By Sunday Adepoju
The memory of my visit on Saturday, April 24, 2021 to the lawmaker representing Oyo North senatorial district in the Senate, Senator (Dr) Abdulfatai Omotayo Buhari, reverberated in me today and informed the reason for this short piece. It was during this year’s Ramadan fasting. As one of his keen constituents from the Ogbomoso axis of the district, the visit further rekindled my confidence in the astute and enigmatic politician and democrat of inestimable value who is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport.
Without being hyperbolic, a lot of online writers have copiously presented facts and figures of the giant strides of Senator Buhari, popularly called BAF and Omoluabi, in the areas of his legislative and oversight functions in the Nigerian Project. It is needless re-discovering the wheel on this Ogbomoso-born politician who has distinguished himself as a thorough-bred dutiful grassroots, state and national leader.
An already established business man of high repute, the Prince of Ibapon kingdom in Ogbomoso zone of Oyo State represented Ogbomoso South, North and Oriire federal constituency in the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007. Again, beginning from 2015 up till date, Dr Buhari, a holder of Bachelor of Science (BSc.), Masters degree and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from reputable universities, currently represents Oyo North senatorial district on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a difference. Dr Buhari represents development, youth and women development, humility, dedication, hard work, diligence, gentlemanliness, and good character.
My interaction with him and the good people of Ogbomoso reveals that he rarely sleeps in his palatial mansion at High School Area of the metropolis. He spends most of his days and times in Ogbomoso in his Ibapon family house. Those who know his family house will understand this issue and this stresses his humility. Quoting Buhari, “I love living in this house, which is my source. Sunday, look at that woman who just prayed for me now. If I don’t live here, will she come to my house at High School area this morning to shower these prayers on me in my source. I receive blessings from this source and I’m proud living with my people. I learnt he slept in his palatial mansion only about four times since he built it many years ago.
On such visit of April, I was ushered in by one of his aides, Comrade Yekeen Woleola. I sat beside His Excellency, Dr Buhari in the compact living room that commensurate his size. The ease and accuracy with which he was analysing an article I earlier wrote further corroborated his presence on the social media platforms. Off hand, he was discussing some of the issues I raised therein. He was mentioning some issues according to paragraphs. He talked about my diction and commended me for remembering all that he had said in 2002, about 19 years ago.
While Dr Buhari was discussing with his team of strategists, I was watching and studying every moment like an ethnographic researcher who desires to capture every moment, both the etic and emic. An aide to Dr Buhari, Alhaji Noah Bello, sat on bare tiled floor of the sitting room close to his principal. Same with local government chairman, Mr Adedeji Adeyemo, popularly called Obadoba, who sat on a stool. On my right side was seated another fantastic aide, Prince Ololade Bello. Woleola, amidst other team members, including Alhaji Salmon Buhari, Comrade Abeeb, Mr Kunle, Mr Mudasiru, made the gathering a nice forum of intellectual cross fertilisation of ideas, depicting good leadership of BAF. At such forum, every member of the team performed their assigned function effortlessly.
Prince Ololade Bello was answering questions of the ongoing projects by the senator without holding any paper. The intelligence of Ololade Bello mentioning names of remote villages of Oriire Local Government Area, villages and towns of Oke-Ogun and many wards in the Ogbomoso metropolis is superb and commendable. Sen. Buhari is a man of his word. I remember he said, “If I promise, I must fulfil it. That is what God demands of us.” Obadoba was also there to answer questions on empowerments and other myriad of programmes/engagements. It is, therefore, apt to stress that Senator Buhari is surrounded by distinguished team mates from different fields of human endeavour. They, indeed, know their onions. At such team are lawyers, academics, linguists, political scientists, administrators, engineers, among others.
In my presence, I could not count the number of people who came to Senator Buhari for financial assistance. Of them all, the one that caught my attention most was a woman who knelt before him while he was seeing me off on the staircase. She said, “Omo mi o gbadun” (my child is sick). With great compassion, he asked the woman to get up and asked, “What is the nature of the sickness?” “Appendicitis,” replied the woman. “Where is the child hospitalised?” he asked again. “Bowen,” responded the woman, tearfully. Filled with emotion, he went inside, brought out a fat envelop and handed it over to the woman. Not only that, he prayed for the child’s sound health.
There were intermittent humours from both the senator and his team. One would hardly sense any form of leader-follower relationship among them.
Need I say this? I did not leave his presence empty-handed. He said, “Sunday, this is for your breakfast.” The truth is that I don’t know the number of months’ breakfasts the envelop will take care of.
Thank you, BAF, Babaluabi for hosting me then!
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