The 10th National Assembly of Nigeria commenced on June 13, 2023, with 469 lawmakers from across the 36 states of Nigeria, including the federal capital territory, Abuja.
In the Nigerian political arena, especially for legislative assignment, it is in the culture of this part of the world to downplay the capacity and capability of a first-timer, a political subterfuge used by conventional politicians to perpetrate and elongate their tenure in office. However, this culture seems to have been shattered and rendered obsolete by the impressive performance of a first-timer representing Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency, Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, for his quality representation since assuming office last year.
The outspoken and easy-going lawmaker, who will be 48 on January 19, 2024, has always been in the news for nothing short of good reasons, from being shortlisted in the OrderPaper yearly review of the National Assembly of Nigeria as the only lawmaker from Oyo State with two bills in concurrence in September this year, of which one (Federal Medical Centre, Igboora was recently passed by the Senate in the first anniversary of the 10th Assembly, to his emergence as one of the ten best lawmakers in the first anniversary of the same 10th Assembly, to his innovative initiatives like One-Day Rep which has been adjudged to be the first of its kind in the 25 years of Nigerian uninterrupted democracy since 1999, to his open-door policy and infrastructural projects in his constituency such as facilitation of additional school buildings, construction of road, scholarship offers for students in tertiary institutions of learning, free holiday lessons, empowerment programmes for widows, youth and the old, renovation of Magistrates Court in his constituency to allow dispensation of justice, construction of mechanized cassava processing machines in different towns under his constituency to process garri, construction of solar-powered cold room, construction of mega motorized boreholes in every nook and cranny of the constituency including village, distribution of chemical fertilizers to farmer to boost food production, distribution of transformers to address electricity epilepsy in his constituency that has been on for more than a decade, bills and motions with a national outlook, too numerous to count.
This is not to boil anybody down with needless rhetoric because the primary purpose of this piece, after our thorough assessment of his stewardship, is to celebrate the efforts of a lawmaker who is a first-timer but who has used his office diligently to facilitate job opportunities for close to 100 of his constituents in the last seventeen months of stewardship. These job opportunities for constituents in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency in different agencies, ministries and parastatals of the federal government of Nigeria, which include but are not limited to Bureau of Statistics, National Assembly of Nigeria, Immigration, Civil Defence, Fire Service, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian Television Authority, Nigeria Police Force, Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Education, Federal Medical Centre, Nigerian Army. The beneficiaries of these job opportunities are drawn from across the five towns that make up the federal constituency, making him a beacon of hope to the people of his constituency.
With the available public information, Hon. (Dr.) Adebayo Adepoju hails from the city of Igboora. A city notable for numerous twin births and famously called the Twin Capital of the World, in the Ibarapa region of Oyo State. Igboora hosts the headquarters of Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, about eighty kilometers (50 miles) North of Lagos State, Nigeria. Ibarapakan’s paternal roots can be traced to the famous Jagun family of Iberekodo, and his father’s maternal roots are in the Jegun family of Oke-Iserin, Igboora.
He is a renowned Project Manager, IT Auditor, Scholar, and Expert in conflict centered around work and family. His academic journey includes a Doctoral degree (PhD) in Business Management with a focus on project management from the prestigious J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University. He has also earned other qualifications such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science (MSc) degree in Management with specialization in Project Management, Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Accounting, Post-graduate diploma (PGD) in Financial Management, Higher National Diploma (HND), and National Diploma (OND) in Accounting. He is a qualified member of the world-renowned Project Management Professional (PMP) and an information Technology Audit Expert. His membership in other associations includes the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the National Society of Leadership and Success, The Society for Collegiate Leadership and Achievement (SCLA), the Golden Key International Honour Society, and the Ibadan Polo Club.
He is an unrepentant and staunch Governor Seyi Makinde (GSM) follower with impressive professional, philanthropic, and academic credentials. He is an experienced political strategist, business manager, and project management professional who brings immeasurable value to the ever-dynamic political landscape in Nigeria. Before his election into the House of Representatives, Adebayo Adepoju was Chairman of the Water Corporation of Oyo State. Dr. Adepoju held several notable positions where he gained experience, recognition, and honours for his transformational leadership capacities and overall impact on humanity domestically and globally. He worked at the Adegoke Steel Industry, Orita Challenge, Ibadan, and Dish Network Denver, Colorado. Others are Crystal Technologies, USA, Bank of America, and Clearview Networks, where he rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer in the United States.
As a philanthropist, he has positively touched NUMEROUS lives and communities around the globe. He is known to constantly give back to humanity as a way of showing gratitude for the gift of life by empowering and lifting people out of poverty. A few of his philanthropic gestures before being elected as a federal lawmaker included the provision of water for his people by drilling over thirty boreholes and wells in several communities in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Local Government Areas of Oyo State and paying NECO and NABTEB fees for several indigent students of Ibarapa land. Others include, but are not limited to, cash empowerment for several students, traders, artisans, and widows. The facilitation of job opportunities for several people of Ibarapa descent into the Oyo State and Federal Civil Service, the provision of pertinent items such as tanks, soaps, sanitizers, etc., to consolidate preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, and aiding with the hospital bills of several constituents, to mention a few.
Throughout his academic, professional, and political career, Ibarapakan has not just met expectations, but he has consistently gone above and beyond, demonstrating an unwavering dedication to the growth and development of the Ibarapa people. This commitment led him to run for the Federal House of Representatives at the 10th National Assembly, where he currently serves as a Federal Lawmaker and Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Character. His massive people-oriented and transformational agenda, coupled with his firm belief in the narrative of leadership and service, is a testament to his reliability and commitment to his constituents.
Furthermore, Ibarapakan is currently the Chairman of the Nigeria-Romanian Friendship Group and has been a vocal proponent of protecting Nigerians from discrimination and workplace violations committed by foreign companies and foreigners.
Hon. Adepoju, as a first-timer, has sponsored a number of bills and raised numerous Motions, including, but not limited to, a Motion in the 10th House of Representatives calling for the protection of Nigerians from foreign nationals who employ and exploit them in their companies. The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Human Rights for investigation.
Since joining mainstream politics, Ibarapakan has leveraged his influence to achieve unprecedented youth participation in leadership positions across Ibarapa Land, surpassing any politician’s record since Nigeria’s democratic journey began in 1999.
