The Race & The Runners

With 106 days to go into the election on September 22,  this week, we continue the review of the backgrounds of aspirants across political lines. While some of the aspirants had openly declared their intentions, some are yet to.

Akere: Damning The Consequences In APC

Akinrogun Sunday Akintunde Oludare Akere was born in Igbajo in Boluwaduro Local Government of the state of Osun.  He started his early education at Baptist Day Primary School Igbajo before proceeding to Kiriji Memorial College also in Igbajo.  He later attended University of Ibadan where he graduated with B.Sc (Hons) degree in Food Technology.  He also holds a Certificate in Gum and Starch Adhesive Technology in addition to a short course at Leventis Foundation Agricultural School, Ilesa, and was a Law Student at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Osogbo Study Centre.

Akere worked in a number of establishments including Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR) Ibadan, Oyo State as an Administrative Clerk; Niger Valley Agro-Industrial Farms Limited, Agenebode; Fan Milk Nig. Ltd., Ibadan; Nigeria Bottling Co. Ltd. Sango Otta; Yerwa Consolidated Industry Ltd., Bauchi and MAYDEJ Nigeria Ltd. Tede/Saki, Oyo State as Production Manager.  He is the C.E.O. of Akin Akere Nigeria Enterprise, Ilesa, Osun State, dealing in Shares/Stock-broking Business, Agriculture/Timber, General Contractor and Financial Adviser.

While in school, Akere was involved in several leadership roles and piloted the affairs of many organizations.  He was at a time the Public Relations Officer for the Engineering Students Association (ENSTAS), P.R.O. and later President, System Purifiers, an Econo-political organization at University of Ibadan, National P.R.O National Association of Food Science and Technology Students (NAFST), P.R.O. for National Union of Igbajo Students (NUIS) among others.  He was at a time, member of the Students Representative Council (SRC) representing Nnamdi Azikwe Hall, University of Ibadan (U.I.).

In his political foray, Sunday Akere developed passion for the progressive political ideology of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his adherents.  As a young boy just coming out of school, he served as party agent for the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) when the late sage vied for the President of Nigeria in 1979, and since then, he has never wavered in his belief that it is only the progressives that can solve the arrays of problems weighing us down as a nation and catapult Nigeria to the promised land flowing with honey and milk.

He was General Secretary to The Progressives, Egbe Afenifere, Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM), United Nigerian Congress Party (UNCP), Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Boripe and later Boluwaduro Local Government of Osun.  He was a National Delegate to the National Convention of the Peoples Progressives Party (PPP) held in Enugu in August 1996.

He contested election as Chairmanship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Boluwaduro Local Government in December 1998.  He was later appointed as Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Education under the administration of Chief Adebisi Akande between June 1999 and May 2003.  During the period, he was the Secretary of Osun State Capital Project Monitoring Committee.  In 2004, he was nominated Secretary of the Publicity Committee of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the South West Zone and occupied the position till 2007.  He was also the Protem Secretary of Advanced Congress of Democracy (ACD) in Osun State.  A loyal and committed party man, he was the Constituency Secretary for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) now APC in Ila Federal Constituency comprising Ila, Ifedayo and Boluwaduro Local Governments.

A strong party man that believes in reward for service and commitment, Akinrogun Akere became the Director of Research and Strategy for Alliance for Democracy (AD) and later Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) from January 2004 until he was appointed as Commissioner for Information and Strategy on the 12th of August, 2011. In 2014, he served as the Chairman of APC State Congress Committee for Abia state and organized a credible congress in the state.

At the thick period of the agitation for the reclamation of the stolen mandate of his party, then the ACN in Osun State, Akinrogun Akere went through lots of political harassment, intimidation, persecution and even imprisonment on spurious charges aimed at weakening his resolve which yielded no result.

He is presently a Fellow of the Civilian Institute of Democratic Administration of Ghana (FCIDA), Ghana; Member, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Fellow Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria (FSM).

Honourable Akere who is the Oluomo of Igbajoland and the Akinrogun of Eesun-Ijesa. has several awards and laurels from different bodies and organizations.

He is the coordinator of the Government House Chapel between March 2014 and 2017, during which the chapel was functional and enjoyed attendance across denomination. He holds different awards in the house of the lord including, the Nigerian Baptist Convention’s (Cosmopolitan outstanding Leadership Award), Meritorious Service Awards by Royal Ambassadors of Nigeria and Methodist Church of Nigeria and ICON of Christian Faith, from St James Anglican Church Osogbo among many others.

A pious and devote Christian, Akinrogun Sunday Akere is happily married to Deaconess Rachael Oyeyemi Akere and the marriage is blessed.

 

 

SOAR: Fighting For PDP Ticket

Senator Akinlabi AbduRasheed Olasunkanmi was born 8th of March 1956 in Odeomu, Ayedade Local Government Area of Osun State. He holds a Master’s Degree (1986), in Business Administration in Finance from the University of the District of Columbia Washington, D.C. USA. He had his first degree in the same course of study from Howard University, Washington, D.C. USA, where he won prizes for the Dean’s Honours list for four semesters; for exceptional performance (1983-1985). Upon his return to the country in 1985, he joined the NYSC and did his primary assignment at NAL Merchant Bank 1986/1987 and was thereafter employed. He cut his teeth in banking and finance and rose to the managerial cadre as Assistant Manager, Corporate Banking between 1990 and 1992.

He later took his gained hands-on experience into the real estate sector when he was appointed Head, Credit/Mortgage product department of Union Trust Building Society Limited, where he served for three years (1992-1994) before the entrepreneurial spirit took over. Senator Olasunkanmi became President Jamakex Int. Co. Ltd and also doubled as the Chief Executive Officer of Tobsey Properties Limited between 1994 and 2003, when he took a full plunge into politics. Brimming with a successful corporate career experience in diverse fields, it was not a herculean task to make an in-road into full time politics from the fringe. He joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and with his pedigree, after a stint, emerged its Senatorial Candidate for Osun West.

He contested and won election into the Senate in 2003. As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was adept and dexterous; he played the game neat and was never to be associated with controversies. He shone like a star and distinguished himself. He was at different times the Chairman Senate Committee on Army (2003-2004); Vice Chairman, Senate Services Committee (2004-2005); Chairman Senate Committee on Education (March-May 2005); Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Education (July 2005- June 2007); he was also a member of Senate Committees on Internal Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, INEC, Inter-parliamentary Affairs, Defence and Public Accounts.

He wanted to further his ambition by returning to the Senate in 2007, with the acquired experience in his first term, but this was not to be. Despite having the momentum to win, the Party leadership in the state prevailed on him to yield the position to another candidate. This was a difficult request but being a disciplined party man, he agreed without triggering any crisis or division within the party. According to him” I saw this as my own sacrifice and contribution to the struggle for our Party to maintain the status quo in Osun state”.

This level-headedness and discipline did not go unnoticed by the leadership. He was nominated as one of the candidates for the Osun State ministerial slot for consideration by President Umar Yaradua in July 2007. As providence would have it, he was the chosen one. He held that position consistently throughout the lifetime of the Yaradua/Jonathan administration. He survived all cabinet reshuffles and ended his record of service as the longest serving minister from the South West in that administration.

With the acronym of his name, SOAR, Olasunkanmi contested for the PDP governorship ticket prior to the 2014 governorship election, but he could not make it. He has therefore begun massive mobilization to fly the flag of his party in the September 22, 2018 election in the state.

• Next week, we will look at another set of contenders in the governorship race.