief Kayode Odunaro, Media Adviser to Senator Solomon Adeola disclosed this in a statement he signed and made available to pressmen.
For the records, the story alleging that Senator Adeola ‘personalized’ government funded projects as his own is planted by over ambitious politicians positioning themselves for governorship and deputy governorship positions in the run up to 2027 governorship election.
These are characters that are completely intimidated, spellbound and shamed at the effective representation that Senator Adeola has brought to bear in Ogun West Senatorial District in less than 8 months of representing the district at the Senate with thousands of constituents directly benefitting from Federal Government as facilitated by the senator.
For the avoidance of doubt, two weeks ago Senator Adeola held an unprecedented three days empowerment programme that directly benefitted over 20,000 constituents.
The first was the scholarship and bursary award scheme for 1600 students of tertiary institutions from Ogun West. For the effective implementation of this programme funded through the facilitation of the Senator, a Scholarship and Bursary Board chaired by a professor and other eminent academics was set up.
To put lie to the asinine allegation of ‘personalising’, the address read at the occasion of the award to appreciative students and parents by Senator Adeola stated inter-alia, “I am facilitating this scheme in conjunction with Teacher’s Registration Council of Nigeria and the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.”
Again, the programme banner as any programme of the senator, boldly carried the portraits of the President and governor of Ogun state, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to clearly show that the event is in fulfillment of electoral promises made by the party of the Senator in government at state and federal level, APC.
How such a public declaration amounts to personalization can only come out of the recess of disturbed minds allergic to good educational development and succor for students being championed by Senator Adeola.
The second facilitation of Senator Adeola for his long-suffering constituents in Ogun West was the empowerment of 5000 Market men and women with financial grants. This was the second time the senator is facilitating such programme to free our traders from debt peonage associated with taking loans for their trade from loan sharks. In that programme that granted each trader, N50,000, the senator has also publicly stated that, “I am facilitating this programme of empowerment tagged “Oloja Yayi” in Ogun West in conjunction with Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), with Start Up Grants for agro-manpower, artisanal manpower and cage culture carp specie restocking for market women and men.”
For the third programme facilitation by the senator which involved empowering 15,000 trained women and youths with equipment and cash grants to start practicing their acquired skills towards income generating self-employment, as well presentation of Ambulances to hospitals, patrol jeeps to security agencies, mini buses for tertiary educational institutions in the senatorial district and books and school furniture, the senator has publicly stated that, “ Today, in conjunction with Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Federal Cooperative College Ibadan, Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Technology, National Productivity Centre, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Computer Professional Registration Council, Federal College of Fresh Water Fisheries, New Bussa, Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research, NIFOR, Benin, constituents already trained in various skills and vocation will be empowered with equipment and start up grants as follows: ..”. With such public declarations and acknowledgements that were contained in the programme brochures of each occasion, the least that can be said is that the sponsors of the faceless group are against these benefits for constituent Nigerians coming through the facilitation of Senator Adeola.
And beyond direct benefits to individual constituents, all the 78 infrastructural projects like 156 Classrooms spread across 13 primary and secondary schools, construction of Primary Health Care Centres, Police Stations, Roads and Town Halls facilitated by the senator have visible projects sign posts naming the Senator as facilitator and the government agency executing the projects. So much for the imagined ‘personalising’ of “govt-funded projects”.
The mention of the breach of procurement law and the project tracking organization without any evidence in the statement contradicts the allegation of personalizing government funded projects by the senator. No procurement law was breached in projects well executed and publicized for tracking organizations to monitoring as the statement indicated. `
Beyond facilitating dividends of democracy for his constituents, it is clear that the sponsor of the politically motivated statement attested to the Senator’s legendary generosity and philanthropy. Their grouse against this is equally their legendary stinginess in the act of giving back to the people. The senator owes no apology or explanations for being a renowned cheerful giver or for his unparallel facilitations as he stated publicly at the last occasion of empowerment.
The laughable aspect of the sponsored statement was the call for relevant government agencies like Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, and EFCC to probe the Senator. Unknown to them, was the fact that the senator officially invited ICPC to monitor the three- day empowerment programme and two uniformed officers of ICPC were at the events in Ilaro throughout the programmes, a fact that further attest to the fact that Senator Adeola could not have personalize government funded projects he facilitated.
Those having sleepless night and high blood pressure on the unprecedented and effective representation of the Senator, which has rubbished their lackluster delivery of dividends of democracy and their vaunted political ambitions, should take note that more of the senator’s facilitation of projects for his constituents are in the offing as it is the hallmark of the senator over his years as a legislator par excellence.
The tradition continues and no detractor can stop the people benefitting from dividends of democracy.
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