Honourable Sobur Olayiwola Olawale is still in a joyous mood. He turned a year older about two weeks ago. He is just a couple of years shy of hitting 60. But he certainly does not look like a man who will clock 60 anytime soon. The man looks much younger and fresher for a man his age. The quiet and unassuming Lawmaker who represents Mushin Constituency II did not make any noise about his birthday, instead, he opted to celebrate it with the downtrodden, the aged and the widows. This is how he celebrates his birthday every year, preferring to be a source of blessing to those around him, rather than spend lavishly putting together a massive party for the high and mighty who really do not need him impressing them with his wealth. No matter how much you impress it on Hon. Olawale that spending big on a birthday party is not such a bad idea, you would only be wasting your time. He thinks first of the needy and the downtrodden around him, particularly those from his constituency, satisfied that he will get more value for his money if he spreads it amongst them. For him, the joy on their faces is the best birthday gift anyone can possibly ever give to him.
It is not only on his birthdays that he reaches out to the needy. If truth be told, giving has become second nature to Hon. Olawale. This reporter was privy to a telephone conversation he had in the course of this interview in which the caller (the phone was on speaker) was praying and thanking him profusely for his generosity to him and his group few days after his birthday. This soft-spoken politician is not just loved by his constituents because of his large heart, they also adore him because he has been a brilliant and efficient Lawmaker who has done pretty well bringing the dividends of democracy to their doorsteps. He spoke to City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) about his last birthday, and also revealed how he got his name, OMITITI. Enjoy the excerpts.
Let’s begin by congratulating you on your birthday, sir, you added a year to your age some few days ago. Share with us how you feel at this time?
Thank you for the birthday wishes. I feel highly elated. I’m very delighted. Its not by my power that I have been able to live long enough to see my present age. Adding a year to one’s age is no mean feat. It can only be possible if Almighty Allah consented to it. And I give glory to Him.
What were the things running through your mind on the morning of your birthday when you woke up?
You see, before I slept the night before my birthday, I prayed to God. When I woke up and realized I had woken up into this world again, as a practicing Muslim, during my morning prayer, I supplicated to God and was eventually joined by my family. In my family, it is our tradition to celebrate every one of us on their birthdays and give each other gifts. So, when it was my turn, my immediate family came to meet me and celebrate with me. They sang me a birthday song and presented gifts to me too.
What did you have in mind for the celebration, were you planning for a big party?
Those who know me very well know that, though I’m a social man, I have made it a rule not to throw a big birthday party or celebrate the day with the high and mighty. Even when I turned 50, it may interest you to know that I celebrated it at Babs Salam Motherless home and presented a bus to them and identified with them as well. So, when I was elected as a Legislator, I looked inwards and decided that my constituent should be benefitting from my birthday largesse as well. So, I have visited many correctional centers, motherless homes and the downtrodden in my constituency. I want to continue to identify with them and adhere to the teachings of Almighty Allah that the rich should assist the poor and the needy. As a practicing Muslim, I have a responsibility to actualize these teachings, which is basically what I’m trying to do in my own little way. This last time, we gave out money to our constituents, about 200 in number. We also used the occasion to distribute JAMB forms too. We equally have what we call Computer to Wealth programme, so with all of these, we were able to celebrate the birthday.
I understand you also identified with the widows, the aged…
Yes, these were the people that predominantly benefitted from the money I gave out. The widows, the aged, those incapable of fending for themselves, were the ones the money was meant for. And not all of them are into politics. Non-politicians were included, the artisans, the CDC, nominations from the party, market women and men also benefitted. It will interest you to know that we actually do this periodically, it’s not just on my birthdays.
Have you always had a low keyed birthday over the years or this is something you only decided to do after you became a politician?
My belief as a Muslim is that we should be identifying with the downtrodden. So, by choosing to do this, I am merely fulfilling an obligation from Almighty Allah. Secondly, this is not the first time I will be having a low keyed birthday celebration. I have had several low keyed birthday parties in the past. Thirdly, long before I became an Honourable member, I have always loved to identify with the downtrodden. In the year 2002, I started a free computer program to enable the less privileged children have access to this knowledge and contribute my quota to the growth of the nation. By June 1st, 2022, it will become two decades that we have been providing this selfless service to the people. Identifying with the downtrodden has been a part and parcel of me.
Everyone who knows your story knows you’re a self-made man. Coming from the humble background that you came from and getting to where you are today, how does this make you feel and how much of your success story have you impacted the members of your constituency?
As you rightly noted, I am a self-made man, so whatever I may have become today is through the will of Almighty Allah. I always give gratitude to God. This is a boy that lost his parents at the age of 20 to 21. And here I am today, fifty-eight plus, without any parents, so I can’t but be thankful to God. This is why I always strive to give back to people from the little I have, it’s my own way of appreciating God. I always let the young ones know my story so that they can understand that there is no shortcut to success.
As a grassroots politician, I know there must’ve been times that you have wondered if your people appreciate you and give back to you the sort of love and support you have given to them, especially someone like you who has served your people diligently, do you feel this way sometimes?
I must say a big thank you to my constituents, they have always shown that they appreciate my good work. In 2014, they showed their gratitude by electing me at the primary. About 11 or 12 of us jostled for the ticket and my people remembered someone who has always identified with them, they remembered someone who assisted them to get jobs, they remembered the good things that I have done for them. During the election proper, it is on record that, apart from Alimosho, in the governorship and House of Assembly elections, I had the second-highest votes. The same thing was reciprocated in 2019 as well, they voted for me massively. You need to see how my people always rally around me wherever I go. Who is OMITITI today? How would I have achieved all of these if not through the support of my constituents? I will continue to serve my people with pride, they have been wonderful.
Share with us, sir, how you got the name OMITITI?
The name OMITITI came about in the year 2002 when I came out for the House of Assembly as one of the aspirants. There were four of us at the time. The four of us were given particular days that we would appear and address our LG officials as well as our followers. So, the three others have had their own days, so on the last day which was my turn, people turned out massively for me. There were people of different ages in the crowd. We had people in their 70s, 80s, and also younger people in their 50s. When we got to the LG, our leader, the then leader of the party, late elder Adeleke Ajiboso, saw my crowd and the song they were chanting then was, “Tiwan Tiwa, Omititi.’ The man looked at us and said if a young boy like this could pull this kind of crowd, if he had his way, he would’ve handed over to me the ticket. He said he appreciated our slogan and that he could see that truly, I shook everywhere. The three other aspirants were my seniors in politics and the man was impressed by this. It was even baba who helped to spread the name, OMITITI. Anywhere baba saw me, he would hail me by saying OMITITI. And I would respond. That was how the name stuck till now. We give God all the glory.
It’s been a long journey for you, sir. I recall that long before you became a legislator you were once Special Assistant on Transportation to former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Looking back, which moments would you regard as the high and low moments of your political trajectory?
I would say my desire to move from Special Assistant to former Governor Tinubu to chairman of Mushin local government was a test period in my life. We felt we had an upper hand. Many people loved OMITITI and wanted me to become the chairman but as Almighty Allah would have it, I didn’t get it. But I believed God had his reasons for not giving it to me. So, you know what I did, I went back to Quranic school for 6 months of Advanced Islamic programme. I’m saying this because that was a period I was certain the chairmanship would be mine, going by all the support I had from the high and the low and the resources at my disposal as well. I didn’t win. And I even went on to support the person my group brought out. People were surprised to see I was throwing my weight behind him. Some thought I was being foolish. But I told them it had been destined I would not get the ticket, so let’s wait for my own turn. This has been a lesson to me that, whatever will not be yours, will never be yours, even if you gather 1,000 Alfas or pastors. You must believe it has the hand of God in it.
How about the high moment?
That was when I had my second term. And I will continue to thank Almighty Allah for all the people that surround me who made the second term possible. All my leaders in the house, members of my constituent, all rallied around me and I got it. That has been one of the high moments of my career.
Share with us one or two lessons you would say life has taught you as you approach the age of sixty…
Life has taught me that, irrespective of whatever happens to you, you should remain yourself. You must always remember that life can never be rosy all through, we will all go through life’s vicissitudes, so we must be prepared for it at all times. Number two, life has taught me that you need to be assisting people and only 60 per cent of a hundred reciprocate, somewhere along the line, one or two of them may rise up to help you too in one way or another, it may not even be financial assistance. Life has taught me that I should be my brother’s keeper and that is what I strive to do all the time.
Parting words to your constituents…
I will like to let my people know that I have not declared for a third term, neither have I signified my intentions to go for House of Reps. I will implore my people to be patient. I am taking my time not because of any fear or intimidation, but we need to consult with our leaders. It’s after the consultation that a good politician will come out to declare his intentions to run. But right now, there are still some ‘i’s to be dotted and some ‘t’s to be crossed. Once we are done with that, we will come out with full force. They should be patient. They have not seen anything yet, they will all get whatever is due to them. When we are ready, the earth will shake because o ma mititi!
