•How He Returned To Political Relevance
For sometime now, full activities have resumed back to Felele residence of the former deputy governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja. It has become a Mecca of sort to politicians and their followers who throng the place on a daily basis, either for consultations or to strategize.
Of course that should be expected. Apart from being Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Arapaja is one of the top stakeholders who would play major roles as far as the coming election is concerned, especially in Oyo State. He is the former Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan and Iran during Ex-President Jonathan Goodluck’s administration.
In fact, It would be an understatement to say that Arapaja is powerful in the current dispensation in the state. He is close to Governor Seyi Makinde and that is understandable. Makinde played a key role in Arapaja’s recent two political victories – one his emergence as PDP national vice chairman (South-West) and later as PDP Deputy National Chairman (South). Arapaja, with clear margin, defeated both Eddy Olafeso and former governor of Osun State Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Osogbo and Abuja congresses of the party, respectively.
This explains why Arapaja will do everything humanly possible for Makinde’s reelection. It also explains why Arapaja has remained a force to recon with in Oyo politics. He is one of the very few people who have the ear of the governor.
The situation has been like that since Arapaja came back from what some political analysts described as “political asylum”. Why? The believe within the political circle is that once a politician is given an ambassadorial or ministerial appointment outside his domain, he or she has been tactically relegated to the background politically. It is believed that such appointment always have negative effects on the affected politician, as per his or her relationship with the grassroot and political relevance at the home front.
This, some political watchers in the state say was responsible for the silence on Arapaja’s side after his tenure as an ambassador. They believe he must have been busy strategizing and networking untill he bounced back to political forefront with full backing of Governor Seyi Makinde. But now that everything is back to normal political and with the coming elections in view, Arapaja definitely has points to prove as a leader. He has to prove his political mettle as a gladiator by making sure that not only his local government is delivered but also his constituency as a whole. Recall in the last election there was political fracas at Arapaja’s zone, Ward 2 unit 4 polling centre, Kudeti in Ibadan South East Local Government. The crisis led to the death of a young man from that area. So all eyes would be on the zone as a key place and in other to forestall such occurrence in the coming election.
Don’t also forget the fact that Arapaja is a thoroughbred grassroot politician, so he is expected to deliver. He has all it takes to deliver. Arapaja has an impressive political C.V. He was a two-term Chairman of Ibadan South-East Local Government between 1996 and 2003. He was elected to represent Ibadan South-East/Ibadan North-East federal constituency in the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007. He later became a Deputy Governor. In 2011, Arapaja was appointed the Nigerian ambassador to Jordan and Iran by President Jonathan. And his tenure as an ambassador ended in 2015.
Ambassador Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja was born to the family of Mr and Mrs Oladimeji Oladejo Arapaja of Kudeti/Idi Arere, Ibadan, Oyo State on the 10th November, 1958.
He attended Ibadan Public Day School, Kobomoje, Ibadan between 1966 and 1972, for his primary school education. He proceeded to Lagelu Grammar School, Agugu, Ibadan between 1973 and 1978. He was the President of the Muslim Students’ Society (MSS) at Lagelu Grammar School.
He later travelled to the United Kingdom where he obtained a Diploma in Marketing from the Institute of Marketing. He also obtained a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Wales, Institute of Science and Technology and equally bagged a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Finance & Marketing) from University of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom in December, 1986.
Arapaja returned to Nigeria in February, 1990 and observed his one year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Aluminium Rolling Mills, Ota, Ogun State.
Like his late father, he joined politics in November, 1991 when he was elected National Delegate (Wards 1 & 2) in the then Ibadan Municipal Government (IMG). The following year, he aspired to contest for the House of Representatives election under the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) but was asked to step down by the leaders of the said party. He was later appointed as part time Commissioner in the Oyo State Teaching Service Commission in September, 1992. He held the position till November 1993.
In March, 1996, he was elected as the Executive Chairman of Ibadan South East Local Government under the zero party. He was re-elected as the Executive Chairman on the platform of Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in 1997 and by November of the same year, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ibadan Local Government Properties Limited.
In May, 2003, Ambassador Arapaja was elected into the Federal House of Representatives, Abuja to represent Ibadan South East/Ibadan North East Federal Constituency where he served as the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Transport and Leader of Oyo State caucus in the House of Representatives.
-Dare Adeniran
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