By Femi Salako
It is no longer news that the federal lawmaker representing Akoko North East/North West federal constituency of Ondo State, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has been confirmed as a minister, alongside 44 other nominees. While the nomination of BTO might have come as a surprise to some political gladiators in Ondo State; but keen watchers of power play in Nigeria anticipated it.
Given that Tunji-Ojo enjoys a very robust relationship with the Chief of Staff to Nigerian President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; the Akoko born politician equally boast of a very impressive resume. Ordinarily, an outstanding resume that Tunji-Ojo possesses would readily secure a ministerial slot for him, any day. It could also be stated that Bunmi Tunji-Ojo is sufficiently educated and he has equally garnered outstanding work experience to become a minister of the federal republic of Nigeria.
It is also on record that Tunji-Ojo played a very important role in the
processes leading to the formation of the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as the emergency of the Speaker of Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass. He also made a unique statement in his federal constituency by delivering one of the highest votes for President Tunji-Ojo throughout the country.
It is to the credit of the minister designate that President Tinubu as well as other APC candidates secured overwhelming victory in the
in the 2023 presidential and governorship elections in Akoko North East/North West federal constituency. It is not debatable that outcome of the 2023 general elections would have been different for the APC in the entire Akoko land, but for the all important roles,influence and contributions of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Even after the 2023 general elections had already been won and lost, BTO also did all within his capacity to ensure that the preferred speakership candidate of President Tinubu eventually became the speaker of the House of Representatives. Tunji-Ojo served as the Campaign Director General of Rt. Hon. Abass Tajudeen and he delivered a comprehensive victory.
It should also not be forgotten that Tunji-Ojo was the Campaign Director General of the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. Despite being a first time lawmaker in 2019, BTO also delivered huge victory for Gbajabiamila then. By and large, it is not contestable that Tunji-Ojo has truly paid his dues in the politics of Nigeria and Ondo State.
BTO as he is popularly known, was trained as an Information Communication Technology expert at the London Metropolitan University. Since his graduation, he has been undertaking regular trainings as a Certified Ethical Hacker. Upon graduation, Tunji-Ojo established an ICT firm and he became a very successful ICT expert and consultant at a relatively young age of 24.
Even long before he delved into partisan politics, the newly minister designate had impressively carved a niche for himself in the world of ICT. He had worked abroad with different organizations and had likewise undertaken several consultancy jobs for private firms, government enterprises and the Nigerian National Assembly. Tunji-Ojo was already a multi-millionaire before he attained the age of 30. The egghead was practically doing extremely well in his private business and should not
have gone any inch near partisan politics but for his burning passion to serve and impact many lives.
Incontrovertibly, the first tenure of BTO as a member of Nigerian House of Representatives was a rollercoaster of successive successes. He blazed the trail of quality representation and clearly outperformed all his predecessors put together from 1999 to 2019. He undertook and delivered infrastructural projects that were never thought possible within and outside of his federal constituency. In a manner that was unprecedented in Akoko North East/North West federal constituency, BTO magnanimously extended his infrastructural revolution outside his immediate federal constituency. It is arguable however, that every part of Akoko land has benefitted immensely from the unmatched legislative representation of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
In saner and developed climes, politicians with impressive pedigree like that of Tunji-Ojo would be encouraged to push for the highest offices in their countries. This was the same way the likes of Emmanuel Macron of France, Justin Trudeau of Canada and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine became leaders of their countries at relatively young ages. However, this is Nigeria, where a whole lot of factors would be considered before one is allowed to go near the country’s presidency.
But, if a man as gifted and intellectually endowed like Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo cannot look at the direction of Nigerian presidency or even governorship for peculiar Nigerian reasons; he is definitely more than qualified to take up the ministerial slot of Ondo State in the Federal Executive Council.
Inasmuch as no one can in good conscience doubt the eminent qualification of Tunji-Ojo as a minister; he should therefore be given the necessary support to give his best for Nigeria and Ondo State.
The Akoko born politician is a man of high moral standing and awesome intellectual prowess.
After the confirmation of the nomination of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo by the Senate as a minister; events of political realities have since moved from lobbying for ministerial slots to imminent allocation of portfolios to ministers.
While the portfolio of Tunji-Ojo is being awaited, it is worth being noted that he has a whole lots of positives that can impact good governance in Nigeria. No one can take away the credits of BTO’s amazing brilliance and eminent qualifications to serve and deliver in his new national assignment. Truly, the minister designate has a trailer load of positives that he is prepared deploy for the ultimate aim of redefining and changing the cause of governance in Nigeria.
Interestingly, Tunji-Ojo has avowedly promised to be a minister for all and not for any section of Ondo State. More so, the confirmation of BTO also means a
new height of political attainment for the youths of Ondo State and Nigeria at large. Notwithstanding the fact of being a youth, Olubunmi has also promised to operate an open door policy that will readily accommodate the interests of both the young and the old in Ondo State and Nigeria at large. Head or tail, the confirmation and ministerial sojourn of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is surely a win-win situation for all generations of political players in the Sunshine State and the nation at large.
Salako writes from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital
Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Precision Online Newspaper.
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