How OGUN Senator Got His Nickname, YAYI

• What City People Found Out

His real name is Olamilekan Adeola. But everyone calls the Ogun West Senator, YAYI. Right now, he is the most popular politician in Ogun State. Everywhere you turn to, his name pops up on the political scene. In OGUN West, Yayi has becone the man to beat, politically. He has also  made big in roads into Ogun Central and Ogun East.

How did he get the nickname Yayi? We can tell you.

According to his associates, the name was given to him by his Leaders in the Alimoso area of Lagos, when he initially joined Politics. When they saw his remarkable contributions and sterling performance, as just an ordinary member of their political group, one of them said Omo-to-Yayi ni Adeola. We are going to use him for the State House of Assembly slot. In the run up to his nomination, the slogan became Yayi no ooo, Yayi ni Jare, Yayi ni joo.

He eventually got nominated and won the Alimoso State Constituency 2. Friom then till date, the nickname stuck to the extent that many don’t even know his real name, as the Yayi nickname has become more popular and associated with him alone in Lagos, Ogun State and even on the floor of the parliament.

The big news is that Senator Olamilekan Adeola, will be running for Ogun governorship  come 2027.

Although the next governorship election is still far away, all eyes are on Yayi.

Although, he has not kicked off his campaign or shown any interest in the job, many people at the grassroot are scheming for Yayi to be next Governor.

City People gathered recently that this seasoned politician enjoys tremendous goodwill, built over time and he has a strong political machinery across the local government areas, and Senatorial districts. He enjoys the confidence of a lot of the traditional rulers in the state.

He has a firm grip of the politics of Ogun West where he hails from.

The permutation is that Ogun West has not produced a governor in the history of the state and this time around its going to be the turn of Ogun West.

The hottest gist right now in Ogun State is that, Yayi is consulting widely across the state. The gist is that he has his eyes on the Ogun governorship, come 2019 and he is moving really fast. Over the last few years, YAYI has set up a political machinery that is quite formidable with the result that right now he has won a lot of grassroot politicians to his side. Yayi is said to control a lot of LG Chairmen in the state; and Councillors and even Council Vice-Chairmen.

He is an extremely humble man with uncommon qualities.  He is an indegene of Ago-Isaga Pahayi, of Agbole Onibata, Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State. He has lived greater part of his life as a transformational agent, building bridges in the actualisation of lofty goals in business and politics.

As a generational figure, a deep incursion into his humble beginning, individual effort towards achieving educational success , his perseverance at his early stage of life as an employee, who was ready to learn the curves and his undying faith in turning dreams and visions to realities in business and politics, are evidently worthy in serving as an inspirational meal to younger generation, and progressives who are determined to improve the situation of our country at all levels of governance.

City People has found out that Contrary to what some of his opponents are saying, he is a complete Ogun indigene, born by Mr. Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye and Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Oluwaseun (nee Akinola), of Yewa South and Abeokuta North respectively.

His Yewa lineage is as current as in the 3rd paternal ancestral origin from the Agbole Onibata, Ago Ishaga-Pahayi in Ilaro. He is the third son of Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye, grandson to Ogundimu-Sangoloni, great grandson to Olege (third ancestral father). Ogundimu-Sangoloni married two wives, Atikekerewoba Alake and Alaba as first and second wives respectively. Alaba who hailed from Agbole Alapapo of Joga-Orile, Yewa North, gave birth to only one son; Ayinde Adeola Ogunleye.

A sizeable number of the evolved families are till today settled at Ago-Ishaga, Pahayi, in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, involved in primary occupations like farming, trading etc.

Also, his immediate maternal lineage is of a very rich Egba/Yewa origin. Being born by Madam Abeeni Olasunbo Oluwaseun of the highly respected Akinola family. His maternal Grandfather Pa. Akinola Julius Sodipo Alias Baba Pupa of the kilaso compound in Kemta Odutolu; *Abeokuta North Local Government area was widely respected as a much disciplined man, lived for over 115 years and was a successful farmer and trader with exceptional leadership qualities.

Adeola has grown through self development. He began his formal education at State Primary School in Alimosho, Lagos and proceeded to Community Grammar School Akowonjo, Lagos for his Secondary Education.

He subsequently proceeded to the prestigious Ondo State Polytechnic Owo, now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, where he bagged a Higher National Diploma in Accounting (H.N.D). Out of personal zeal to excel, he got enrolled for his professional courses while in school, becoming a Chartered Accountant at a very young age. He is a distinguished Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and a distinguished Member of Associate Chartered Accountants- ACA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Yayi started his professional career as a junior staff with “The Guardian Newspapers Limited”, worked for 12 years and rose to the position of the Accountant. He later, proceeded to Olatunji Omoyemi and Company, a Chartered Accounting Firm, where he led the audit team for several years. He was promoted to the position of a Senior Auditor.

He much later floated his own company, SOOTEM Nigeria Limited, where he is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. SOOTEM is specialised in tax consultancy.

His political philosophy has been of a very rich fighting tradition for political, social and economic rights for the people. He strongly feels that people should have access to the basic necessities of life without hindrances. He believes in the enthronement of democratic tenet, principles of justice, rule of law, equity and civil liberty. He is also of the view that there should be entrenchment of true federalism in the Nigerian polity and supremacy of the people’s constitution. His dream is that of a Nigeria where your tribe, religion and economic status will no further be an impediment to personal pursuit and growth in life.

As a young man, he was part of the many Nigerians who protested the annulment of the June 12 Presidential election won by late Chief M.K.O. Abiola. At a time when the country was heavily militarised, he joined forces with other youths in his neighborhood to protest the annulment. It was in one of such protest that he lost his immediate younger brother, who was killed by stray bullets of the Nigerian army.

Rather than deter him from pursuing his political belief, the incident spurred him to forge ahead. With a determination to serve humanity, he contested keenly for the House of Assembly seat into Lagos State House of Assembly in the year 2003 and convincingly won the seat, represented Alimosho Constituency 02, with a two term ticket, under the auspices of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now All Progressives Congress (APC).

He’s an intelligent and articulate Chartered Accountant. He served as the House Committee Chairman on Finance while at the Lagos State House of Assembly between 2005-2011.

Despite being a first timer at the Federal House of Representatives, then, he was the House Committee Chairman on Public Accounts. These enviable achievement is based on his sterling qualities in time past in Lagos State. That position saddled him then with the responsibility of checking the Auditor-Generals reports for relevant years.

Recently City People took time off to do some investigations into the past of this politician . We gathered that though he is from Yewa, he grew up in Alimosho area of Lagos.

Following his decision to join active politics, sometime at the dawn of the 4th Republic, Adeola was nominated and won the primaries of the then ruling Action Congress of Nigeria and was elected as a member to represent Alimosho State Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2007 to 2011.

He was elected to the Federal Legislature to represent Alimosho Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives in 2011.

And when the committees of the House were inaugurated by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal for members, he got position of the Chairman of the only constitutional committee, the Public Accounts Committee of the House. He got the post as a first time member of the house.