#HAPPY #BIRTHDAY #16 AND #7 #DEMOCRATICALLY #ELECTED #MOGAJI OF #NIGERIA..
AKANBI OMO OLODO ‘DE,
ASIWAJU OF LAGOS,
JAGABAN BORGU,
AKINROGUN OF ILE OLUJI..
I remember that cool evening, twenty seven years ago when I walked into your #13 Sunday Adigun, Ikeja, as facilitated by my friend the ace sports journalist Deji Tinubu, your nephew, may God rest his soul, Aljanah Firdaus..
He had brought me to meet a man who would later impact my life in many ways as hidden in the bowel of time..
In the prelude to that meeting i as a young man had an idea that I believed would help in the pursuit of the Gubernatorial aspiration of a man that had fought so hard to break the resistance of the system against a man who knew clearly where he was headed and determined to accomplish his dreams, that in itself was a tonic and an energiser for a young man like me too who also had dreams.
I remember that you took me into a small inner room with Deji and I presented the idea to you which you liked and asked that it be accepted by the team around you, unfortunately some of them went behind to shoot the idea down and as I stormed out that evening, I recall that it was the then Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola who stopped me at the pedestrian gate and prevailed on me not to leave like that…the rest is history .
Years later i have come to see the dogged fighter , the generalisimo of opposition, a man of uncommon grit and determination, i have had the privilege of working under your directives, had the benefit of ring side attention as we fought as in fought hard to see the entire south west reclaimed when the battle was at its hottest.. Thise were days .
I also had the privilege of seeing not only a man of unquenchable fighting spirt, from Lagos, to Ekiti, on the streets of Abuja to Wilson Woodrow centre in Washington, pounding the streets in furtherance of conviction, the struggle has not diminished you as a very humane man of rare charity and philanthropy, i have had the privilege of seeing you assist me through a medical situation occasioned by the attack on my person in the struggle to get Dr Kayode Fayemi back into government, I have witnessed your rare giving spirit as you did with getting Dr Fayemi to become Governor of Ekiti in the first place.
In these years I have also seen how well you have made many whose lives may have remained intangible , I have seen you made many, many of whom today would not even give you credit or remember their own non starter days talk less of replicating the virtues of the man who made them.
I have seen a go getter , a bull and a bulwark, and your life commends to many how to be a man of vigour and rigour at thesame time, I remember one time we had just lost in court and a re election had been ordered and I out of frustration had broken down, and you said to me “Bimbo..won ni two nsukun..Brace up, we will be back in the trenches and get ready for the elections.. and with that strength came back.
Oh I have seen you bail out many threatened destinies from Anambra to Abeokuta, from Borno to Bayelsa, it is the Asiwaju tradition and unique identity, i know how Bourdillon became the place of succour for nearly everyone from indigent students to displaced politicians struggling under the burden of state.
It will be difficult to capture the Asiwaju I knew and know in one post, but just to say on this day, you remain an enigma of uncommon hue , and thats why i have said in the new task of revamping and restoration of our nation to greatness, it will be unlikely that you will give up.
And so on this day, I want to join many people who believe that if the past is the key to the future, then our nation may as well be reassured based on your tested credentials and proven identity trail.
Happy Birthday Asiwaju,
Best wishes Sir.
#Congressman #Bimbo #Daramola
#nitoriojoola
#bimboEkiti