Mashood Mustapha: Celebrating A Patriotic Statesman @60 – Opeyemi  Aregbesola 

Diamond Jubilee is an important milestone in a person’s life. Surviving the hurdles of life and attaining the Diamond age is something everyone looks forward to, however, providence has made it so that not everyone lives to record this milestone in prosperity and perfect health.

 Mashood Mustapha attaining the Diamond age with a sterling track record is therefore a feat that must be celebrated.

Mashood Mustapha, fondly called MM by friends and associates, is an accomplished businessman and a politician of high repute.

Born on 11th March 1963, into the family of Alhaji Usman and Alhaja Hassanat Mustapha in Ilorin West Local Government, Kwara State, MM has grown to become a shining star whose brightness illuminates the lives of those who come into contact with him.

MM is generous; he is a compassionate, and a detribalized statesman.

To him, everyone is equal irrespective of religion, ethnicity, and political leanings. His penchant for giving is further reflected in the way both the young and the old troop to his GRA Ilorin residence whenever he is in town.

MM is planning to establish a foundation that will cater for the indigents and this is a testament to his magnanimity. Like or hate him, MM has built a legacy that will outlive him.

Mashood Mustapha’s political journey is intriguing. MM made inroads into the murky waters of politics in 2001 after successfully building a professional career that spanned 2 decades. When MM ventured into politics, he was fully prepared to swim with the sharks having been groomed on the nitty-gritty of politics by his father who was the Finance Commissioner in the old Kwara State during the Second Republic.

 MM has greatly mastered the art of politics; little wonder why he has remained relevant in the State of Harmony’s political settings.

MM was a force to be reckoned with during  the 8 years (2003-2011) of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki administration.

 He served the administration in different capacities as Saraki’s Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Special Adviser  on Special Duties, Commissioner for Lands and Housing, and Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources.

He was also the  Deputy Director General of  the Mandate Campaign Organization in  2007 .

In 2011, Mashood Mustapha was  the Ilorin West/Asa PDP House of Representatives candidate and he was elected through a popular vote to represent the good people of the Federal Constituency where he brought his wealth of experience to bear in the service of his fatherland.

 While in the House of Reps, Mustapha was the Deputy Chairman, Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and   he was a Member of   various committees  including; Marine Transport, Environment, Privatization, and Commercialization; Federal Capital Territory (FCT); Steel, Industries, National Population Commission, Drugs, Narcotics, and Financial Crimes; HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, and Niger Delta Ministry.

MM left an indelible mark on the lives of his constituents and his performance as a member of the House of Representatives was impressive.

His versatility as well as the ability to network well with co –federal lawmakers,  later earned him the position of  Senate President’s Special Adviser on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Protocol, and Special Duties. In 2015, MM was appointed as  Coordinator of the Kwara State chapter of the Buhari/Osinbajo campaign organization and he performed excellently.

MM is the founder of the most formidable political group in Kwara state, ‘Team MM’. This group cuts across the 16 Local Governments in the state with thousands of members. ‘Team MM’ was established in 2017 for the actualization of the governorship ambition of Mashood Mustapha.

Mashood Mustapha was a major contender for the governorship position in Kwara state in 2018 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) . However, he was schemed out of the party’s gubernatorial primary  by retrogressive elements within the APC. His decision to forgive those behind his political woes in the overall interest of the party earned him the love and admiration of his party members and political disciples.

Despite the brazen betrayal of MM by some party leaders, he however participated actively as  Vice Chairman of the  APC Strategy Group in 2019. The group which comprises movers and shakers of Kwara politics was established to ensure the victory of the APC in the 2019 general election.

MM also organized a campaign rally in support  of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as  the APC gubernatorial candidate  in 2019. MM’s efforts and those of other loyal party members yielded the desired results when the party’s governorship candidate emerged victorious at the poll. If MM had not jettisoned his personal interest for the overall interest of the state, the APC would have lost the 2019 governorship election.

MM retained his Vice Chairmanship position when the 2019 APC Strategy Group metamorphosed into the 2023 APC Strategy Group. As the Vice Chairman of the group, MM played a laudable role in brokering peace amongst conflicting factions in the APC, especially, in Kwara Central Senatorial District ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on 25th February.

 The victory of the APC in Kwara Central was partly due to MM’s mediatory efforts. MM is also working assiduously towards the re-election of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq having been satisfied with his performance in the last 4 years. MM’s political trajectory over the years has proven that he is a patriotic statesman who places common interests above personal interests.

Apart from being a political strategist par excellence, MM also has an impressive business profile. MM is an astute businessman whose business conglomerate cuts across countries like Ghana, Dubai, and Burkina Faso.

 He is the Chairman/CEO of Crystal Group Nigeria Limited, Crystal House Ghana Limited, and Crystal Trading Company Dubai, UAE. He is also the current Chairman of the Board of Patrons of the Nigeria-Guinea Bissau Chamber of Commerce, and Patron of the Ilorin Elite Club. MM’s business empire has created jobs for both skilled and unskilled labour across Africa. 

MM has over the years, received several awards for his socio-economic contribution to the development of his fatherland. In 2020, MM was honoured with the chieftaincy title of Olu-Omo of Yorubaland in Ghana.

As someone who has worked closely with MM for years, I make bold to say that the likes of Mashood Mustapha are rare. Apart from being a critical thinker, MM is goal-driven and he pushes those around him to aspire for greatness. I wish him the best as he sails through the Diamond age- Opeyemi Glory  Aregbesola writes from Ilorin , Kwara state