The heartbeat of the State of Osun is its Central Senatorial District. No wonder respected leaders over the years represent the district. The immediate Chief Whip of the 7th Assembly at the Red Chambers was a Professor of no mean repute, Professor Olusola Adeyeye. Before him, in the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999, we had Senator Bayo Salami who was among the shakers and movers of the National Assembly at the time.
With Professor Adeyeye bowing out of the Senate, there was palpable fear on who could sufficiently replace him. No one ever imagined that in no distant time, the vacuum left by the erudite Professor would immediately be filled by another scholar and lawyer of repute. Osun Central Senatorial district is top among those that can boast of a competent and outspoken representative in this 9th National Assembly, through no one other than the young, lanky, intelligent, humane Osogbo born leader, a mentee of the grandmaster, Senator Ajibola Basiru popularly called SRJ.
SRJ is not just coming to limelight and his political profile preceded his current status. He is, in my opinion a factor in Osun politics since his appointment as Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration and later became the Virtuous State’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General under the governorship of his leader, benefactor and political mentor, Rauf Aregbesola. Like his mentor, Ajibola Basiru has not for once disappointed his people. In fact, He was able to create a space for himself in the stormy water of politics of Osun, despite all odds.
History would be unfair to my pen if I fail to highlight this enigma called Senator Ajibola Basiru’s laudable achievements in the short time he has been in the Red Chamber. His performance in just two years as a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, and a first timer in the Red Chamber successfully, dispel the lies of some of our representatives that been a first timer, you can do little or nothing for your people. In his one year and some months in the Red Chamber, SRJ has performed creditably well, even beyond imagination of his people. No wonder whenever he is within his constituency, people always throng around him making his constituency office to become a Mecca of sort.
In the history of Osun Central Senatorial District, no Senator has interfaced with his people like SRJ, frequently meeting with them and attending to their needs. Just recently, he organized an empowerment program where equipment worth millions of Naira, and cash were distributed to people of the ten (10) Local Government Areas that made up his Senatorial district. The empowerment program was attended by his mentor and former governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who must be proud of his mentee activities since he was elected to the National Assembly.
In the history of Osun Central Senatorial District, and indeed, the state, only a first-timer SRJ has exhibited the gut by employing about 100 staff, who are earning salaries every month. In the area of infrastructure, SRJ was not lagging behind as he provided tens of boreholes for several wards across Osun Central.
Findings revealed that he was not just embarking on the infrastructural projects rather; the projects are based on the community demands during his election campaigns. This is preposterous given the fact that politicians in their characteristics rarely remember their constituency and constituents until the next election. This makes the quintessential SRJ exceptional.
Moreover, SRJ has graded roads, organised training programs and also helped individual to have a livelihood. It is doubtful if any politician or individual has contributed to the social-economy of the people of Osun Central Senatorial District in recent times like him.
In the National Assembly, a first-timer SRJ was appointed by distinguished Senators to be their spokesperson, a position he has performed creditably well. He has been rated as one of the best in the current dispensation in the area of bills sponsorship and contributions on the floor of the National Assembly. He has also provided solutions to some naughty issues in our political system.
Dr. Senator, Ajibola Basiru, a lawyer, author, strategist, politician and teacher is an intellectual in politics who has put Osun Central in the map of Nigeria political space. He is indisputable good ambassador of my state.
Abeegunde writes from Igbaye, Osun state.