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DERIN ADESIDA: A LAWMAKER’S PASSION FOR HIS CONSTITUENTS
By Ojo Oyewamide
He plunged into Nigeria’s shark-infested political waters in 2003. That year, he desired to represent Akure North and Akure South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He sought the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party. But he lost the nomination to Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde widely known as Abena. This writer is referring to Prince Abiodun ‘Derin Adesida.
Adesida later served as Special Assistant to the then Ondo State Commissioner for Finance, Chief Tayo Alasoadura. Did he really need the position then? One doesn’t think. The Prince of Akure Kingdom was already a self-made man before his decision to join politics. He had carved an enviable niche for himself in the private sector and made enough money for a comfortable living.
But he had to accept the Special Assistant position for the purpose of exposure to the rudiments of public governance and politics. At that time, he had accepted politics as part of his future plans. Adesida was to later secure the mandate of his people to represent the federal constituency in the National Assembly from 2007 to 2011. He returned to the Assembly in 2023. He is now two years into his second term.
Politics in Nigeria is like a pigsty. It is dirty and unnerving. Once you enter into it, you can’t get out with the immaculateness of your garment. In the political arena, superhuman tolerance is needed to handle insults from little minds and nitwits. Wisdom and calm are required to manage people’s sense of entitlement and excessive demands. If not, you are bound to lose your sanity and get your health injured.
So, what are complete gentlemen and self-made people like Adesida looking for in Nigerian politics with all its dirtiness? This is a man who has achieved a considerable level of material comfort. His wife is a medical doctor in the United States. His children are graduates of top rated universities in the world. They are doing fine in the professional paths they have chosen.
As revealed by Adesida, he is in politics because of his love for his people. “I am passionate about Akure especially the youths’ exposure to opportunities inside and outside Akure,” Adesida said. He added: “The development of the city, too, is my biggest concern. Nobody, considering my background, can love Akure more than me.”
This is the second time he would represent his constituency in the National Assembly. How has he justified the trust of his people? How much has his representation impacted the youth? During his first time in the House of Representatives, Adesida facilitated employment of no fewer than one hundred youths. Most of them were employed into the Nigeria Custom Service, and some are now holding top posts in the service. The impact of Adesida’s representation has significantly changed the stories of their lives.
In about two years of his return to the National Assembly in 2023, he has helped no fewer than 30 Akure youths to secure employment. Some of them are currently working with the Federal Road Safety Corps. Some are in the Navy. Some are in the police. And some will soon join the Nigeria Custom Service.
The Custom opportunity came last week. It was posted on different WhatsApp platforms for our people to be aware of it. The response was disappointing. Only a handful of people responded. The technical college admission opportunity is also there. Adesida is ready to assist. But how many youths will take advantage of it. Apart from employment opportunities, Adesida has on several occasions provided funds for other serious youths and women to do one trade or the other.
The development of the federal constituency is his big concern, according to him. During his first term in the National Assembly, Adesida influenced the installation of the 330/132/33kV| 2x150MVA transmission substation in the federal constituency. As at then, the worth of the project was N6 billion. It remains the biggest project that any federal lawmaker in the state has ever attracted to his constituency.
The giant project is sited at Owode town, along Akure/Owo road. The substation was completed in 2017 but since then, it has not been energised. If energised, the people of Ondo and Ekiti states will no longer rely on Osogbo for the transmission of electricity to the two states. The expectation is that the 55MW supply from Osogbo would increase to over 200MW, a development expected to ensure electricity stability for Ondo and Ekiti states.
It is also on record that Adesida was the one who influenced the installation of the multi-million naira 132/33 KV Power Distribution Sub-Station to boost power distribution in Akure South. The project is located Opposite Arcade Ground, Igbatoro road, Alagbaka, Akure. You now know why electricity supply is constant in that area.
During that period, he also distributed 30 transformers within the federal constituency to boost power distribution in both Akure North and Akure South. He built blocks of classrooms for schools, embarked on water and road projects and had among his achievements bills and motions that sought to bring progress and development.
Since he returned to the National Assembly in 2023, he has facilitated installation of solar street lights in no fewer than 35 communities in both Akure South and Akure North. He has also facilitated the building of blocks of classrooms in the federal constituency. One of the school project is at the School for the Deaf, Akure.
On the floor of the House, he has moved motions and sponsored bills seeking development for the federal constituency. One of the bills is the one seeking the upgrading of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, to a university. The remaining two years of his second term will surely bring more development to the federal constituency.
Adesida had been winking in the dark. He hated publicity like a plague. He detested his right hand knowing what his left hand was doing. That had been a serious problem and why many were not aware of his great feats. That has changed now. He has realised the import of the saying that if you don’t blow your trumpet, nobody will blow it for you, especially in politics.
Could anyone have loved Akure Kingdom more than Adesida? His grandfather was Oba Afunbiowo Adesida 1. His father’s junior sibling was Oba Adebobajo Adesida IV. His grandmother, Olori Oyife Adesida, was a daughter of Lisa Ototuleowo. His own mother was a daughter of Chief Osogbon Olowe of Araromi. Chief Osogbon Olowe was Oba Afunbiowo’s favorite’s divinator (Onifa Deji).
He grew up in the Deji’s Palace in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He witnessed part of Oba Afunbiowo’s reign, though he was a kid then. He also witnessed part or the reign of Oba Ademuwagun Adesida II as a toddler. He shares the passion to make Akure great with his grandfather, Oba Afunbiowo. He witnessed some of his grandfather’s efforts, particularly making Akure the Provincial Headquarters.
Listen to him again: “My urge to represent Akure has to do with making Akure great again. I am not up for personal gain. I have made money in the past. All I am doing is to help our people. I was given an opportunity to be where I am today and I intend to give back same to the community (Akure’s North and Akure South Federal Constituency). God knows I have tried my best. If He so desires, He will lead me on.”
_Ojo Oyewamide writes from Abibirih Lane, Isolo, Akure._
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