Senator Iyiola Omisore appeals to different people in different ways. As a politician, he is like the proverbial elephant that is easily described in a myriad of adjectives by onlookers, depending on the part of the body that catches your fancy. However, some common features have been attributed to the imagery of the distinguished Senator and politician since the beginning of the Fourth Republic. Some political foes have painted him as someone, whose quest for power, is insatiable and one, who is equally impatient in that quest. Some have painted the image of a deadly, if not dangerous politician, who will brook no opposition on his way to power. Others painted the image of an academic never do well, whose inroad to wealth and power, remained his association with the military in their hey days. Omisore’s brush with the leadership of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), when he served as deputy governor in Osun State under the administration of Chief Bisi Akande might have helped in oiling the paint his political opponents used in tarring him at the start of the current democratic experiment. And no one would deny that the tar, which saw to his removal from office as deputy governor, was indeed a strong one. As someone, who has monitored Omisore’s politics over the years and one who worked closely with him in his days at the National Assembly, I have found it imperative to straighten some apparent misconceptions about the person and character of the man, who served as Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, the engine room and indeed the mother of all Standing Committees in the Red Chamber. For politicians, there is nothing to celebrate in the virtues Omisore demonstrated by adhering to the dictates of the elders in AD in 1999, when he agreed to be the running mate to Chief Akande, despite having what was seen as a strong political structure on ground. After series of gubernatorial campaigns during the General Sani Abacha transition period, Omisore had succeeded in establishing a formidable political structure ahead of 1999. He would easily have won the primaries if the elders had allowed one. But unlike the situation in Lagos, which threw up the Bola Tinubu versus Funsho Williams saga, Omisore agreed to serve as deputy to Akande. It was agreed then the he would be allowed to vie for the main office in 2003. But as everyone knows, that kind of promise was difficult to abide by, so the genesis of his scuffle with Akande, leading to his being branded as hungry for power. More than anything else, the linkage of Omisore with thuggery pokes a sharp finger in the eye. Apparently for political convenience, his opponents painted a picture of a man who is only seen in the midst of thugs, a sort of Baba ita, (leading thug) whose hallmark remains deeply rooted in aberrant character. But that was a disservice for a Prince of Yoruba land. Perhaps, his undoing was the decision he took out of humility not to adopt the preferred title of Prince, the fad for those from royal homes. Here is a man whom the odyssey of his educational career is neither shrouded in mystery nor confusion. He is a registered engineer; runs an Engineering firm, which is reputable for constructing major Dams and structures across the country. I must confess that the widespread picture painted about the Omisore Character as somewhat of a never do well and a Baba Ita affected the relationship many of us had with him in his first tenure in the National Assembly. As a senator in 2003, he had few friends and also had little or no time to prove himself as he was kept in detention for a long time. Indeed, there was a push for his recall at a stage until, the leadership of the Senate under Senator Adolphus Wabara invoked the Constitutional provision and told those pushing for his recall that he was away from the chamber on “just cause.” Eventually, when he was admitted fully into the Senate at the end of his trial for the death of Chief Bola Ige, where the court cleared and acquitted him of any wrong doing, it was a bit late for him to stamp much impact on the workings of that Senate. His return to the Senate in 2007 was remarkable. He as to emerge as the Senate Leader but for religious considerations, which had thrown up Senator Teslim Folarin. Since Senator David Mark and the Ike Ekweremadu had emerged Senate President and Deputy respectively, there is the need to get a Muslim from the South West as Senate Leader and the odds fell on Folarin. The Senate appeared in quandary as to what position to give Omisore. Those who saw him as a fiery fellow were afraid he could prove difficult to handle if not given the chairmanship of Appropriation Committee, which was next most important seat allocated to the South West, but they were said to be apprehensive he was untested for the huge task. Grudgingly, the Senate President agreed to make Omisore the number one Committee Chairman in the Senate. As a backup, Senator Mark was said to have briefed his deputy, Ekweremadu and then Senate Leader, Folarin to be on the alert in case Omisore failed on the job. The duo were to set up a secret structure to salvage the budget if Omisore failed to measure up. But the test for the Ile-Ife politician was not to be delayed. The late President Umaru Yar’Adua forwarded the Supplementary Appropriation Budget to the National Assembly around September 2007. It was a test many were expecting Omisore to fail. His counterpart in the House, Hon. Ayo Adeseun had also left much of the work for Omisore, who is senior to him in the politics of South-West. He singlehandedly handled the budget to the extent that the House only concurred with the almost infallible figures he submitted. Today, Senators of the Sixth Senate will easily confess that Omisore remained the best chairman of Appropriation Committee in recent times. He gave everyone his or her dues and ensured a good budget each year. How he mastered the appropriation process was extra ordinary. Incidentally he is not an accountant. His deftness was first established in the way he handled the 2007 Supplementary Appropriation. That was said to have sent signals to Senators Ekweremadu and Folarin that their stand by role was a non-issue. Omisore keyed into the job effortlessly. The Senator also handled the 2008 budget process with similar ease and it was obvious he was exhibiting more attributes many had not recognised of him. My interactions with him showed an avid reader, a diligent academic, who is very impatient with dullness. He was indeed eager to learn every minute. He would reel out budgeting issues as experienced by the American Congress at different times in history and you will get the impression that he could handle greater tasks. When the government of President Yar’Adua had complaints about the 2008 budget, Omisore readily explained that the National Assembly is the custodian of the budget and that the entire national budget is a constituency project while the Senators and members of the House of Representatives are obliged to oppose its passage if they feel their constituencies are marginalized. He said that was settled long ago by the American Congress. But the mastery of the budget was to expose him to a sort of coup in the Senate. Those who felt unease at his masterful handling of the Budget conspired and sought his removal. They claimed in the media that Omisore had cornered all Constituency projects for the South-West and located them in Osun State, while he was also said to have captured that of the entire North and located them in Benue South, David Mark’s constituency. It was clearly a coup meant to remove Omisore and shake the Senate Presidency of David Mark. But Omisore handled the saga by showcasing himself as a clever handler of documents. At a closed session to address the issue, he unveiled the documented contributions of all Senators to the budget to their surprise. It was as if he treats the minutest of documents with the sacredness of a Holy book. Thus when he unfolded the details at the closed session, it was what the Yorubas would call enu won wo ho (he shut up his critics). As an insider in the chamber, I am aware Mark himself was shocked at Omisore’s handling of the civilian coup. But that was not all, as Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation, Omisore lifted the Committee to what you can call international standard. He left the Committee as the best organised in terms of office space and structure in the National Assembly. He also ensured international partnership by the Committee for the first time through the establishment of the Inclusive Budgeting Initiative (INBI) co-funded by the NASS and the United National Development Programme (UNDP). The programme was aimed at securing direct input of Nigerians directly in the budgeting process year in year out. There were meetings with Nigerians and Civil Society groups representing the 774 local governments of the country ahead of every budget and their inputs helped the budget process a lot. During that time, the National Assembly had the opportunity of working with the best economists and budget consultants across the world, while staff of the Committee were exposed to trainings across the globe Little wonder that when Omisore was ordered to face a rerun election, staff of the National Assembly donated huge sums to print posters and handbills in support of that election. Many also prayed for his return in 2011. Another surprising thing is how he coped with the rigours of his work as Appropriation Committee Chairman with the Ph.D programme he completed a few months after leaving the Senate. In that, he showcased his attributes as a workaholic and a man in relentless search of knowledge. In Iyiola Omisore, Osun is assured of a due diligence performer who will give everyone his due. In him, the state would be blessed with such an accomplished but underrated administrator. •Akanji, a legislative Consultant, writes from Abuja.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 23:09:08 +0000
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