A few months back, when City People Magazine interviewed Senator Buruji Kashamu” the lawmaker representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, over his plans for 2019, he said matter-of-factly that he had not made up his mind on what move to make. He said he was still consulting widely on whether he should go back to the Senate or go for the governorship slot.
He also said all the crisis rocking Ogun PDP will soon become a thing of the past. He categorically stated in the City People interview that he and OGD will resolve their differences sooner than later.
In the interview we asked if there was a possibility of his group in Ogun PDP reconciling with the other group that also produced an exco?
His response was sharp. “There is no any other group. I can say that categorically. There are no two or three groups in PDP. There is only one group in PDP. What I believe is PDP is still PDP. It is still the same PDP. It is still the same people from PDP that is going up and down, jumping about, but as soon as it is clear and one exco gets the green light, you will see how all the others will come back and team up with us. If you believe there is a group somewhere, whilst me I am telling you that there is no other group but some other are insisting that there is another group, let us leave it as it is. But what I do know is that at that end of the day, when one of the groups gets the ticket the other group will not have any other alternative than for all of us to join hands together to deliver Ogun State. That is why I don’t bother myself.”
“I don’t have any problem with neither Daniel or Ladi Adebutu. Politics is always like that. when the time comes that we need to work together, we would sit down and resolves our problem and we would continue with our plans.”
So, when will they resolve their differences? he was asked. “It can happen under 2 to 3 months. It can be resolved. That is politics for you. Sometimes it might be 2 months to elections that we would resolve our differences and work together.”
“Ogun State is very small. We are not talking about the whole Nigeria. We are capable of resolving our problems. Whatever that is happening in Ogun State is some thing that we can resolve may be in 2 months or 3 months before the elections and we can still win the elections. Let me tell you. Sometimes it is good when there is this kind of tension, or problem in a Party. That means that the party is bubbling in that state. Adebutu is fighting Kashamu and Kashamu is fighting Adebutu.”
“It is good when you hear OGD does not agree with Kashamu. OGD is fighting Kashamu. Kashamu, is fighting OGD. It is better than for everything to just be calm. Whereby the people will not know if that party still exists in the state or not. But now they know that the PDP is strong, that they PDP in Ogun is vibrant, that they are trouble makers, they are fighting, they cannot put their house together. If people continue and eventually we put our house in order everything will just cool down, like cold water.”
Is he going for a 2nd term or is he eyeing the governorship? we further asked. He said he wasn’t sure yet? Now, we can confirm he is sure.
City People can authoritatively reveal that Buruji is running for Ogun governorship. And work has already begun on that project. Over the last few months, Buruji has been consulting widely.
Until his foray into politics he was the Chairman/Chief Executive of Kasmal Group of Companies, an indigenous conglomerate with interests in hospitality, property, oil and gas, automobile and investment services. He was also the Chairman of the Group Kasmal SAL in Republic of Benin.
Senator Kashamu started his business life as a teenager and realizing his great flare for business, he took courses in Business Studies at Pitmans College in the United Kingdom to prepare himself for the enormous task of business management and actualization. He later enrolled for an Executive Diploma in English Language at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, where he bagged a Diploma in English. Now, he has his eyes set on taking up a degree in Law.
As a shrewd businessman and industrialist, Senator Kashamu has about 76% share capital in the ultra-modern cotton ginnery in the Republic of Benin; the Government of the Republic of Benin and some private banks jointly owned the remaining 24% equity shares of the cotton factory.
Senator Kashamu has been involved in the business of importation and exportation of goods and commodities for over 40 years. For him, the saying that the height by great men reached and kept was not attained by a sudden flight could not be truer. He maintains such a high energy level and tight schedule that see him stay awake till late in the night, every day. He is a workaholic. Like he would always say, “I believe in action, not grammar”.
Senator Kashamu is also a big philanthropist of note. His philanthropic gestures smoothened his foray into politics. Those who know him say giving is his second nature.
In 2009, he floated the Omoilu Foundation, a non-profit organisation he set up to empower the needy and give hope to the hopeless. Little wonder when a friend asked him why he gives without hesitation, he says “the only thing I do not want to do is to disappoint my God. Let me also confess that the more I give, especially to the poor and needy, the more God blesses me. The prayers of the poor, the oppressed, the voiceless and the down-trodden have been my saving grace and staying power.”
Not many gave him a chance when he happened on the political scene in Ogun State. They asked how old he was in politics. Others would simply say “what does he know about politics?” “Where is he coming from?” When all those could not do, his detractors launched a campaign of calumny to cast aspersion on his person. They sought to haunt with some of the trials he had had in his eventful life. This is in spite of his exoneration by the courts. But like one who does not mind the noise in the market place, Senator Kashamu has remained unbowed.
Imbued with an uncommon native intelligence and a sharp memory, Senator Kashamu has his own unique approach to party politics and organisation. To anyone who cares to listen, Senator Kashamu says he is not “your usual politician”. He believes that the welfare of the people is whole essence of not just government but party politics. Anything short of this, he says is “ofo ojo keji oja” (which literally means deceit in his native Yoruba Language). To him, like Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools”.
A clear-headed and highly calculating individual, Senator Kashamu’s foray into politics began in 2009 when former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel and other chieftains of the PDP in Ogun State invited him to help mediate in the intra-party crisis that nearly crippled the government and party in the state.
He soon established a platform then known as “OGIDI OMO ILU” through which he sought to rally all the various contending interests. His intention was to get everybody to support the then Governor Gbenga Daniel-led government. But alas! The very elements that caused the initial feud he was meant to mediate in swung into action and things fell apart. Yet, he was able to establish that what was at the roots of the crisis was the indifference of the government of the day to the people’s welfare. Pronto, he helped many to set up their businesses. Others, he gave vehicles and cash, ranging from N200, 000 to N1m and above per person. The foundation soon metamorphosed into what many called the “Omoilu Movement” as it spread across the 20 local government areas in the state.
Senator Kashamu made Education one of the cardinal objectives of the Omoilu Foundation. Now, besides empowering people from all walks of life with over 800 units of vehicles and 1,500 motorcycles, a good number of indigent youths are on the foundation’s scholarship in various private and public institutions across the country and beyond.
Senator Kashamu has shown that one does not need to hold public office before he can impact on the welfare of his people.
With his wide business exposure and an uncommon touch that confounds his admirers and critics alike, Senator Kashamu has arrived with a bang and there is no sign he is about to quit the stage anytime soon. Indeed, those who know him too well say with his advent on the political arena, the politics of Ogun, would not remain the same again. They attribute this to the uncommon passion he brings to bear on anything he commits himself to.
He is a multi-linguist who speaks French, English and Yoruba fluently. During the 28th March, 2015 National Assembly election, he contested to represent Ogun East Senatorial District in the Senate on the platform of the PDP. He won the election, defeating his closest rival with over 15, 000 votes. He is the highest elected official of the PDP in Ogun State being the only PDP senator from the state and one of the 4 PDP Senators from the South West geo-political zone.
On his legislative agenda, Kashamu says his experience has shown that there is the need to build stronger institutions in Nigeria. With stronger institutions, we would be able to combat corruption and other social vices in the country. “We cannot fight corruption and other socio, political and economic crimes without a stronger, incorruptible and unbiased law enforcement and judiciary in Nigeria. In this regard, my interest is to work towards proposing bills that will strengthen our various institutions. It is my belief that where we have stronger institutions, there will be respect for human rights, due process and accountability. When you have a system that works; it is good for the government and the governed,” Senator Kashamu said.
As at the last count, he has sponsored four bills which are at various stages of passage in the National Assembly. They include the Mental Health Bill, the FRSC Act Amendment Bill, the National Security Tax Fund Bill and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, Act Amendment Bill.
While the Mental Health Bill seeks to provide a frame work for the admission and treatment of persons with mental health conditions, the FRSC Act Amendment Bill is meant to protect the sanctity of our Constitution by ensuring proper delineation of duties and responsibilities between federal and state agencies on traffic issues for optimal performance and effective service delivery.
Perhaps drawing inspiration from the success of the Security Tax Fund in some states and abroad, the National Security Tax Fund Bill seeks to devise new ways through which the security agencies can access additional funds in order to make them more efficient and responsive to today’s security challenges.
The intention of the NESREA Act Amendment Bill is to rejig the enabling Act setting up the agency and make it come to terms with present realities as they relate to the environment.
Besides this, in his over 3 three years at the Senate, Kashamu has attracted over 30 projects to the 9 local government areas that make up Ogun East Senatorial District, including skill acquisition centre, roads, building and equipping of schools, among others. Talk of quality representation!
