One Year of Benchmarked Excellent Performance By Adefisoye By Wale Adegoroye
The representative of Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency on June 10, 2020 marked his one year of being inaugurated as a member of the lower legislative chamber. He is Alhaji Tajudeen Adefisoye, but better known as Small Alhaji. He is
is a well known grassroots mobilizer who was never given any chance to win the February 23, 2019 election; let alone put up a good performance as member of the Federal House of Representatives.
It is impressively heart warming that Small Alhaji has succeeded where others before him have failed. Notwithstanding his youthful age, he has taken his constituency to a height of true dividends of quality representation where his much older predecessors could never dreamt of. One year performance of Hon. Adefisoye as the representative of the good people of Idanre and Ifedore has evidently dwarfed whatever was achieved in the 12 straight years that preceded his electoral victory.
Comparatively, the people of Idanre and Ifedore now have a House of Representatives member that is target driven and performance conscious. They also have in Hon. Adefisoye a representative that is proactive, responsive and accountable. He has given a satisfactory meaning to representation by making himself accessibly open to his constituents. Small Alhaji has always been giving thoughtful consideration to the requests of his old and young constituents since he got elected.
He was selected as the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Army because of his evident leadership qualities. Adefisoye has left no one in doubt of his abilities to legislatively impact on the welfare, wellbeing and the overall deliveries of the entire personnel of Nigerian Army. The first thing he successfully advocated and achieved through the leadership of Nigerian Army was the increment of ration allowances of soldiers and officers. It is instructive that Nigerian military has been recording successive successes since Hon. Adefisoye and his committee members assumed office.
It is on record that Small Alhaji was the first House of Representatives member in Ondo State to make a donation of his two months salary to his constituents at the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. He also made additional donation of two months salary to the country by all the 360 members of House of Representatives members as requested by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila. Adefisoye had also made generous distribution of preventive pharmaceutical items as well as packages of palliative food items to his vulnerable constituents. He also ensured that the palliative items were taken as far as the innermost parts of farm settlements in his constituency.
It is also on record that he had awarded scholarship to 131 students across his federal constituency. This was preceded with summer coaching classes for school children in 19 centers across his federal constituency. He went a step further with the renovation of three blocks of classrooms and principal’s office at Anglican Grammar School, Ero in Ifedore Local Government Area.
He had earlier thought it necessary to appoint forty six (46) of his constituents as Special Advisers and Personal Assistants while prompt payment of their allowances has been prioritized. This effort was subsequently followed with the disbursement of what he termed as ‘Community Grants’ to 150 market women in Idanre Local Government Area. A better share of same financial empowerment by Hon. Adefisoye had equally been extended to scores of petty traders in Ifedore Local Government Area.
The campaign theme of “Develop With Small Alhaji” has in the last one year found true expression and fulfillment in the lives of youths in Idanre and Ifedore. Alhaji Tajudeen Adefisoye has so far enrolled scores of his constituents for their choice vocational trainings with a back up empowerment plan to provide all the necessary tools and instruments. He had also facilitated employment opportunities for a sizeable number of his constituents in addition to the enlistment of dozens of his constituents into Nigerian Army.
Small Alhaji had brought career relief to one of his constituent and an indigene of Idanre Local Government, Mr Fanika whose reinstatement into Nigeria Police Force he facilitated after a 4 year dismissal on account of absence from duty. The youthful federal lawmaker had earlier made a cash donation to the General Hospital in Idanre for the purpose of offseting medical bills of expectant but indigent mothers. It is also worth stating that Small Alhaji had given out cars and motorcycles to some of his constituents. It is also on record that Adefisoye facilitated the distribution of relief materials for flood victims in Idanre through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Of a remarkable importance is the renovation of the long abandoned and dilapidating palace of the paramount ruler of Idanre, His Royal Majesty Oba Fredrick Adegunle Aroloye Arubiefin IV. It is interesting that Hon. Adefisoye had since facelifted the palace to a world class structure. He had also delivered on the construction of a police station at Ero in Ifedore Local Government Area.
Nearly all the identified faulty boreholes in his constituency have been fixed while new ones had likewise been sunk under his scheme of ‘Operation Keep The Tap Running’. Not done yet, he had also facilitated the establishment of a Cassava Processing Industry in Idanre. Hundreds of employments opportunities now await the youths while an opportunity of a steadily improved earnings also awaits local farmers in Idanre and Ifedore that are involved in the value chain of garri and starch production. These are in addition to his sponsoring of one legislative Bill and moving of five (5) motions with the aim of bringing relief and development to the people of Idanre and Ifedore.
The above stated achievements of Tajudeen Adefisoye in just one year are naturally expected to be perceived differently by different people. However, all he has done in his first year are mere tips of the iceberg. The legislative years ahead
definitely have an assured promise of better and greater things for the good, loving and supportive constituents of Small Alhaji in Idanre and Ifedore.
Wale Adegoroye is a public affairs analyst and he lives in Lagos.
waleadegoroye@gmail.com
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