By
David Titiloye
I have always been an admirer of the Saraki dynasty and stayed true even after the Otoge wave swept Kwara state in 2019. However, I only became recognized when frustration caused by incompetence and ineptitude of the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq led administration caused me to start speaking up. At that time I was ready to damn the consequences because I realized that there was going to be no future for me and many other youths like me should Abdulrahman continue leading us on the journey to no end.
Having gotten recognition, it soon became exigent for me to align with a mentor from a dynasty that is richly blessed with accomplished leaders and politicians of stature. It looked like a blank cheque had been offered to me by a dynasty that rewards excellence and is positioning the youths for the future so I chose to devote myself more to the reelection bid of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim for Kwara South senate. Why Rafiu was the question?
Was it money? Although in unequal proportion, most politicians have money at least better than an average person because elections in our clime cost money so money wasn’t my motivation for choosing Senator Rafiu. Was it oratory prowess? Most politicians can speak although disproportionately depending on their education and training, it requires being able to speak to convince 2 or more people to believe in your cause, so it wasn’t oratory prowess that led me to Senator Rafiu Ibrahim. What led me to him is the one thing every politician does not have which is Character.
Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim has it in abundance ahead of his contemporaries in the political class in Kwara and Nigeria at large.
In making up for their lack of character, many politician learn the art of “pretense” which is why they are mostly saints when running for elections but their true character soon become manifest after getting into office because your true nature can’t stay hidden for long which Yorubas summarize in the proverb “efin n’iwa”
This year makes it the 14th year since Senator Rafiu Ibrahim has been holding elective office building his experiences in an upward progression from State House of Assembly to Federal House of Representatives to the Senate yet never has he been faulted on the basis of his character to people. Infact asides the issue of incompetence, another major problem people have against his opponent, Senator Lola Ashiru is his despicable character, this is someone who has only been in office for barely 4 years compared to the one that has been active for 14 years yet Senator Rafiu Ibrahim stands taller.
I’m daily in awe of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim on the basis of his character which includes good human relationship, humility, compassion, empathy and treating everyone with dignity. Wanting to know more, I was compelled to have a discussion with a superior who has been with Senator Rafiu for much longer and I said “How does Senator Rafiu do it?”
He said “David, I honestly don’t know perhaps it is his parental upbringing, personally upbringing or a gift from God but one thing I’m sure of is that he is the best possible person you can learn from, being under Senator Rafiu’s tutelage, you learn things that can never be taught in school”.
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I have toured all local governments with Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, visited royal fathers, religious leaders, the supposed high and lows in the society and never for once has anyone said he treated them less of a human, they always have high praises and regard for his character and this is what gives him an edge over his opponents, to make matters worse for them, they can’t claim that Senator Rafiu is incompetent.
So while Senator Oyelola Ashiru is making futile efforts to scamper for solidarity in Offa having being told that Senator Rafiu Ibrahim has proven in deed and character to be a noble son of Offa than he is, Wale Sulaiman on the other hand has run out of strategies to stoke up ethnic sentiments against Senator Rafiu Ibrahim who keeps surmounting his divisive campaign rhetorics hence he is now talking about freedom from godfatherism 4 years after joining hands with Ashiru to bring this misfortune upon Kwara South, is it Dr Bukola Saraki that is still tying down the progress of Kwara South under an APC led government? Such an unintelligent campaign rhetoric.
It is rather unsurprising because both of them are six and half a dozen who teamed up in 2019 to bring this misfortune upon Kwara South.
One thing 2019 has taught us in Kwara South and Nigeria is to be mindful of “change”. When something isn’t bad you don’t change it but upgrade it. We tried change in 2019 and ended up being led to this critical stage, we can’t risk another trial and error again at this defining moment.
It is time to bring back Senator Rafiu Ibrahim to fix and reposition Kwara South.