Pressure Mounts On Engr. OLANREWAJU ADELEKE

• To Join OSUN Politics

Will the Chairman/Managing Director of Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited, Engr. Abel Olanrewaju Adeleke join politics or contest a political office in the nearest future? Or will he just ignore the pressure? That is presently the big question on the lips of many as the Osun State, Ileogbo-born Engineer is under intense pressure to join politics.

The thoughts of many including both the old and the younger ones within Ileogbo, the headquarters of Aiyedire Local Government in Osun State, and the adjourning towns, particularly Iwo and Kuta, is to see Engr. Adeleke taking the centre stage in Osun politics.

Though the brilliant Engr. has never shown interest or discussed such move with anyone but the call on him to join partisan politics, we scooped, is not unconnected with his philanthropic gestures and human capacity building nature.

Apart from touching his immediate environment positively, Peculiar, as Engr. Adeleke is popularly called, has singlehandedly put the name of his hometown, Ileogbo on the world map by sighting a world class sports academy in the ancient town.

Lanreleke Sports Academy Ileogbo is not just a sports academy but a sporting hub purposely set up for excellence. The well furnished and adequately equipped has attracted a long list of top Nigerian football legends and the society bigwigs to the town.

The likes of Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Mutiu Adeyoju and Co have been to the Academy, either for novelty match or as member of the screening committee. Like football activities, the 18-hole Ileogbo Golf Course at the Academy has also drawn both professional and amateur golfers from across the country to the town.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi hasn’t only visited the Academy but commended the laudable initiative.

According to its founder, Lanreleke Sports Academy is established not only to discover raw talents and provide a platform to propel them into becoming world class superstars in sports but also to provide young talents with a competitive advantage through a variety of spiritual, creative and sport programs built on solid academic bedrock.

Over 100 students are on full scholarship at the Academy Courtesy of Engr. Adeleke. The students are not only provided with a secure, serene, and supportive environment for learning but also enjoy three nutritious meals daily, comfortable housing, and top-notch sports and academic facilities.

This is aside several lives that Peculiar had touched and still touching positively. All these his philanthropic activities are also part of why many people are calling on him to join politics. They believe he will be able to touch a larger percentage of lives through public office.

Upon enquiry by this reporter during a recent visit to Ileogbo, it was discovered that Engr. Adeleke is well loved by all and sundry in Ileogbo, Kuta, Iwo and beyond.

Mr. Jimoh Abidoye, a commercial motorcyclist (okada rider), who is an indigene of Iwo, described Peculiar as a man of the people.

“He’s a humility personified,”he said. Abidoye, who spoke in Yoruba, said Engr. Adeleke is a very compassionate man who is always ready to assist.

“He doesn’t discriminate or look down on people. That explains why people always throng his place whenever he’s around. He is so simple despite being rich in fact, he’s one of the very few rich men around that don’t go about with heavy security. You can see that I’m not even from Ileogbo but we all love him.

The widows, youths and the less privileged, irrespective of where they come from, have benefitted immensely from his kind gestures. In fact, many of us having been persuading him to go into politics. Though he hasn’t show interest but we hope he will one day have a rethink. We are eagerly waiting for the moment. I personally will put everything within my capability behind him. I have benefitted from his benevolence.”

Engr. Abel Olarenwaju Adeleke, Chairman, Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited, is a mega contractor. His civil engineering services include Roads and Highways Construction, Building Development, Foundation Engineering, Design, Fabrication and Installation of Complex Steel Roof, Stadium Design and Construction as well as Project Management.

He’s an alumnus of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, where he bagged a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

Engr. Adeleke is a prominent member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He’s also affiliated to esteemed organizations such as the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Nigeria Institute of Civil Engineers (N.I.C.E).

In case you still don’t catch the drift, Engr. Adeleke is an Engineer of international repute whose company has executed mega projects both at states and federal levels. He’s the contractor behind the renovations of Adamasingba Stadium (Lekan Salami Stadium) Ibadan, Akobo/General Gas Bridge and Olodo Bridge, to name but few of several other projects that his company has executed across the country.

-Dare Adeniran

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