The need to bring quality representation to Mushin Federal Constituency 2 is the main focus of Honourable Oluwaseye Oladejo as he declared his ambition to seek for a seat in the House of Representatives to represent the Federal Constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oladejo, Publicity Secretary of the state chapter of the party, disclosed this on Saturday, 9 April, 2022 while officially declaring his intention to run for the office.
Oladejo is seeking to replace the present occupier of the seat, Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla in the House. Ayinla has been representing the Mushin Federal Constituency 2 since 2015.
Below is the full declaration speech of Oladejo:
A CLARION CALL FOR QUALITATIVE REPRESENTATION OF THE MUSHIN II FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BEING THE TEXT OF THE SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. OLUWASEYE OLANIRAN OLADEJO AT THE FORMAL DECLARATION OF HIS ASPIRATION TO REPRESENT MUSHIN 2 CONSTITUENCY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PLATFORM OF ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS HELD AT ARCHBISHOP AGGEY MEMORIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL ON SATURDAY 9th APRIL, 2022.
Protocols
On behalf of my family, friends, associates, political team and well-wishers, I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of you for creating the time to participate in this historic event of my declaration to contest for Mushin II Constituency in the House of Representatives in the 2023 general elections on the platform of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address as President of the United States of America on January 20, 1961, said “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
Kennedy’s inaugural address till date has continued to inspire people to see the importance of public service for the development of their community, state and nation.
Since the historic statement by John F. Kennedy, there have been records of great men and women who have distinguished themselves in public office, especially in Nigeria. And I, Hon. Oluwaseye Olaniran Oladejo, is part of those people who have been privileged to have a platform to serve and distinguished themselves in public service and political party organisation in Mushin Local Government Area in particular and Lagos State at large.
Since the return of Nigeria to the democratic path on May 29, 1999, Mushin Local Government Area has been one of the reference councils in Lagos politics. There is no way we can review the political history of Lagos State in the last 22 years of this present Fourth Republic and 61 years of Nigeria’s independence without making reference to Mushin and the political giants from the local government area.
Mushin has produced many great men and women, who have distinguished themselves at the federal and state levels by writing their names in gold in politics and governance. Among the prominent politicians produced by Mushin is the first Civilian Governor of Lagos State, late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who in death remains a reference point in good governance; the Second Republic Commissioner for Transport and former member of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), HRH Oba Olatunji Hamzat, who discovered, nurtured and mentored me in politics; an influential politician, the Lagos State Vice Chairman of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria – UPN – Alhaji Rafiu Ishola Solomon, whose influence reverberated across the length and breadth of Lagos State. His son and my leader, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS), a former Mushin Local Government chairman, Honorable member of the House of Representatives and a two-term member of the Senate and of course a principal officer, gave me my first breakthrough in government when he appointed me as the Secretary to the Local Government. He remains a destiny helper. I was indeed an unusual Secretary to the Local Government with so much power , courtesy of the free hand of my boss. And of course our own Hon. Mashood Salvador, a former member of the House of Representatives, who rose to become the chairman of a political party in the state.
Mushin Local Government holds a vantage position in Lagos politics as one of the four councils with two representatives in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
In the last 22 years, Mushin II Federal Constituency was represented by Hon. Segun Damiro of blessed memory, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat and the incumbent, Hon. Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla, who is serving his second term after serving three terms as a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
I wish to commend them all for their meritorious service to Mushin Federal Constituency II in the last 22 years.
As a man, who is passionate about public service, I am inspired by the courage and achievements of all the leaders who have charted the path of development for Mushin II Federal Constituency. I have decided, like the great American President John F. Kennedy, not to continue to wait for what my constituency, state and country can do for me, but to challenge myself on what to do for my constituency, state and country.
When I look back at my experience in the public sector, I realise that God has prepared me for this moment. In the last 23 years, I have contributed immensely to party politics and governance, not only in Mushin Local Government Area but Lagos State at large. I have also been an active participant in local and state politics for almost three decades serving in different positions.
I displayed leadership traits at an early age serving meritoriously as the Library Prefect in my secondary school, Archbishop Aggey Memorial Secondary School, Ilasamaja, Mushin. To the glory of God, I am declaring my aspiration for the House of Representatives in the school compound today. I was an active participant during my undergraduate days at Great Ife – the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). I served as the President of my departmental association, IFEVARSITY Literary and English Studies Society. I also contested and won an election into the office of the Secretary-General of the University of Ife Students’ Union (1985/86) at 19 years of age.
As the Secretary-General, I was the engine room of the Students’ Union Government. I took care of the general administration and coordinated activities geared toward the rights and welfare of students and the pro-democracy programmes in the heydays of the military misadventure into governance. This, no doubt, came with its sacrifices with incessant harassment by state agents and at times outright incarceration. My involvement in the democratic struggle prepared me for the bigger challenge of partisan politics with its unpredictability and uncertainties.
After graduating from the University of Ife, I had my one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme in Yola, the then Gongola State, where I won the State Award for Outstanding Service.
As a young man who was ready to contribute to society through qualitative service delivery, I worked at the Directorate of Mass Mobilization (MAMSER), Daily Times of Nigeria and Goldlink Media. It was during this period that I cut my teeth in media practice and public engagement.
In my quest to render service to my community, I pitched my tent with the progressives and served in different capacities on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). I was at different times the Ward Secretary for AD in Ward H1 and later the party Publicity Secretary in Mushin Local Government Area. I also contested and won an election as the Executive Chairman of Mushin Local Government Area in 2004 after serving as the Secretary to the Local Government.
My tenure as the Chairman of Mushin Local Government was not deterred by the insensitive and malicious seizure of the monthly allocations of local governments in Lagos State by the Olusegun Obasanjo government. I need to give kudos to our National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who showed unprecedented leadership as a governor to ensure the sustainability of local government councils in the state. In addition to the platform provided by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, I also did excellent work while in the office as a manager of human and material resources.
During my tenure as the Chairman of Mushin Local Government Area, I, among others, constructed several roads and drainages with available resources. I also impacted the education sector with the rehabilitation of primary schools, provision of desks, benches and books for the pupils. Primary Health-Care Centers in the local government were re-equipped and rehabilitated. My administration also established new health centers at Alves Street, Ogungbaiye Street and Ijesha Road, as well as embarking on social intervention programs by supporting the aged, widows and other vulnerable people.
A major and impactful highlight of my administration was the provision of 165 boreholes across the local government. Some of these projects are still in use 15 years after.
Having distinguished myself at the local government level, I was promoted to the state after completing my tenure as the Chairman of Mushin Local Government Area. I worked with two governors for eight years. I was Special Adviser for Commerce and Industry in the cabinet of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola between 2011 and 2015 and also served as Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-governmental Relations during Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration from 2015 to 2019.
The highlight of my service in the state cabinet during my stewardship in the Fashola administration included the reinvigoration of the informal sector to enhance productivity through the re-skilling of master artisans; exposing them to modern technologies and providing the needed tools to boost the sector.
The strong presence of artisans at this event ably led by the state President Alhaji Nurudeen Buhari and the Mushin Local Government chairperson , Alhaja Oluwakemi is an eloquent testimony to the feat.
My ministry also supervised the operations of the Lekki Free Trade Zone, which led to among others, the establishment of the Dangote Refinery which is nearing completion and the Dangote Fertilizer Company.
The ministry also facilitated the establishment of the Industrial Park where the Imota Rice Mill is located, the Lekki Airport and the Badagry Dry Sea Port. The Lagos Consumer Protection Agency was also under my direct supervision before it became a full-fledged agency.
As the Honorable Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-governmental Relations, I managed emergency services in Lagos State. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency – LASEMA- was rebranded during my tenure with the state of the art equipment, professional personnel and decentralised for efficient service delivery. The re-organisation led to the construction of LASEMA RESCUE centers at Epe, Lekki, Ikorodu road and Cappa. It also led to the synergy among the various government agencies – fire service, neighborhood watch, the Nigeria Police Force and the ambulance service, among others in rescue operations in the state. The Emergency free toll numbers also became more efficient.
The Lagos State Neighborhood Corps was also rebranded for efficiency, re-trained and re-equipped to meet the challenge of modern times. I also supervised the Nigerian Legion, Paramilitary bodies like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps and the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN).
It is also imperative to note that hundreds of young graduates from Mushin local government were also gainfully employed by the state government during my tenure of office.
Based on my experience in public communication and media relations, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) fished me out and elected me as the party’s Publicity Secretary in 2019. I have been the spokesman of the ruling party in the last two years.
I received my emergence as an opportunity to give back to the party that has given me so much.
Within a short period of my assumption of office as the spokesman of Lagos APC, the information machinery of the party became invigorated as a result of my years of experience in the media, party politics and government. I was able to successfully leverage on this to respond effectively and professionally to burning issues in politics and governance. As the Publicity Secretary of the ruling party, the opposition was unable to overwhelm APC as the ruling party with needless criticism and propaganda. It is of note that the Publicity office at the Lagos APC’s secretariat in Acme Road, Ikeja, has remained accessible, informative and efficient in delivering on its mandate.
For over two decades I can confidently report with every sense of modesty that l have proved beyond reasonable doubt that I am someone to be trusted with public office. I have shown capability, accountability and transparency in service at local and state levels. I have also served my party passionately at local and state levels. Now, I believe it is high time for me to yield to the clarion call of my constituents calling on me to represent Mushin II Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives come 2023 on the platform of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
My decision to throw my hat into the ring for the House of Representatives contest was because I believe strongly that I will be useful to my constituents in the lower chamber of the National Assembly for qualitative representation.
My main promise to the people of Mushin II Federal Constituency if given the opportunity to represent them in the House of Representatives is to provide and guarantee qualitative, discerning, visible and result-oriented representation for my constituency. I will also leverage on the experience of the best hands in Mushin II Federal Constituency to provide the desired representation in every sense of the word to my constituents.
As a democrat and firm believer in the rule of law, if given the opportunity to represent Mushin II Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, I will collaborate with other colleagues in the National Assembly to review some laws that have remained a clog in Nigeria’s march towards true federalism to engender progress, unity and fair-play.
I assure you that if I am elected as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Mushin II Federal Constituency, I am going to be a visible, listening, discerning and active legislator in the Green Chamber. I will also contribute my quota to the growth and development of our dear Lagos State and Nigeria. I will do this and many other great things to fulfill my part of the social contract with the people and collaborate with other arms of government to bring unquantifiable benefits to my people.
I have invited you here today to join me in the journey to take Mushin II Federal Constituency to a great height and for qualitative representation in line with my party manifestoes. I present myself as a capable, courageous, competent and tested hand to make Mushin II Federal Constituency greater for all my constituents. And I declare that I, Oluwaseye Olaniran Oladejo shall be a true party man and a true representative of my constituents in the National Assembly.
I am sending a clarion call to our party members, men and women, youths and the elderly, that there is a lot of work to be done to achieve Mushin II Federal Constituency of our dreams. I urge you all to come out to vote for me during our party primaries election so that I can be the APC flagbearer in the House of Representatives election slated for February 25, 2022.
Long Live the All Progressives Congress
Long Live Lagos State
Long Live Mushin Local Government Area
Long Live Mushin Federal Constituency II
Thank you all for listening.
Oluwaseye Olaniran Oladejo
Saturday April 9, 2022.