The name, Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade has not only become popular, but also cherished; becoming an inspiration to many. Adekunle Akinlade is a man of integrity, a trained politician and successful businessman thus, the unorthodox synergy between him and his mentor - Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Adekunle Akinlade was born on the 9th of October 1969 to the Akinlade family of Ipadi-popo Compound in Agosasa, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.
EDUCATION
Akinlade started his primary education at Children House School, later transferred to St. Anne's Primary School, both in Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State before proceeding to Army Children Primary School, Akure Ondo State, where he completed his primary education. Adekunle Akinlade moved to Ilaro in 1982 to live with Chief John Olaifa, his paternal uncle.
While in Ilaro, he was enrolled into Emmanuel Comprehensive High School, Ilaro and later Yewa High School, Ajilete from where he obtained his WAEC in 1988. He had a short stint at the College of Preliminary Studies, Yola for his A’Level.
Adekunle Akinlade was admitted to Lagos State University (LASU) as a direct entry student in 1991 to study Political Science, and graduated in 1995. He proceeded to observe the mandatory one year NYSC scheme at NNPC Staff School, Warri, Delta State in 1996.
He is an alumnus of the prestigious Lagos Business School (LBS) and John Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA. He attended the 2013 Entrepreneurship Short Study Course at the University of Wisconsin, USA.
PRIVATE BUSINESS
As a young man, Adekunle Akinlade started his business career while serving (NYSC) at NNPC Staff School Warri, Delta State, when he had first cut with a $120 assignment to secure flight reservations. He completed the job successfully and this triggered his passion for business and seed which germinated well enough for the next four years before he relocated to the UK in the year 2000 to explore more opportunities.
While in the UK, he enrolled for a short course on commodity trading and consequently established Clevland Investment Management Limited, which traded in commodities and other derivatives. After spending almost seven years in the UK, Adekunle returned to Nigeria in 2007.
In collaboration with other software developers, Clevland launched the VCHEKMOBILETM platform, a revenue automation data processing system that enables state governments to track, collate and collect Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) efficiently. The company currently provides services across the country.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Adekunle Akinlade's first public appearance (political) was when he served in the transition committee on finance, appointed by Sen. Ibikunle Amosun between April - June 2011. In July 2011, Adekunle Akinlade was appointed as the Senior Special Assistant on Taxation & Revenue to Gov Amosun.
In this capacity with exceptional skills, Adekunle oversaw the directorate of other taxes at the Board of Ogun State Internal Revenue Services (OGIRS) which saw to the over 500% increment in Ogun Internally Generated Revenue - IGR. Little wonder, he was nicknamed 'Mr. Capacity' by members of staff of OGIRS.
By January 2014, Adekunle Akinlade was redeployed to the Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development in order to avail him proper time to synergise with his constituents ahead of his political voyage.
POLITICAL VOYAGE
In 2015, Adekunle Akinlade was elected as the member of House of Representatives for Egbado South/Ipokia Federal Constituency.
Akinlade, due to his eloquence, brilliance and expertise, was appointed as the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, Chairman House Sub - committe on Environment, Steel and Finance; Ad - hoc Chairman, House Committe on Insurance. He was also a member of the following House Standing Committees: Finance, FCT, Public Procurement, Army, Steel and Insurance. All these he achieved, despite being a first timer at the National Assembly.
Despite coming into the eighth Assembly when the economy was very weak and the country just slipped into recession, he was able to attract many laudable projects to his Federal Constituency which include: Maternity homes, blocks of classrooms, Primary Health Centers; facilitation of the quick rehabilitation of the Owode/Sango and Owode/Ilaro roads; employment for youths; procurement of grading machines for the constituency; training of women for self-employment in snailery and entrepreneurship; grading of roads from Agosasa to Idopetu, Bode Ase, Idosa and Aferiku roads in Idiroko. Ajegunle market roads was done for easy accessibility of the people to markets and travel.
He stood out at the plenary as the mover of the motion for security and infrastructural presence of Nigeria in Tongeji Island which borders Benin Republic. This culminated in the establishment of a Nigerian NavyI quarters and the construction of a secondary school on the island by the Nigerian Government. All these, and subsequent budgetary allocations are evidence of his doggedness, ability to work with others and capacity to get things done.
Through Constituency Projects allocation, Hon. Akinlade also empowered over 1000 constituents with various items including generators, tricycles (Keke NAPEP), motorcycles, freezers, grinding machines, sewing machines, gas cookers with cylinders, hair dryers, farming tools and many more.
In 2017 Appropriation Bill, he was able to attract projects worth about N679,000,000 (Six Hundred and Seventy Nine Million Naira) for his Federal Constituency which include further rehabilitation of the Owode/Ilaro road, Construction of a Magistrate's Court House in Oke-Odan, rehabilitation of eight blocks of classrooms in Idogo, Akere, Ibatefin and Agosasa; rehabilitation of Agosasa town hall; provision of hand pump boreholes; maintenance of Sango Ota/Idiroko road, Owode/Ilobi Erinja roads, vocational training for women and youths; supply of school furniture and so on. At the end of his tenure as MHR, he has empowered over 3,000 women, youths and entrepreneurs in his constituency aside the physical projects.
OGUN GUBER ASPIRATION/APC INTRIGUES VOYAGE
Hon. Adekunle Akinlade started his guber aspiration voyage as far back as 2017 when he launched his state-wide consultations in the All Progressive Congress(APC). He consulted leaders, opinion moulders and other key stakeholders.
Due to his youthfulness, readiness with viable strategies and policies to sustain the rebuilding mission after Senator Amosun-led administration, coupled with the clamour for a Yewa/Awori man as governor after almost 43 years of the state's creation, with an added advantage of promise by Senator Amosun to yield to majority clamours by delivering a Yewa/Awori man as his successor, the Ogun West Elders Council led by Chief M. A. Olagbayi screened over 5 aspirants on September 6, 2018 at Late Deacon Poju Adeyemi's residence in Ibara, Abeokuta from where Triple A, as fondly called, emerged the consensus candidate from Ogun West and was officially declared the APC consensus guber candidate by the APC - OGUN Leadership led by Chief Derin Adebiyi at the party's secretariat in Abeokuta on Septemeber 7, 2018.
It was a sigh of relief for the Yewa/Awori tribe to have the support of a sitting popular government from the Central, until it was reported that some aspirants from Ogun East, many of whom returned to the party few weeks earlier had lobbied the national secretariat to denounce the state consensus agreement and call for direct primary election in the APC. This group from the East, rejected both the consensus agreement and indirect primary arrangement in Ogun State APC, purposely to achieve their fraudulent aims; they were aware that they were not popular in the state.
To this end, the direct guber primary was shifted twice and on the third occasion, was won overwhelmingly by Hon. Adekunle Akinlade on Tuesday October 2nd, 2018. However, on Wednesday, without any evidence of a primary election conduct, the APC NWC panel led by Muhammad Ndabawa, announced Dapo Abiodun as the candidate of the party at a 5-star hotel in Lagos; an election which was 'covered and reported' by only TVC and Nation Newspaper around 10pm.
After much unsuccessful appeals to the Oshiomole-led APC cabal to reverse the announcement and declare Akinlade the rightful winner, and upon the submission of Abiodun's name to INEC, Akinlade led thousands of his loyalists to the cassava party - Allied Peoples Movement. APM was officially launched in late December 2018 and its candidates had to endure a very tedious, energy-sapping and rigorous campaign.
This effort was championed by the party's gubernatorial candidate, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade and leadership of his campaign structure led by a seasoned politician and former Minister, Chief Sarafa Tunji Ishola. Within 60 days, Akinlade had transversed the 236wards of Ogun State, discussing his manifestos, blueprints and scope of works. He was loved and hosted to warm receptions across the state.
THE ELECTIONS
As a devoted Muslim who married a Christian wife, Akinlade belongs to the biblical school of thoughts which has it that, "Heaven helps those who help themselves". Having engaged in the most rigorous, energy-sapping and issues-based campaign, he believed the elections should be free and fair without manipulations. Not minding the facts that those who rigged the APC primaries would go extra length in subverting the wills of the people of the state.
Alas! On March 10, 2019, INEC 'miraculously' declared Abiodun as the winner with 19,524 margin of win. This was greeted with clear rejections by the people of the state especially when Akinlade and APM had already called on INEC to halt the collations and announcement of the results due to obvious constitutional infractions and manipulations.
THE ELECTION TRIBUNAL
Without resulting to self help, violence or wreaking mayhem, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade approached the election petition tribunal in Ogun State to seek redress. Akinlade and APM filed their petition on gross electoral misconducts, overvoting, perjury among others and prayed the tribunal to nullify Abiodun's victory and declare APM winner. After disbandment of two panels, the third one led by Justice Halilu completed the task.
Justice Halilu led panel, after listening to allegations of electoral frauds with evidences submitted by APM and arguments followed by final addresses, he delivered what political analysts/observers describes as 'an aggressive and sided judgements' by dismissing the APM petitions on Saturday 14 September, 2019.
With utmost belief in God, Hon. Akinlade and APM appealed to the people of the state to remain calm in the face of aggressive provocations and later held a press conference at the APM secretariat from where he concluded that after consultations with necessary stakeholders, he will challenge the tribunal verdict at the court of appeal.
In all of these periods, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade could be seen as very pious, calm and resolute in seeking justice. He remains dauntless in the face of these clear manipulations of the process from the primaries to the elections and the inexplicable tribunal verdict.
This is a raw show of courage, tenacity and determination of a different Yewa man, unlike the predictable attitudes to powers, Akinlade has shown wisdom and resolves with courage to face the consequences of breaking the jinx of Yewa/Awori exclusions from governing the Gateway State. He is doing this, with grace of God and support from the good people of Ogun State. Happy 50th birthday, my boss.
Alao Azeez Adelani is a graduate of Mass Communications and Media Aide to Hon. Adekunle Akinlade
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