A curious observation of
the conduct, demeanor and progressive
actions of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing the
Lagos Central Senatorial District
should sufficiently convince any
objective mind that the initial
resistance to her nomination for the
position prior to the general election
of April 2011 was either ill –informed
or in bad taste.
Senator Tinubu who came
to limelight as the First Lady during
her husband’s tenure as Governor of
Lagos State, is proving skeptics wrong
about her understanding of statecraft
and dynamics of participatory or
representative governance. Obviously
latching on her association with her
husband- the mercurial politician and
icon of the Action Congress of Nigeria,
Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu- Oluremi is
also enjoying the rob off effect of the
dynamism and vision of party mates and
egg heads in the fold of the CAN, to
project herself admirably as a national
legislator.
Vocal, but humble and
self effacing, Oluremi has resisted the
temptation of being a “bench warmer” as
some of her first time ilks on the
hallowed chamber of the national
assemblY are wont to do. The Senator is
usually visible, joining her voice to
debates on crucial issues of national
importance or even act as canon folder
for some discussions on germane national
issues, especially those that border
particularly on the youth, women and the
underprivileged in the society, in a
manner that is congruent with the focus
and ethos of her party.
Even outside the senate
chambers, Senator Oluremi Tinubu
comports herself most admirably as an
epitome of humility and human relations.
This is clearly evidenced at a recent
public function, specifically, at an
investiture ceremony of the first female
president of one of the renowned
professional business association in
Lagos where this writer was privileged
to be the master of ceremonies. As the
main speaker at the event, Senator
Tinubu had been availed a draft of the
paper before hand, in order to guide her
thoughts on the subject matter. The
organizers had thought that the subject
matter could be a bit herculearn for her
to delve into given the technical
details that it entailed. Contrary to
this views, the Senator marooned the
audience with the incisiveness of the
paper content as she also spoke
extensively off the cuff, an indication
of her ingrained understanding of the
subject matter. It definitely takes a
trained mind who had subjected herself
to a continuous regime of studying that
could have done so with so much panache.
She also mixed freely with the other
guests and everyone present, refraining
herself from the usual “barrier of
protocol and security” with which most
of her fellow VIPs usually hemmed
themselves from the public.
Being the founder of a
Non Governmental Organisation- The New
Era Foundation- Oluremi leveraged
significantly on the carefully
articulated thrust of the Foundation,
especially as regards the youths, women
and the underprivileged in the society,
for delivery of dividend of democracy
to the people. At a time when many
politicians of her ilk were still
groping in the dark, or were at a loss
about what to do, Senator Tinubu had hit
the ground running with her sterling
performances as testimony.
In terms of youth
empowerment, the Senator had realised
the insidious effect of neglecting this
crucial segment, thus making a large
room for them in her thrust of office.
Just recently, an unprecedented youth
camping was organized under the tag
name, “New Era Youth Camp”, where
hundreds of youths between the ages of 7
to 17 years drawn from all local
government areas in Lagos State were in
attendance. The event was held at the
serene and quiet 50 acre all-inclusive
facility camp at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.
Senator Tinubu who was overwhelmed by
the robust attendance of the youth
disclosed that the camping was aimed at
imbuing in the youths requisite
leadership and entrepreneurship skills
that would make them become productive
and effective leaders of tomorrow. She
said that “since God would not come down
to change Nigeria, premium consideration
should be given to teaching young
people how to live together in harmony
and the right leadership qualities by
the passing generation”. At the end of
the event, the elated youths who had
apparently had a swell time thanked
Senator Tinubu for her thoughtfulness as
they challenged other political office
holders and privileged individuals in
the society to emulate the gesture.
Also, in a further move
to reduce the challenges faced by youths
in the nation’s educational
institutions, Senator Tinubu’s
credibility also recently inched up as
she unfolded her project for them during
the Town Hall meeting held with the
people of her constituency under the tag
name “Stewardship of Hope”. Senator
Tinubu said the idea was ingeniously
conceived to bridge the communication
line between her and the constituency
and to re-define the usual relationship
that existed between the electorates
and their representatives after
electioneering periods. Cashing in on
the overwhelming presence of the people,
Oluremi utilized the forum to roll out
scholarship awards to students. She said
that the first leg of the initiative
which was called Post Secondary School
Scholarship Scheme (PSSS) was to empower
brilliant but indigent students from her
constituency. Under the scheme, 26
students got annual scholarship awards
of N100,000 each to finance their
university education for four years,
while additional 625 students got
N10,000 each towards defraying the cost
of purchasing academic books.
Determined to have a
holistic people oriented project,
Senator Tinubu has also given
significant leap to the business
fortunes of petty traders in her
constituency. With a total sum of
N13million grant set aside for what she
called ‘’Petty Traders Empowerment
Capital Scheme”; 50 traders from each of
the 13 local government areas and local
community development areas (LCDAs) were
selected and given N20,000 each to
further capitalize their petty trading,
assuring them that the monies were
grants and not loans that would be
repaid. According to Tinubu, the
gestures were extended to the traders
considering the fact that they
constituted a significant profile of the
economy that must be empowered for
sustainable development.
While all these projects,
according to Senator Tinubu were merely
a tip of the ice bag, in comparison to
the plethora of projects in the pipeline
for the people of her constituency, the
fact remains that her disposition is
complementary to plans by the ACN to
give Lagosians and other states where
the party holds sway a good dose of the
much talked about “dividends of
democracy”. Suffice it to also say that
the sustenance of Senator Tinubu’s
obvious pragmatic steps would further
buoy up her personal reputation before
the eyes of the critical voting mass,
who on the long run would be the decider
of the success of her return bid come
2015; that is, if she so desires!
Tope Adaramola
is a public affairs commentator based in
Lagos
topejanet2000@yahoo.com
Published
January 20th, 2012
