Oyo 2023: The Coming Of Adeolu Akande !! By Alabi O

Oyo 2023: The Coming Of Adeolu Akande !! By Alabi O.

Barring last minutes hitches, the race for the soul of Oyo State number one seat appears to be a contest that is set to bequeath a distinction between those clamouring for the 2023 governorship baton to shift to Oke-Ogun, an axis which has never had a fair share of the office .

However, out of numbers of Aspirants from Oke-Ogun who has shown interest to run for Governorship race in 2023, only Professor Adeolu Akande from Itesiwaju local government has received tremendous supports from people who share his views, believing that he is competent and that the development of Oyo State could be accelerated, giving the resources that we have if a highly cerebral like him become governor of the state.

Professor Adeolu Akande is the current Chairman of Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC). Until his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Governing Board of NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande was the Chairman, Board of National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA).

He was born on July 3, 1965 at Idi-Arere, Ibadan. He hails from Otu, headquarters of the current Itesiwaju Local Government Area, in Oke Ogun, Oyo State. He has worked as a journalist and briefly as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan. He also served as Deputy Chief Press Secretary to then Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2011, he was appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Abiola Ajimobi,before returning to Igbinedon University, Okada, as a lecturer.

Professor Adeolu Akande attended Anwar-ul-Islam High School, Iseyin and the Oyo State College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife before reading Political Science at the University of Ibadan. He obtained his B.SC, M.SC and PhD in the course at Nigeria’s premier University . He is a Law Graduate of the Igbinedion University, Okada.

In less than 3years in office as the Chairman of NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande has done a lot of good things for the good people of Oyo state. Few of his achievements are :

• Hundreds of Youths from the 33 Local Governments were digitally trained and fully renumerated .Those trainees were given numerous items such as Brand New Laptops, Certificate of Participation,Transport fare amongst others.

-He visited the burnt Araromi Spare Parts Market in Ibadan to donate a trailer load of 800 bags of cement, N1million palliative to affected traders and announcement of immediate commencement of a multi-million naira Youth Empowerment Programme for young graduating apprentices in the market.

• He handed over an ambulance fully equipped with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) gadgets to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

-He facilitated the construction of a #500million ICT Park to Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in courtesy of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The park when completed, will help ease the unemployment problem faced by our youths in Oyo State.

The NCC is almost completing a Knowledge Service Centre at the Alayande College of Education Oyo, and will provide campus-wide internet facility at the Oke Ogun Polythecnic this year. Many secondary schools in Ogbomosho, Ibarapa,Oyo,Ibadan and Oke Ogun will also be beneficiaries of Knowledge Service Centres to be provided by the commission this year.

-He facilitated a Digital Nigeria Centre (DNC) for the Government College, Ibadan (GCI).

-He facilitated the upgrade of the Wireless Campus Wide Internet Access at the Ladoke Akintola University, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho and The Polytechnic, Ibadan.

-He facilitated the upgrade of the Wireless Campus Wide Internet Access at the Polytechnic, Ibadan.

• He gave #1million to the First Baptist Church, Otu during the church fund raising ceremony.
• He has so far distributed Ramadan gifts worth millions of naira to faithful Muslim in Oyo state during Ramadan period since he became NCC Chairman.

-He facilitated ICT facility to Emmanuel Alayande College of Education Oyo. The ICT afford the Students independent Skill acquisition .

-He has facilitated Federal employment for hundreds of Youths from Oyo state.

In a nutshell, Professor Adeolu Akande is a philanthropist. He is the founder of the Adeolu Akande Foundation – a non-profit organization that has put smile on the faces of numerous people. The foundation has taught a lot of people how to fish and uplift many people’s lives through scholarship, youth empowerment and skills acquisition.