Osun Ministerial Slot; A case For Senator Iyiola Omisore -By Bright Ogundare

As the pressure piles on president Muhammad Buhari to nominate ministers of the federal republic, there are have been intense lobbying and hustling for the slot allocated to each state. In spite of this, it is pertinent for the president to choose the best from each state, an individual with intellectual and political acumen who will also balance the political dynamics of each state and Osun state should not be left out of getting her best chosen.

The slot of the state was held in the last 4 years by the former minister of health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, while the minister represented himself and the state well, consensus is that the state must upgrade and even considering the political reality in the state, it would amount to injustice if Ijesha land once again present the minister more so when we have other and more capable hands.

The ministerial nominee from Osun it is believed must be a man with statewide coverage, who can tick both the intellectual and political boxes. Someone whose track record speaks volume and can bring down dividends to the grassroots. It can’t be gainsaid that no more personality ticks these boxes more than Senator Iyiola Omisore. In the political field of Osun state, Senator Omisore is a rare breed as any politician in the state will struggle to meet his academic and political qualification. With numerous academic laurels and track record of professional experience and excellence from finance to engineering to economics to technology, Senator Omisore would be an asset who can serve the country and perform excellently in any portfolio President Buhari assigns to him.

That Senator Iyiola Omisore is the only senator in Osun who impacted massively the 3 senatorial districts during his tenure in the red chamber. This statement is supported by fact and figure of the several bill and projects sponsored and his activities as the chairman senate committee on appropriation. It is a majority opinion that Osun state has struggled to fill the huge leadership void left since his exit from the red chamber in 2011.
Furthermore, the political dynamics of Osun state has sidelined the people of Ife land. The people of Ifeland together with the people of Ijeshaland constitute the Osun East senatorial district. The people of Ijeshaland held the governorship position in the past 8 years and simultaneously held the ministerial position. In fact, all the slots allocated to Osun East were not distributed equitably and the people of Ifeland felt marginalized. This trend has also continued in this political tenure as Ijeshaland has gotten the Senator and the speaker of the house of assembly, the people of Ifeland are once again on the verge of marginalization and it is a general belief that the ministerial slot should be used to balance this inequality.

Finally, as president Buhari shop for the best, it is a hope that many in Osun hold that President Buhari would consider the stellar qualities of Senator Omisore and nominate him.

Bright Ogundare is a societal commentator, he can be contacted via brightogundare@gmail.com