By Yusuf Mohammed
Otunba Segun Adewale, popularly known as Aeroland is in the race again to serve the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District.
This district he wants to serve in the upper chamber of the National Assembly covers the local government areas of Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Badagry, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Mushin, Ojo, and Oshodi-Isolo. It is also the biggest senatorial district in the country.
Those who relate with him know that when he speaks, he doesn’t raise his voice. He is not just soft-spoken, he personifies it. The cool, collected air about him makes you wonder why he joined politics that many gentlemen call ‘dirty.’
Well, in order to serve the public to your satisfaction, you just have to join politics. And you have to be a member of one of the major parties to stand a chance of becoming elected, especially at the federal level.
It should be noted that his foray into mainstream politics has encouraged a lot of decent people to go into it. More and more people like him have become partisan.
It is common knowledge that Aeroland is burning with the zeal to represent the people of Lagos West in Abuja. Many are of the view that a man who is giving back to his community in his capacity in the private sector deserves to be Senator.
He is a gentleman, but not a pushover. Many would remember how dogged he was in the 2015 race for the senate in the face of toxic opposition. They tried to intimidate him but he never gave up. He stood his ground, and today, he is running again.
Adewale is no novice in politics. He started as far back as 1988, when he contested and won the Student Union Government of University of Ibadan elections and served as Sports Secretary. In 2007, eight years after Nigeria returned to democracy, Aeroland contested for the Lagos State House of Assembly on the Labour Party ticket, but his name was removed from the ballot paper just before the election.
He defected from the Labour party to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) for some months before joining the PDP in 2011 and ran for the Federal House of Representative, Alimosho Federal Constituency, but lost the election to Solomon Olamilekan Adeola of the Action Congress of Nigeria. The election was marred by violence: something that reoccurred in 2015.
A successful entrepreneur and a philanthropist, he is passionate about the grassroots. As a philanthropist, the 56-year-old contributed to over 40 community projects amongst which are the construction of Mini-Bridge in Meiran, Isei-Oshun in 2011 and he has sponsored over 20 students on full scholarship to different tertiary institutions.
He has done very well for himself in the private sector. He has made a name for himself. Now he is back to try his luck again in what seems to be a lifelong ambition.
It seems his main opponent, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule of the APC didn’t take the campaign seriously. It has been lackluster by all standards. Unlike Aeroland whose campaign posters are in every nook and cranny of Lagos West, hers can’t be found everywhere. Some say she is relying on ”Emi lo kan” (it’s my turn). We shall see.
Will Aeroland be third time lucky?
Time will tell.
