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OTUNBA ADEWALE ADENAIKE - IN SEARCH OF HIS PEOPLE'S MANDATE

t's not always every time that I shun meeting prominent Nigerians, but Engineer Adewale Adenaike, the flagbearer of the National Democratic party, NDP, for Ogun East Senatorial District, made me do exactly that in the early hours of tuesday, March 27, when, after giving my word to do an interview with him that morning, I got another call, requiring that i was urgently needed to meet this other bloke in the east.

Having interviewed both Professor Wole Soyinka and Chief Emeka Anyaoku, at the Royal Commonwealth Society, the previous night, one part of me thought of cancelling the interview with Adenaike, but i felt I'll rather make his life difficult, by insisting we wouldn't have more than half an hour. Of course, I tried that, because, after arriving at Wood Green at 10am and waiting for exactly five minutes outside the Weatherspoon Pub, I wanted to exploit that loophole that they didn't keep to time and was about dashing away. But one of his aides called, urging me to wait, because, "he's on A13 and running late for just 10 minutes, because it's foggy from Cambridge, where he was coming from." I was so pressed for time that had it been someone else, I could have used that five minute lateness as an opportunity to walk off - but thankfully, I didn't. Actually, the people of Ogun East can count themselves lucky to have found a selfless man who can usher in a new dispensation if elected during the rescheduled elections on saturday, april 28th.

Well, this isn't the first time that this civil engineer turned politician will literally compel me to meet up with him. A forthnight before this, I was on my way from Wolverhampton, where I'd gone to watch the home team beat local rivals, West Brom, when I turned up at a fund raising dinner held to raise money for his senatorial campaign at a restaurant in the south east. So, why turn up at a dinner when I wouldn't even wait to taste the food? Simple, its because I believe in this man. Interestingly, the same thing happened when I first attended his fund raising dinner at the same location on Tower Bridge road about two years ago. The food ran out and I had to pay for what I and a guest ate - no complaints, though, otherwise i wouldn't have gone a second time or caught up with him for this article. But you know what? I'll rather support this kind of man than to run after some politician of questionable wealth and character.

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And tell you what, money is like orgasm, and you can't fake having it forever, you know. If you don't have it, it's just not there, friends. It's not that Adenaike doesn't have money at all, of course, he does. He's got the pedigree to qualify him for a seat at the Senate and more importantly, he is someone whose wealth is traceable. For almost eight years running, he has spent his personal money and nest egg, improving the lot of the people of Ijebu East Senatorial district and would have been the flagbearer of the Action Congress, AC, but the money bags elbowed him out of the race. "AC is my party," said Adenaike, as we shared fried plantain and egg in the moderately furnished living room venue of this interview in North London. He continued, "I'm still an AC man, but I just had to walk away on principle, after the elders of the party were compromised in giving the ticket to someone else." Naturally, when NDP came banging on his door that he should be their flagbearer, it was an offer this amiable middle-aged man couldn't refuse.

So, what's on offer for the people of Ijebu East?, I asked, looking straight into his eyes to see if I could detect something that would betray him. I couldn't find any, but passion and enthusiasm, behind the glasses he was wearing.

"During my campaign, I made it very, very clear to the electorate that this is not just about going to the Senate and proposing bill and passing bill," rather, he hopes to use the opportunity that the Upper House of legislature will offer, to improve the lot of his people in four different ways - Education, Health Care Delivery, Youth Empowerment and Community Development. Besides, "One of the things I want to fight for - if elected – is to make sure we’re given Ijebu State," something the incumbent Senator has said nothing about it. Secondly, "I am going to open a Foundation in every local government and this will be for the benefit of the local people," and particularly, the "area boys." But Otunba Adenaike doesn't see these social miscreants as outcasts, he dares to think differently.

"I call them-area boys-community champions," because this lot weren't born to be outcasts, anyway. "It is the society that has turned them into that," and the good news is, "by the time we bring them together, they will be able to channel their energy constructively." Besides, I hope to provide them with interest free loans." Regrettably, though, "Some of these people have turned into armed robbery, but we need to bring everybody back," he said. He’s looking at improving the lot of the people of his constituency by using a holistic approach. Adenaike’s of the view that, the root causes of problems-not the symptoms – must be tackled.

He attributed many of the problems plaguing his people to; poverty and unemployment, and once these two are tackled, naturally, “everything else will fall into place.”

Another area Adenaike hopes to turn around is the educational sector. Students, he disclosed, “don’t go to lectures anymore,” because when they go, “ the lecturers are nowhere to be found. They too have gone to look for their bread and butter elsewhere.” As for female undergraduates, “they've become glorified prostitutes,” hence, there's need to "restructure the whole thing.” Speaking with the zeal of an evangelist, this impeccable philanthropist lamented the poor state of our educational institutions." Look at any publicly run schools and you wouldn't want to send any of your children there." Of course, the rich and those holding public offices in Nigeria know better, “ none of their children goes to any of such schools.” His blueprint for the turnaround of the educational sector include; getting the local governments to take care of the primary schools under their jurisdiction. “Let local governments set the agenda for education,” said the NDP senatorial aspirant. While conceding that the task of drawing the educational curriculum should be the job of the Education Minister, Adenaike’s position is “I believe the local government would do a better job, running the schools in their areas." Having already spent millions of his own money to sink boreholes, provide health care and give some dignity to the people of Ijebu East, through the Dewale Adenaike Ajuse Foundation,DAAF, things, he said, "can only get better," if he gets the mandate for the Senate. One of his selling points is that, you can count on him for accountability and tangible development. Sadly, though, that is not happening at the moment. “All that the local government chairmen do, is, go to the state government, collect their allocations, and after that, they call all the councillors, share the money and that is it for the month.”

Of course, bringing about the kind of revolution he was talking about isn't rocket science, but nonetheless, he is a realist and he’s the first to admit, “all his lofty ideas won't be translated into actions in a year." However, you can count on him to surely and steadily implement his electioneering promises.

Infrastructural development of the country and that of Ijebu East also popped up during our meeting, and the National Democratic Party candidate wants an entirely new approach that will usher a new era. "If elected, it will be a criminal offence for anyone to construct roads with pot holes." His plan is to make anyone responsible for the construction sign a maintenance contract."They will have to maintain the roads by themselves and that's how to get them not to do a bad job," he argued.

Of course, talking the talk is one thing and walking the talk is an entirely different ball game, but Adenaike 's pedigree is what endeared him to me, even though I'm neither from Ogun nor able to vote in saturday's election. In the past couple of years, he has, through his Foundation, DAAF, touched the people of his constituency with the money he earned working here in the United Kingdom. Some of his philanthropic gesture of the past couple of years are well documented and I've lifted same from his website for obvious reasons. These include: the provision of exercise books and stationery to schools in all the 103 wards in Ogun East Senatorial District. And you wouldn't query his commitment to deliver qualitative health service, having provided mobile clinics with trained nurses, doctors and medication. DAAF also provides free primary care services and health information to the local community on a continual basis.

It's also worth mentioning that his Foundation has been instrumental in empowering youths and this is evident with the formation of football teams with fully equipped sports outfits, in schools. Moreover, he's been involved in sponsoring of Inter school competitions and Events. Naturally, this is the type of man who should be king.

But who's this Adenaike of a man? To be honest about it, he's fast approaching 60, but you wouldn't know and thankfully, he doesn't have a bulging tummy - I hate to see that, but that's just me and it shouldn't be a yardstick for judging people.

An indigene of Odo-Arawa in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State,Otunba-as his admirers call him - attended St. Mary's Catholic School, Odolewu and St. Patrick's Catholic School Isiwo, before proceeding to St. Anthony's Catholic Grammar School Esure, Ijebu-Imushin.

He later came over to the United Kingdom to study Building Technology at Tottenham College of Technology, London. He also studied Civil Engineering at the prestigious Queen Mary College, University of London, before topping it up with a post graduate in Soil Engineering at the same University. A corporate member of the Chartered Institute of Building,(CIOB), Association of Building Engineers and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. The innocent looking gentleman also has his name in the register of many professional bodies. His professional career started with Wimpey Homes, where he worked as a site engineer. He was also at Bojad Construction, as Project Engineer and later moved to London Borough of Islington as a Principal Building Surveyor. Thereafter, he set up a firm of consultants, consulting for various private sector firms, local authorities and various Housing Associations.

Otunba Adewale Adenaike is a Director at Frank Nigel and Co and Chris Mary and Company, both firms of chartered surveyors, engineers and property managers. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Direct Telecom Ltd and Director, Total Consult LTD - providers of day nursery and pre-school education in London. He was also the CEO of QFC Ventures Limited, Lagos - an airline and cargo outfit.

As a result of his contribution to his community, he was conferred with the title of Olu-Omo of Oke-Ako by his Royal Highness Oba Osunsami, the Aladeken of Oke-Ako. He was the first President of Ijebu Association Omo Alare (UK). Otunba Adenaike recently launched and sponsored female soccer competition in secondary schools in Ogun State Nigeria and had a School House named after him. As part of his contribution to sports in Ijebu/Remo Land, he was made the Ambassador of Sports in Ijebu-Land in December 2005.

Those of us in the Diaspora can't vote, but the only way we can influence the destiny of our people back at home is to ask them to stand up and be counted for this honourable gentleman, whose party's logo is that of a bird - the dove. And who knows, this man could actually become king.