The lawmaker representing Ibarapa Central/North Federal Constituency, Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, politically known as Ibarapakan, has released his 100-day account of stewardship, including his proposed programmes for the next six months.
Releasing the twenty-three-page account of stewardship on Sunday, September 24, 2023, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hassan Adesodi Olaoniye, Hon. (Dr.) Adepoju gave glory to Almighty God for His guidance since the inception of his stewardship as a member representing the good people of Ibarapa Central/North Federal Constituency.
The Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Federal Character, appreciated the entire constituents in the constituency as well as the governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Engr. ‘Seyi Makinde, whose, according to him, unrivalled vision of making Oyo State the most sought-after destination for all and sundry has helped in delivering purposeful representation so far in the 10th Assembly.
Ibarapakan said Engr. Seyi Makinde’s vision for the Omituntun 2.0 sustainable development plan has played a significant role in ensuring that his electoral manifesto for the people of Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency is not a mirage.
Prominent among the list of achievements were job opportunities for constituents in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North; the Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju Free Scholarship Scheme for the best students in the senior secondary school certificate examinations (SSCE) and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across the federal constituency; Free Holiday Lesson for senior secondary school students with provision for writing materials for over 1,000 students who took part in the exercise; and Motions and Bills with a national scope in the last three months and ten days.
Not just that, Hon. (Dr.) Adepoju expressed his act of philanthropy, which has resulted in the donation of over N5,000,000 (N5 million) to assist patients in the constituency to carry out surgeries of different natures, the biggest of which, according to the lawmaker, was a kidney transplant, describing the act of his charitable gesture as his own personal financial contribution to rescuing the ailing patients.
The lawmaker’s recent empowerment in the constituency, where over 100 constituents were trained in poultry farming with start-up capital, was captured in the manifesto.
In the same vein, Ibarapakan also listed out his proposed programmes in the next six months, which include: Commissioning of his Lawn Tennis and Volley Ball Courts at the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH), Igbo-Ora; Construction of a three-block classroom at Oke-Odo Community Secondary School, Igboora; Town Hall Meetings in the two local government areas that make up the constituency to enable him to see through the hearts of the constituents their needs and what needs to be done to achieve those needs; Free Medical Health Care Services for 500 selected constituents in the two local government areas comprising the federal constituency; A One-Day Ibarapa Central/North Federal House of Representatives Member in order to produce informed future legislators from the constituency and to raise the hope of the children of commoners that their backgrounds should not be a barrier to aiming higher in life; empowerment Training/Capacity Building as well as various highlighted motions.
READ THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF HON. (DR.) ANTHONY ADEBAYO ADEPOJU IN 100 DAYS IN OFFICE AND PROPOSED PROGRAMMES FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
ACHIEVEMENTS OF HON. (DR.) ANTHONY ADEBAYO ADEPOJU IN 100 DAYS IN OFFICE AND PROPOSED PROGRAMMES FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
“Appreciation can make a day—even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” — Margaret Cousins
I want to start my words of appreciation by thanking God Almighty for His guidance and protection since the inception of my stewardship and the good people of Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency for giving me the opportunity to serve you in the 10th Assembly.
This expression of gratitude will be incomplete if I fail to thank His Excellency, Engr. ‘Seyi Makinde, whose unrivalled vision of making Oyo State the most sought-after destination for all and sundry has helped us this far. His vision for the Omituntun 2.0 sustainable development plan has played a significant role in ensuring that our electoral manifesto for the good people of Ibarapa Central/North Federal Constituency is not a mirage.
The hallmark of democracy is citizens’ participation with a plurality of ideas. Similarly, accountability and openness are essential ingredients for gaining public trust in leaders and governments.
As expressed in my manifesto during the electioneering campaign, prominent among the promises I made was accessibility, and to the glory of God, in my 100 days in office, we have raised the bar of not just connection but also the relationship between constituents and their representative. I have sat and discussed with constituents on possible ways of forming a unified constituency that will be a force to reckon with in the area of transformative development in the not-too-distant future. The referred gesture was not confined to the elderly; it also extended to the young. Part of this engagement was my visit to some senior secondary school students who were receiving our free holiday lesson and had a one-on-one engagement to take note of any type of impediments they might be facing in their academic pursuits, as well as to give them a sense of belonging that their contribution to nation-building matters.
My deep desire to run for office stemmed from a true belief that making an effort is the surest way to effect change. In my dealings, I make it a priority to reflect this belief system. The 10th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 13, 2023. Within this period and now, I have put together a knowledgeable and passionate team to work with me to charter a new course for our community which we love dearly. We have launched and carried out numerous initiatives in order to put our constituency in a state of accelerated development. Here are just a few of our achievements to date.
1. Education, they say, is the bedrock of any nation. We have been able to start our agenda on education to propel our constituency on the roadmap to success. When we came on board 100 days ago, the state in which we met the standards of education was not encouraging. The available results of our senior secondary school students in external examinations exhibited the need for a state of emergency on public school education in our federal constituency to salvage the situation. The dwindling performance informed the decision of my team and I to immediately launch a free coaching class for senior secondary students across the five towns that make up the constituency so as to improve their academic performance and to keep the students off the streets during the long third-term break. This, we made sure was not the usual coaching class without supervision and monitoring.
The first phase of the capacity-building initiative started on Monday, August 21, 2023, with over 1,000 students across the constituency. Thirty-eight (38) experienced teachers, including three supervisors, were hired to achieve the goal of the initiative. We appreciate the efforts of the teachers who we cannot reward enough for what they do everyday, a token was paid to them to show our gratitude for their service. Not just that, customized exercise books were distributed to each of the over 1,000 students who registered for the program. Fifteen students who performed well in the assessment test of the initiative were given customized school bags to serve as a form of encouragement. Besides students gaining additional knowledge in school, the free lesson initiative reduced the act of roaming the streets by kids and also engaging in negative vices, especially the use of harmful drugs.
2. Legislative Duties: I have raised Motions and sponsored Bills with a national scope on the floor of the House of Representatives. I have been in different Agencies and Departments of Government in order to interact with them on a variety of issues affecting our constituency, including but not limited to power, water, infrastructure development, and others.
3. I have used my influence as a member of the House of Representatives to secure job opportunities for five deserving and meritorious constituents in the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC during this three-month and ten-day.
4. Within my first 100 days in office, I have donated over N5,000,000 (N5 million) to assist patients in the constituency to carry out surgeries of different natures, the biggest of which was a kidney transplant, and all these are verifiable. It should also be noted that this was my personal financial contribution to rescuing the ailing patients.
5. Education, they say, is the bedrock of technology and national development; it is also regarded as an essential resource for human development. To ensure competitiveness in our various senior secondary schools, on September 2, 2023, I launched The Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju Scholarship Scheme for the best senior secondary school students in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in each of the five towns that make up the constituency. The annual scholarship offers cover only the tuition fees of the awardees throughout the constitutional duration of 4 years per tenure, and it is strictly for students seeking admission into federal universities or federal polytechnics, or any of the Oyo State-owned university or polytechnic.
6. Additionally, over one-hundred constituents were empowered with the skill of poultry farming. Professionals were invited to train shortlisted constituents on how to raise birds commercially. The goal of this empowerment is to enhance our people’s standard of living by increasing our constituents’ per capita income and to enhance diversification within our agricultural space thereby creating other sources of income and employment opportunities. We have the belief that in the next six months, the empowerment will result in emergence of a number of self-reliant farmers thereby contributing to the economic growth of the federal constituency.
What Can You Expect From Me in the Next Six Months:
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is important for me to express my gratitude yet again to the people of our beloved constituency; without you, we wouldn’t have gone this far. Through your unalloyed support, we have been able to put our constituency on the course of development, and by coming together with our ideas and the contribution of the private sector, a constituency where opportunities thrive is possible.
In the next six months, plans are in the works to do the following:
(1) Commissioning of our Lawn Tennis and Volley Ball Courts at the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH), Igbo-Ora; the project will enhance sport activities on the school campus of the only tertiary institution in the federal constituency.
(2) Town Hall Meeting in the two local government areas that make up the constituency: This town hall meeting, as a matter of fact, will be the first of its kind in the federal constituency. We are committed to leveraging the opportunities that the engagement offers to further assist us in coming up with constituency projects that are most needed by our people. This will also enable us to see through the hearts of the constituency their needs and what needs to be done to achieve those needs. We promised during the electioneering campaign that we would never assume to know more than the constituents, and we are committed to upholding this in the interests of the development of the constituency.
(3) Free Medical Health Care Services for 500 selected constituents in the two local government areas comprising the federal constituency: The beneficiaries of this initiative will have the opportunity to access free-fund medical health care services for a period of one year in any private or public hospital in Oyo State. In our in-house deliberations, we observed that a lot of people are dying of curable diseases on a daily basis, and the majority of these diseases are what a little amount of money can cure. Early detection is often key in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Beneficiaries of these free medical health care services will have a card to tender at any hospital they approach for medical treatment. Services covered by this insurance scheme are:
Maternity Care: Antenatal Care, Normal Delivery, Postnatal Care, Induction of Labour and Assistive Delivery, C/S (Emergency and Medically Indicated Electives), Routine Immunisation (NPI), Incubator and Intensive Care, Phototherapy, and Circumcision.
SURGERIES: Myomectomy, Cervical Cerclage, Ovarian Biopsy, Ureterovaginal Fistula Repair, General Anaesthesia, Spinal Anaesthesia, Appendectomy, Simple Congenital Talipes Repair, Simple Congenital Talipes Repair, Closed Reduction Of Fracture, Repair Of Third Degree Tear,Herniorrahaphy, Repair Of Episiotomy, Suturing Of Lacerations, Herniotomy, D&C/ Evacuation Of Retained Product Of Conception, Pap Smear Procedure, Incision & Drainage Of Abscess, Ganglion Excision, Gaglion Excision, Plain X-Rays & Ultrasound Scans, Advanced Investigation Including Ct-Scan & MRI.
EYE CARE: Routine examination, infection treatment, LENSES/OPTOMETRIC CARE
Optical lens limit
Fertility Services: Infertility consultation.
ANNUAL MEDICAL CHECK-UP
DENTAL CARE: Preventive Oral Health Counselling, Simple Extraction, DENTAL FILLINGS, SCALING & POLISHING, Pain Relief Therapy
The demography of our target audience for this proposed initiative will be communicated soon, and its kick-off date will also be announced. Without any iota of doubt, this initiative will enable us achieve our set health goals as promised during our campaign.
(4) A One-Day Ibarapa Central/North Federal House of Representatives Member: A One-Day Ibarapa Central/North Federal House of Representatives Member is an annual initiative for the younger generation in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency with the ultimate goal of birthing informed future parliamentarians in the constituency. This initiative is scheduled to come up annually in February. The selection process will be based on the annual Ibarapakan Essay Competition for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19. Aside from producing the One-Day House of Representatives Member, the essay competition will help in enhancing the writing prowess of teenagers from the constituency.
Objectives of the Initiative
• To produce informed future legislators from the federal constituency.
• To raise the hope of children of commoners that their backgrounds should not be a barrier to aiming high in life.
• To catch the teenagers in the constituency young by instilling in them the rudiments of parliamentary paraphernalia.
• To produce intellectually minded young leaders for the future development of the constituency.
• To advance the goal of the Not Too Young to Rule Bill.
• To incorporate youth-driven initiatives among the list of our never-before-seen programmes in the constituency.
SELECTION PROCESS
This initiative will be an extension of the Annual Ibarapakan Essay Competition for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 in both the private and public schools in the constituency. The essay competition will be handled by seasoned professionals.
Topic to be selected each year will have a modicum of legislation to equip the leaders of tomorrow with basic legislative knowledge. The topic for each year’s essay competition will be made available through several media platforms on December 5th of the previous year, with January 15th of the following year as the submission deadline. By January 31st, the five best teenagers in the essay will be shortlisted for a physical presentation, in which the overall best teenager will be selected by the panel. The winner of the essay competition will act as a one-day member representing Ibarapa Central/North Federal Constituency, aside from receiving gifts. Furthermore, the second and third runner-ups will be compensated with gifts.
BENEFITS TO ENJOY AS A WINNER OF THE COMPETITION
• The teenager willl enjoy free return flights from Ibadan to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
• A two-day free accommodation and feeding in the FCT
• Certificate indicating one-day lawmaker status as a teenager
• Sitting on the official chair of the House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa Central/North Federal Constituency for one day with access to a green pen to decide for constituents in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North.
• Witnessing the plenary of the House of Representatives live
• Having practical knowledge of legislation through the Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) to Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju
(5) Construction of a three-block classroom at Oke-Odo Community Secondary School, Igboora: In the next six months, we will start the construction of a three-block classroom in the aforementioned school. The need is as a result of a lack of adequate classrooms to accommodate pupils in the newly established school. Not just that, some school buildings, due to a lack of maintenance, are in a state of dilapidation. The construction of the classrooms will be a fulfilment of one of my promises during the campaign period and a testament to all that our words are bounds and as a steward I should be held accountable.
(6) Empowerment Training/Capacity Building: Our plan is to support our people in diverse fields by training and motivating them in the areas of agricultural farming, photography, sewing and fashion designing, bead making, tie and dye, soap making, hairmaking, leather works (shoes and handbags), animal husbandry, among others. On this, we are not going to follow the archaic way of empowering people with cutlass, freezers, buckets, and others. We will facilitate interventions that will teach people and then empower the graduates of these trainings with excellent products that can help them continue on the path to prosperity and self-independence. We are not going to stop at that; we will also help them have access to funds for tools of the trade.
(7) Motion on the need for a Deliberate, Progressive and Definite Automobile Policy for Nigeria: This motion has already been submitted for processing at the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, and it seeks to urge the federal government to issue a clear and unambiguous directive to the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government to patronise, as a matter of priority, made in Nigeria vehicles as an alternative to purchasing vehicles manufactured outside Nigeria, as it is almost impossible to see a French government official driving a non-French car, as it is in Japan, Korea, the UK, and the United States. The motions will also encourage other arms of government, including Nigerians, to patronise Nigerian-manufactured vehicles.
(8) Motion on the Urgent Call for Justice for the Late Jerry Okorodudu, a True Nigerian Patriot: This motion has also been submitted for processing at the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. The late Jerry Okorodudu was pronounced dead on June 28, 2023, of partial stroke and foot cancer in a Lagos hospital. The deceased was a prolific and highly talented boxer and boxing coach, born on May 24, 1959. He was an Olympic medalist for Nigeria and an award-winning first-grade boxing coach for our country. After his meritorious service to the fatherland and upon retirement, he was appointed as the National Coach, where he performed excellently, leading the team to win several gold medals in international contests to the pride and glory of Nigeria. However, despite the sterling performance of the deceased in the service of the Nigeria Boxing Federation and the Ministry of Sports, his salaries (his rightful entitlement) were not paid for over 15 years while he was in the employment of the government. Through this Motion, the Committee on Sports will be asked to investigate the alleged nonpayment of late Jerry Okorodudu’s salaries by the Ministry of Sports and make recommendations towards correcting the wrongs with a view to paying his entitlements, including the payment of compensation to his family.
MOTIONS:
(1) Motion on the need to safeguard the academic pursuits of Nigerian medical students in Ukraine, First Reading (Tuesday, July 25, 2023). In the motion, I urged the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to, in the spirit of nation-building, reconsider its position and allow the Nigerian Medical Graduates of 2022 from Ukraine to have their medical certificate considered for practise so as to prevent waste of time and resources by the students.
(2) Motion on the need for government urgent intervention to protect hapless Nigerians from discrimination and obvious apartheid policies in the hands of foreign nationals/employers, First Reading (Thursday, July 27, 2023). In this motion, calls were made on the urgent need of the Nigerian government to be more alive to its responsibility to protect Nigerians, especially the masses, from abuse of their constitutional rights as citizens.
BILLS:
(1) A bill for an Act to Establish the Institute of Economists of Nigeria 2023.
CONSTITUENCY INITIATIVES/PROJECTS:
(1) Introduction of Ibarapakan Free Holiday Lesson for senior secondary school students in the five communities comprising Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency. This initiative is put together to improve the academic performance of secondary school students of the constituency in various internal and external examinations. The first phase of the initiatives started on Monday, August 21, 2023 with over one thousand students across the constituency. Thirty eight (38) experienced teachers including three supervisors were hired to achieve the goal of the initiative. Not just only that, customized exercise books were distributed to each of the over one thousand students who registered for the lesson as well as customized school bag for fifteen students who performed well in the assessment test of the program.
(2) Launching of Hon. (Dr.) Adebayo Adepoju Scholarship Offer for the Best Students in SSCE and UTME. This initiative which was launched on Saturday, September 2, 2023. The annual scholarship is strictly for students seeking admission to study any course of their choice in the federal universities or federal polytechnics in Nigeria or any Oyo State-owned university or polytechnic. Three students in each of the two local government areas that make up Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency will benefit from the scholarship offer. The scholarship covers only the tuition fees of the awardees throughout the constitutional duration of 4 years per tenure.
(3) Data collection of constituents who graduated in the last five years (2018-2023) and are currently not gainfully employed in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency. The tool for data collection was deployed on Sunday, September 3, 2023. This initiative is aimed at making data-driven decision through the statistics of unemployed graduates in the constituency.
EMPOWERMENT
(1) Empowerment of over one hundred constituents in Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency in poultry farming: On September 22, 2023, over one hundred constituents were shortlisted for training on poultry farming. Professionals were invited to train shortlisted constituents on how to raise birds commercially. The goal of this empowerment is to enhance our people’s standard of living by increasing our constituents’ per capita income. We have the belief that in the next six months, we would have produced a number of self-reliant farmers thereby contributing to the economic growth of the federal constituency.
CHARITY/PHILANTHROPY:
(1) Making a donation of the sum of four million naira (N4,000,000) to a patient, name withheld, who had kidney transplant in the federal constituency.
(2) Making donation of the sum of N100,000 for a patient who solicited fund for amputation in the constituency.
(3) Financial assistance running to the tone of N1,000,000 (N1million) to various constituents in Ibarapa Central/North Federal Constituency with different health issues.
LEADERSHIP OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE 10TH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (2023-2027:
Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Federal Character.
Other National Assembly Assignments in the Interests of Nigerians:
(1) Member, Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Arbitrary Increase of Petrol Pump Price from N537 to N617 by Petrol Marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) (HR.98/07/2023)
(2) Member, Ad-hoc Committee investigating the CBN for Alleged Management of Funds and Non-Disclosure (HR, 131/07/2023)
(3) Member, Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Activities of the Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Authority from Inception to Date and Other Managed Funds to Access its Compliance with the Establishment Act of 2011 (HR, 104/07/2023)
(4) Member, Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Utilisation of Ecological Funds Released to the Great Green Wall by the International Organisation from 2015 to Date; and All Federal Allocation to the National Agency for the Great Wall as well as Contract Awarded to Various Contractors for the Project from 2019 to Date.
(5) Member, Ad-hoc Committee on Medical and Dental (Ukraine) (HR.146/07/2023). This resolution was passed by the House in response to a motion raised by my humble self on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, “On the Need to Safeguard the Academic Pursuits of Nigerian Medical Students in Ukraine.” In the motion, I urged the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to, in the spirit of nation-building, reconsider its position and allow the Nigerian Medical Graduates of 2022 from Ukraine to have their medical certificate considered for practice so as to prevent waste of time and resources by the students.
Hassan Adesodi Olaoniye
Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju
September 24, 2023.
