THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 5: IS THAT MY PHONE RINGING AGAIN

​THE OMO OLOORE STORIES

 

STORY 5: IS THAT MY PHONE RINGING AGAIN

On the 25th of July 2015 – barely two months after the erstwhile President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, handed over power, his spokesman – Reuben Abati – wrote a touching piece titled “The Phones No Longer Ring”. I read the piece and even though I was still in office at the time, I could relate with every bit of the piece. My sojourn in politics so far has been marked with moments when the phones stopped ringing.

 

I got my current number way back in 2002 when my father was still the Governor of Oyo State. All through the time he was in office, my phone was always buzzing with calls and texts. My father left office in 2003 and my number which was once a hotline grew so cold. Though few people continued to be in touch, the phone stopped ringing.

 

When I decided to contest for the House of Reps about 11 years ago my phone started ringing again. People who hadn’t reached out since my father left office began to call. I lost the election and boom! the phone stopped ringing. Shortly after losing the election, I was nominated to be Commissioner for Youth and Sport and suddenly, the number that had grown cold when I lost the election became a hotline once again. This was in 2011.

 

In 2013, the cabinet was dissolved by the Governor and at that point, once again, the phone stopped ringing. I remember that on the day that the cabinet was dissolved, I did not receive a single call. Few people checked on me at home and at the office; some friends even took me out that day but my phone which was always buzzing had grown dead silent.

 

Few weeks after, my name was announced as commissioner-nominee and, the people who had stopped calling began to call again. “Congrats o, baba” “we know say dem go call you back – you were one of the top performing commissioners in that cabinet,” they said when they called. 

In 2014, I resigned to contest for the House of Reps and the phone stopped ringing again. Once I scaled primaries and became the candidate of the party, the phone started to ring again.

 

Once you indicate an interest to run for office, the phone will begin to ring; when you win the election and are sworn-in, then the frequency of the calls will be massive! Once I won the election and was sworn in as a member of the House of Reps, my phone began to ring like never before. 

Apparently, a lot of people had my number but they never reached out until I had won the elections. For the next four years, my phone was continuously ringing.

 

The day I lost my re-election bid in 2019, the phone, yet again, stopped ringing. However, things were fairly different when I lost the elections in 2019 – a good number of people still called to check on me unlike when I first lost elections in 2011 but then, the number of calls reduced very drastically. For four years the phone had rung non-stop and suddenly, upon losing elections, the calls had reduced to trickles.

 

Recently, the Speaker of the House of Representatives announced my appointment as a Special Assistant and – as you may have suspected; on that day my phone was on fire. Every day since then, my phone has been on fire – calls coming from everywhere.

 

The lesson here is – power is transient, no one holds on to power forever. Definitely, there are still people who would stay true to you no matter what – I have people who have been with me from the very beginning and all through the phases of my life till now, they have remained steadfast. Many people will throng you when you have the power; once you lose it, they retreat.

 

It is a good thing that I witnessed the “abandonment” early in my political life. It made me to understand that everything in life is by opportunity and so whenever you have the opportunity to be up there, make the most of it. 

Truth is, you cannot help everyone that come to you but make sure to help the few that you can help – especially the ones that are real and sincere. And when you help, don’t expect anything in return – do it as unto God. When you do this, you will never be disappointed when the phone stops ringing.

 

It doesn’t move me anymore when the phone stops ringing. Whenever it happens, I just toss my phone somewhere and focus on life. When there’s a success and the phone begins to ring again, I carry on from where we left things off. 

The phone will stop ringing, not because your network is down but because people have tuned off from your network. 

 

What many do not know is that politicians/public office holders are not fools too – they monitor who relates with them and how they relate with them. Whomever gets the listening ear of a politician is most likely one who has stayed with him/her through thick and thin.

 

To the young people in office today, do good while in office, it is the good that will continue to speak for you when the phone stops ringing. It is interesting that these days when I go out, I have never been booed or rough-handled. 

Even when I go out privately, people would walk up to me and tell me how a project or a scheme has been beneficial to them, their families or their communities.

 

If you must associate with people, learn to stay true to them, no matter the season of their lives. 

Be consistent and steadfast. 

The ultimate question is – what fuels your decision to associate with someone: is it what you will get or what you will give?

 

(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)

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THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 4: SAVED BY THE COPS

​THE OMO OLOORE STORIES

 

STORY 4: SAVED BY THE COPS 

After I graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2005, I used to go back to campus mostly to see some of my lecturers. There was a particular lecturer, Dr. Ademola Aremu (now Professor); he had a keen interest in my development and that got us close. He had opened his house to me and he really just liked me.

One day in 2007, I was leaving campus after seeing my lecturer – it was about 7:30pm. I was using a blue Peugot 406 with plate number DL 01 BDJ (That plate number was one in town back then😂😂)

As I approached Mokola, on my way home, I realized that I was almost running out of fuel so I decided to branch at the next filling station which was at Mokola Roundabout.

As I drove in, a green Rover car also drove into the filling station – there were four guys in the car. I was about to get down to open my tank for the attendant to insert the nozzle, when a police van sped into the filling station – they were known as SARS at the time.

As the police van sped in, the green Rover took off instantly through the exit! The way they drove was reckless to put it mildly – it was obvious they were running from the law officers that had driven into the filling station. 

I had no idea what was going on with the green Rover and the policemen as I was wondering like everyone else.

The leader of the police team walked up to me and asked if I was tagging along with the Rover car that just recklessly sped off into the night, I responded with a ‘No’ and also that I didn’t know who the occupants of the car were. Then, he told me to identify myself, which I did. That was when he said: “ah, omo baba! Didn’t you see the green Rover that has been tailing you all the way from University of Ibadan?” I told him I didn’t. It was then he explained that they were trailing the guys in the car and then they discovered the guys were on my tail; they assumed that whomever was in the blue Peugeot 406 must be in cahoots with the guys in the Rover.

To be honest, I had no clue at all that I was being tailed from UI; I was just driving home, unmindful of the danger coming behind me. The leader of the team said: “It is too dangerous to stay here, you need to move.” I had to abort the mission of buying fuel and the police van escorted me back home. That was my close shave with death – it was the policemen that saved me.

(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)

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THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 3: THE PHONE IS TRULY MINE

​THE OMO OLOORE STORIES

 

STORY 3:THE PHONE IS TRULY MINE

While I was serving as the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, every time Shooting Stars of Ibadan also known as 3SC had a football match at home, I was always at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Adamasingba to watch the boys and cheer them on and I will sit in the general stand with our supporters. We’d sing and dance and cheer together. I never sat in the VIP section. 

Also, I never moved around with security all through my time as Commissioner – that way, it was always me and the supporters. Usually, too, whenever a game was over, the supporters would escort me to the car and then I’d leave.

 

On one of those match days in 2012, we went to the stadium as usual and we had a good time. The game ended and the supporters surrounded me as it was the usual manner. As we moved out of the stadium; I touched my pocket and I realized that my phone (A blackberry priv) was gone! I stopped in my tracks and whispered to someone near to me: “my phone has been stolen”.

 

Quickly, information circulated around – ‘won ti ji phone Commissioner’. I was rooted to that spot; I was utterly confused about how my phone had got stolen. In my mind, as I stood on that spot, I had no hope of recovering that phone. My mind had begun to mourn all the invaluable material and data on the phone that I’d never be able to get back.

 

Then suddenly a few meters away, we started hearing a small commotion – a group of guys were beating a young guy and they were dragging him towards where we were. They got close enough and one of them said, “Honourable Commissioner, e gba phone yin – Commissioner, here is your phone”. 

The guy they were beating was the one who stole my phone and he was obviously one of the supporters. They said the guy had gotten to the gate and was about to step out when they caught him. How those guys knew the boy was the one who stole the phone despite the massive crowd of supporters still baffles me till today.

 

That was how I miraculously got my phone back. I instructed that they let the guy go, after all he had been dealt with before they got to where we were.

 

That became a major encouragement for me and I learned a profound lesson from it – when people truly like you, they would move mountains for you.That was a massive show of love!

I still have that phone carefully kept in my office till date😂😂😂😂

(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)

 

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THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 2: THE BOY'S THAT DISAPPEARED

​THE OMO OLOORE STORIES

 

STORY 2: THE BOYS THAT DISAPPEARED

During my time as the Commissioner for Youth and Sport in Oyo State between 2011-2013, there was a National Academical Sports Committee (NASCOM) competition for U17 football players. 

Oyo State had an U-17 team at the time and so, the various U-17 teams all over Nigeria came over to the State and participated in the competition. 

The Oyo State team won the competition and as a result were invited to a Football Clinic in South Carolina,U.S.A.

Once we got the invitation, I began to work towards getting approval and necessary funds to make going to South Carolina happen. Then, we applied for visas for everyone scheduled to travel and we got a positive response from the embassy; some members of the Oyo State Sport Council were billed to go with the team and so was I. 

So,sometimes in August 2012,the team and the other officials went ahead while I joined them days later.

After their first training at the camp, the boys retired to the hotel where they were to spend the night.I couldn’t see them immediately after their first training as I had arrived South Carolina that day,jet lagged; and so I went to the hotel I was lodged at straight from the airport.

The next morning, I went to their hotel to motivate them and that day they had a good outing during the first friendly match.

Then came the third day and I was greeted with an unexpected news. I was informed that they woke up and discovered that two members of the team could not be accounted for.

We were worried about what may have happened to the boys and we reached out to every relevant authority that we needed to lodge a complaint with. It was during the process of investigation that it was discovered through the CCTV footage of the hotel how the boys sneaked out in the middle of the night.

The first thing that got me worried was, these are boys that were teenagers, where do they know in the US that they are going to? These boys did not have their international passports with them, as the Ministry officials that had accompanied them were in possession of the passports and so I was really troubled at the kind of desperation that would have made these boys make such a daring move without any means of identification on them or any means to return to Nigeria if they wanted to.

As investigation progressed, we found out that, before they left Nigeria, they’d been in contact with certain people who had assured them that they would help them run away and also provide  all they’d need to start a new life in the US.

To cut the long story short, till we returned to Nigeria, we never found the boys. It was a big embarrassment to us. After we’d reported the incident to all relevant authorities and we couldn’t be staying on just like that, we had to return home with the rest of the contingent. 

Their passports remained with the ministry officials throughout.

 

Guess what – after we returned to Nigeria, some people that I know began to reach out to me pleading that the passports of the boys be released.

By running away, these boys had committed an offence, embarrassed the State and the country in the process so I was shocked that anyone would come and plead that I should release their passports, to begin with.They said that I shouldn’t blame the boys, after all they were Oyo State indigenes who had only gone in search of greener pastures.

 

The people who came to make the request then began to add subtle blackmail to their requests by saying that not releasing their passport may stand against me if I ever ran for any office in the State; that I might need the families of these boys in the future during elections and so for those reasons I should let the passport be given back to them.I DIDNT SUCCUMB TO THE BLACKMAIL.

Being in public office is challenging, the same people criticizing you in office are the ones who would also mislead you if care is not taken.

YOU WILL FACE TEMPTATIONS,YOU WILL BE BLACKMAILED AND CRITICIZED UNJUSTLY, while the unfortunate thing is that the people you are striving to serve diligently will join the crowd to criticize you.At some point you will be helpless and if care is not taken,you will cave in and join the bandwagon to do what is not right.

(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)

 

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THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 1: ( LOYALTY )

​THE OMO OLOORE STORIES

 

STORY 1: LOYALTY

Don’t be in a haste to get your reward.

 

When I was elected into the 8th Assembly of the House of Representatives in 2015, the run for the seat of the Speaker was between Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. The APC both at the National and Oyo State had subtly passed a message at the time that APC members in the house should support the bid of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. 

The process ran its course and, in the end, My candidate Hon Femi Gbajabiamila lost while Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged as Speaker of the 8th Assembly.

 

As usual,people whom we had stood in solidarity for Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila soon began to court the Newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Yakubu Dogara’s camp for favours and juicy appointments. 

For me, I chose to stick with Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. I knew very much what I had signed up for and I was willing to stay the course till the end,especially because our society is one where people tend to abandon those who seem to have had a setback somehow.

Beyond just accepting party decision and obeying the instruction, I believed in the person of Hon Femi Gbajabiamila to deliver as the Speaker.

It must also be pointed out that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elected at that time Hon Yakubu Dogara and Hon Lasun Yussuf respectively did a fantastic job.

 

Throughout my time in the House, I steered off the Speaker’s camp. When I needed to get my bills/motion signed, I chose to go through the proper channel of communication which was longer - even though going straight to the Speaker could get it done faster. 

I spent four years in the House and in that time I never stepped into the office of the Speaker. I did my time and, when the tenure was over, I left  and returned to Ibadan.

 

Then Hon Femi Gbajabiamila got elected to lead the 9th Assembly.

The first time I communicated with the Speaker after I left was when I sent him an SMS to congratulate him upon his emergence as Speaker.

After that, there was no communication again until a friend of mine got in from London and I had to pick him up at the Muritala Muhammad International airport in Lagos.

Somewhere inside Lagos,I sighted the convoy of the Speaker and so I called him. We got the greetings done and I mentioned that I’d seen his convoy.He said he had just got into Lagos and he wished me well. That was it.

On another occasion, I was in Abuja yo renew my American Visa and I decided to visit a Honourable member friend whom we were in the House together. 

He asked if I’d spoken with the Speaker recently and I said No. “You should speak with Mr. Speaker,” he opined. He dialled his number, spoke with the Speaker and handed the phone to me. We exchanged pleasantries, the Speaker and I, and we wished each other the very best.

 

In November 2021, Stakeholders of the APC were summoned to Abuja after the state congress. I called a friend in Abuja who also works with the Speaker to ask if he could arrange a car to pick me at the airport. Few minutes after,he called me back: “Mr. Speaker says he will like to see you once you land in Abuja,” he said.

 

I touched down in Abuja, went to my accommodation, freshened up and then went to see the speaker in his office. We talked about things generally. He jokingly told others in the room that that was my first time in the office of the Speaker even though I had been a member of the House for four years. We all laughed. 

Thereafter he requested that I joined them to a member’s office who was celebrating his birthday which I did and I left for my hotel afterwards.

 

On November 17, 2021 I received a call from one of the media people covering the National Assembly who said “Congratulations you have just been announced as the Special Assistant - Political Matters (South West) to the speaker”.The rest is history as they say.

I remember vividly during our conversation while I was with the speaker he said “You’ve been with me since 2015, you never bothered us with anything, you remained loyal till the end.

As much as I am enjoying myself and having a good time out of office as anyone who knows me closely will know that I work extra hard when I am in any office either appointed or elected.But I see this as another call to serve and so will I take it.

There are over 200 million citizens of this great nation and when you are recognized and called to serve,you must take up the challenge humbly,roll up your sleeves and get on the job without wasting time.

 

The motive behind this story is to show that LOYALTY PAYS.

Don’t be in a haste to get your reward. The Speaker does/did not owe me a dime, we never signed any agreement in 2015 that he’d give me anything in return for my support. He only recognized loyalty and the reward for that loyalty took six years to come - 2015 till now. We must learn that not all rewards are immediate but they will surely come in due time.

 

(join me again next Wednesday and every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)

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omo oloore

​Again, I am bothered.

Of what significant or benefit will it be if at the end of going through the stress of getting PVC, one still doesn't have better options, credible candidates to vote for?

Will it not be a fruitless/futile effort to end up in the hands of some non-performing public office holders and ready-to-syphon money candidates? 

Are you also bothered?

*I think it is high time youths started to step forward and contest these positions too even as we continue our drive for the need to get PVC, else we won't stop having these 'square pegs in round holes'.*

 

What are the points?

1. Get your PVC

2. Encourage and support accessible, passionate, Intellectual and politically grounded youths only who are willing to contest.

*Great nations are not by accident. They are built by exemplary citizens who are poised to have a system that works and promotes good governance by all means. A system where national resources serve not few but all.*

#Anticipate #Youths #Omooloore #Dapo 

I am ready anytime to identify myself with noble youths with great objectives and significant intentions. 

Let's start the crusade people. I am ready. How happy can you be when you meet a favourite?

Fakunle Busayo NSI

Nigeria Musician Saheed Osupa Threatens To Expose Seyi Makinde – See Reason

​Fuji singer, Saheed Osupa is currently locked in a cold war with the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

According to sources, the cold war between the singer and the governor is far from over even after the two were believed to have had a truce meeting.

In a recent show that was held at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, before the musician left Nigeria for a musical tour, he did declare war on the Governor saying he will unearth some dirty secrets about him in his upcoming album.

At the event, Osupa blasted the governor with songs and even promised to reveal some dirty secrets about the governor in Yoruba. “E ti ri nkankan o! gbogbo iwa palapala e ni mo ma reveal ninu orin mi to ma jade soon, e ma gbo wirnwinrin’ (you have seen nothing, I would reveal all his dirty acts in my new song, you would be stunned.)

Those in the know alleged that Osupa’s grudge against Makinde was what he termed ‘use and dump.’

Some months back, Osupa released an album where he told a story of Chief Rasheed Ladoja and Seyi Makinde mirroring it with betrayal and lies.

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A 38-Years-Old Zookeeper Impregnated A Female Ape And Claimed it was Consensual

Time and time again we hear of humans sleeping with animals since bestiality is a part of people’s s3xual fetishes. Following this, an Indonesian man has unbelievably impregnated an ape. The 38-year-old zookeeper was filmed in full action by a series of hidden cameras put in place by the zoo’s security officials after concerns emerged about the man’s deceitful actions towards the zoo animals. According to reports, the weird incident occurred in Indonesia. “Some animals seemed s3xually aroused when it was time to feed them” explained Akhiroel Yahya, an employee of the zoo for 14 years. “But what made us most suspicious was when we discovered Marylin, our oldest orangutan, was pregnant. She has never been in contact with any other orangutans because of her aggressive nature, so it didn’t make any sense” he said, visibly troubled by the news.Confused zoo officials also admitted that it took them some time before they were able to explain what had actually happened. “At first, we clearly did not comprehend what had happened,”  the zoo’s director, Abdel Hakim admitted. “Marilyn has been secluded for the past 10 years, it was a total mystery. It is only when we placed several hidden cameras that we learned the horrible truth” he revealed, visibly angered by the whole situation. However, when confronted by local authorities, the offender denied any wrongdoing on his part, “He said everything he had done was consensual,” explained police chief Abubakar Jaar. “He said he loved each and every one of the animals and was very sorry he had impregnated the orangutan,” he told local reporters.

“He says he did not know orangutans could get pregnant from humans,” he added. Many experts believed the man could not have impregnated the female orangutan. However, some specialists claimed a rare genetic predisposition could explain the unexplainable. “Contrary to popular belief, the orangutan species is much closer to the human species than chimpanzees. We share practically the same DNA code, with only minute differences, which could explain the orangutan falling pregnant from this man” explained Paleobiologist Bachtiar Pado Panghulu, of the University of Jakarta.

Particularly in Indonesia, the genetic profile of some of the population is extremely close to the orangutan species, leading us to believe there might have been a common ancestor to both species only a few hundred thousand years ago,” he added. Now, this story sounds unbelievable right. Well, investigations and fact checks indicate this story is a hoax. The story originated from an article first published by World News Daily Report on December 16, 2015, titled "Indonesia: ZooKeeper Accused of Impregnating Female Orangutan”. The website World News Daily Report is a well-known satire website specialized in posting hoaxes and made up stories. 

10 Tips for Improving Parent-Teen Relationships

1. Remember that you are the parent.
Your job is to prepare your child to become an independent, fully functioning adult. Being a clear-sighted, compassionate mentor is way more important than being your teen's friend. They don't need your friendship, anyway. What they need is your moral leadership.

2. Remain calm in the winds of change.Nothing gets resolved when you're too stressed to think. if you can't respond rationally to something your teen did, take a break until you can.

3. Talk less and listen more.
Just like us fully-formed humans, teens want to be listened to with respect. Always be a "safe" and available person for your child to talk to. That doesn't mean you have to accept or agree with everything, but letting your teen talk openly (without interrupting), gives them a chance to hear their own ideas played out loud. It also provides a window into their problem-solving strengths and limitations. You can use that to help them.

4. Respect boundaries.
It's often a challenge for parents to grant their teens increasingly more privacy and autonomy. But in order to develop good judgment, they need lots of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. Encourage their learning.

5. They're always watching.
You want your child to be trustworthy, responsible, honest, resilient and good-hearted. Make sure you're modeling those values in your own life. And while you're at it, talk about the walk as you're walking it

6. Make your expectations clear.

When kids know your core values, have bought into the family rules and are aware of the consequences for breaking them, they're more likely to make healthier choices online and off. No guarantees, but your voice will be in the mix.

7. Catch your child in the act of doing something right.
Teens struggle with self-confidence. When they aren't dumping on themselves, their peers may do it for them. Don't add your voice to the chorus of negativity. Actively look for things your kids are doing right. Your praise shows you notice more than their faults. It will also increase their feelings of competency.

8. Be real.
Father/mother do not always know best. Admit your own confusion and mistakes. Apologize when appropriate. Show your kids that just like them, you too are also "a work in progress." That's all any of us can expect from ourselves and others... progress, not perfection.

9. Schedule regular unplugged time to enjoy being a family.
Cook. Eat. Walk. Bike. Bowl. Whatever. The point is: Relaxing together without screens in the way is a gift with long-lasting benefits.

10. Lighten up!
Humor is a great de-stressor. Remember, no one stays a teen (or the parent of one) forever!

What wisdom have you learned that's helped you as the parent of a teen?