Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Lola Ashiru has gotten heavily criticized for making polarizing comments at a gathering in Offa during the weekend while many have submitted that the issue that made him come under fire was actually avoidable if necessary precautionary measures had been taken.
The senator, an indigene of Offa, had attended a meeting held at Offa Descendants Union Hall, Offa to promote unity among the people of the town and ensure that they go back to the good old days of presenting a common front and forming a cohesive whole.
At the meeting were all prominent sons and daughters of the town including the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, members of the Olofa-in-Council, Asiwaju of Offa, Alhaji Tajudeen Owoyemi, former Vice-Chancellor, FUTMinna, Professor Musbau Akanbi, former Vice-Chancellor of Fountain University, Professor Hussain Oloyede, members of the Brimo family, members of the Ijaiya family, Chief Segun Olawoyin, former Rep Tope Olayonu Olarinoye , Alhaji Hassan Oyeleke, Commissioner for Health , Dr Amina El-Imam, and the two members of the state House of Assembly from the ancient town.
Because he was talking to his kinsmen, the senator, a Kwara State APC big wig, let his guard down and did not speak as a politician or a statesman and no one had thought it wise among his aides to either stop people from taking a video or ensure that such a video clip does not enter public domain.
All he had done or said ought to have been off-camera.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that the senator’s comments had since rippled through Kwara South, the senatorial district he represents in the senate, and stirred up a wide range of views and feelings among the people.
There are three blocs in Kwara South; Ibolo, Ekiti and Igbomina, Senator Lola Ashiru, who became a member of the senate in 2019, is from Offa, the traditional headquarters of Ibolo people, hence the polarizing reactions his comments had evoked.
There are seven local governments in Kwara South; those who are in Oyun and Offa local governments are Ibolo people, Ifelodun, Isin and Irepodun local governments are Igbomina people while Ekiti and Oke-Ero local governments are Ekiti people.
Addressing his townmates, the senator lowered his guard and spoke as leader of Offa people and not as representative of Kwara South.
He preached message of unity, emphasized the need for a deep affection, kinship, and commitment to care for others like it was during his childhood days and also noted that there is no better time than now (2027) to have an Offa indigene as governor of Kwara State.
He also added that Offa can produce the governor, the senator and a member of the House of Representatives in 2027 without a hindrance.
Cautioning his kinsmen against showing indifference to the security fears in Ifelodun local government and other parts of the senatorial district, Senator Ashiru urged vigilance and immediate proactive measures to ensure that Offa remains impregnable.
‘You can pontificate and say ‘it is the turn of Igbomina’, you can say ‘it’s the turn of Ekiti’ but I want you to note the fact that 45% of votes that can make anyone become a senator, we have it in Offa and the Ibolo axis.
There is no way anyone can play with this 45%. I am saying this because I want us to know the importance of Offa in Kwara South senatorial district. It is every time that we say after Ilorin, the next is Offa. Genuinely, Offa and Ilorin, in terms of the people, we are at par. If not for the way things are right now, we are even greater than Ilorin, in terms of human capital.
The things I’m supposed to say today is to caution us, my first note of caution is this, I was telling Alhaji one of the people I sat with that if the proper ingredients within a society are not in place it will become a desolated town.
Historically, the great cities of yesterday, the ones that didn’t diminish, have become desolated. That is why we have to be very careful and sustain this heritage.
In the Northern Nigeria, Offa is the greatest heritage because at the particular time that development was needed, Offa was leading the charge
The king was the one providing the ingredients. Today, I don’t want us to belittle our problems, the unity in Offa is at its lowest step, the love for one another has so much diminished to the point that hardly do we know that we are a tight-knit community.
I remember what we used to do when we were young. We were like one, and it was age group by age group. There is nobody within my age bracket that we didn’t have a relationship, but today, it has collapsed. Hardly do our children relate, so, what are we going to have in Offa in future? My children, children of Asiwaju of Offa or Awal Ibrahim, who is my relative do not relate.
We can bring these children home to work together and love one another. These are several things that I think we need to do.
We cannot finish looking into it at this meeting, this meeting will only be a beginning. This meeting should set up an agenda to bring back our children home, to bring back ourselves home. To bring ourselves back to reality and the reality is that we have challenges of modern time. We must set agenda to bring our children home.
I made a particular reference to the insecurity in the state. There are problems in Ifelodun, Isin, Oke-Ero and Ekiti and we are showing indifference, and doing as if it doesn’t concern us, what does it take for it to extend to Offa if we are not careful? For this not to happen in Offa, the first thing we have to do is internal vigilance, and that starts from re-enacting relationships between old and young, between the poor and the rich. Today, I want us to set up a security committee, a serious one that will look into how we can get immune from insecurity in Kwara South today, to ensure that it does not extend to Offa.
We cannot escape talking about prosperity. Prosperity of one person is prosperity of one another. When I was about to mount the podium, Asiwaju was talking about the N1billion naira project that I brought to Offa and I told him that the ones in the 2025 budget that have not been executed is more than 6 billion naira, that is my own little way of showing love to Offa because you have shown me love too, Offa people voted for me massively in the last election.
That was why I was able to bring projects worth about 6 billion naira to Offa, and it is there for anybody to ask, and you will see it.
I will urge all of us that the political leverage we have in Offa today which made it possible for you to make me a senator, don’t let us lose it. I am not saying that the senate seat should be for me, it cannot be for me forever, I have played my part today, I will play my part until the time that God has ordained but I want to reenergize politics in Offa and I mean serious politics so that we will not lose the advantage that we have today. It is not impossible for us to become the governor of Kwara State, actually, I will say very clearly that there is no better time than now for an indigene of Offa to become the governor of Kwara State. It is not impossible for an Offa man to become a governor, and we will still have a senator from the same town. It is not impossible, it has happened in Kwara State before.
Offa can produce the governor, the senator and the reps member and I am saying this so that our political gladiators will know that one political ambition will not affect the other.
Someone seeking to become a senator does not have problem with the one who wants to become a member of the House of Representatives.
I am recommending that politics should become a serious agenda for the people of Offa Kingdom.
I will recommend that for many of these issues that we are talking about, for the progress and unity of Offa, we must set up different committees I mean working committees that will continuously work on it.
On a final note, Kabiesi, you will live long for us. I will end by saying that the head that wears the crown bears a great responsibility. The responsibility of the unity of Offa rests squarely on your shoulders. We will all become history after some time. God will help you’ the senator said.
The senator’s speech has sparked intense debate among residents and political observers in the State of Harmony with Otunba Adebayo Oyabambi and a sociocultural and non-partisan group dedicated to promoting the interests and advancement of the Igbomina people in the country, Orisun Igbomina condemning and calling it ‘divisive’.
In an interview with Team@orientactualmags.com, Dr Abdurasheed Alada Muhammad, an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, said the senator made flattery statements because he was addressing his kinsmen and should not be taken seriously.
‘Such statements are political statements meant to impress supporters and townmates, we have to note that he made the assertions at a closed forum, he didn’t come out to say it on national television or at a gathering attended by everyone, apparently the video clip just found its way into public domain.
Bearing in mind that Kwara State’s politics has its peculiarities, for instance Kwara Central which comprises Ilorin and adjoining towns has 51% of the voting strength ,so, how can somebody from the minority area claim that ,it is now possible for people from the same community to occupy all the key postions in the state..
Certainly that is not possible and it lacks common sense, even if that is going to happen, it has to be with the support of other areas not that a community will take a sole decision, so, my own take is that it was a political statement that should not be taken seriously by anybody’ he submitted-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
