•Convener, Princess ADEREMI ADEBOWALE
From time immemorial, Asiwaju Tinubu has been producing the best brains in government, especially in Lagos State. Princess Aderemi Adebowale, the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Civic Engagement, who also doubles as the Excos Welfare Officer is one of those brains.
The beautiful and vivacious former Sole Administrator of Iru-Victoria Island, Local Council development area, LCDA, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, is one of the women in the present government in Lagos doing remarkably well. Having come from Epe, she had no choice but to build her boss’ dream for a better and progressive Lagos State. Under the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of Governor Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu, her office falls under “S” for SECURITY.
Her position as the Special Adviser, Office of Civic Engagement, lots of lives were impacted through social welfare programs like MOTHER INFANT N CHILD DEVELOPMENT- Year 2050 Agenda. It’s the first pillar in a program called WOMB TO SCHOOL. Indigent pregnant women are given nutritious weekly food packs for proper brain development of their child while in utero, this project is aimed at looking at SECURITY while still in womb. If a child’s brain is not well formed, well developed while still in the womb, chances are that child will not be able to strive in life, for survival, might resort to negative vices that might create a security threat to the well being of other citizens, example, incidents experienced during “ENDSARS”, Other program through her office are SANWOOLU LISTENS, A financial assistance program that helps Lagosians during difficult times, be it paying school fees, starting a new business, paying rent or health issues and challenges, lots of lives have been impacted and positively changed through this program, SANWO-OLU CARES, this particular program targeted small scale businesses, they were either given cash or product to reinvested into their exiting business for continued success. CITIZENSGATE, an online platform created for Lagosians to be able to reach government, be it to complaints or find information or get updated information about services from Lagos State. These and so many others.
She served for 13 months and had many achievements to show for it when she was the sole administrator of Iru-Victoria Island, LCDA. During that tenure, she changed the Aesthetic and the face of Eko Hotel Roundabout by creating serenity parks and garden, on both sides of the roundabout, Bishop Kale Road in Victoria Island n other major roads where upgraded, many lives were equally touched n impacted.
As a special adviser, she has done exceedingly well in the past 3 and half years to support and implement the vision and believe of her boss, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. She is also one of the women who share the same ideology as Asiwaju Tinubu when it comes to passion for the poor and vulnerable, and this propelled her to start a project called, Tinubu is key, TIK 2023 to support him in the next presidential election and to also project the other side of Asiwaju many don’t know in term of his sterling qualities and ideologies.
A few days back, at her private residence, she granted an exclusive interview to City People Society Editor, TAYO OYEDIJI, where she attributed her achievements to the teamwork of her crew. She unveiled the reason behind the new project and why she is passionate about caring for our society’s children, youth, the poor, and vulnerable women. From a respected pedigree, Princess Aderemi Adebowale is the daughter of late philanthropist and humanitarian Chief AB Adebowale of Adebowale Electricals. She went to the best schools, and having a sojourned in the United States for so many years, she returned to Nigeria to serve her country and contribute her quota. TIK 2023 is one support group that has become a movement. Speaking on what the campaign is all about, she explains,
“TIK 2023 is the short form of Tinubu is Key To Our continued success and progress as a country and as a Nation in 2023.
It is a dynamic platform we use to propagate the qualities and ideologies of Asiwaju, his vision, and his selflessness.
The idea to start the Tinubu is Key 2023 was conceived after the End SARS protest in October 2020. During the protest, there was a lot of misinformation and propaganda in the public spaces to discredit the personality and brand of Asiwaju, hence the need for this movement. Tinubu is Key 2023 project aims to change people’s mindset, mainly the youth who have been fed these falsehoods and lies. For someone like Asiwaju, who also loves to meet the needs of the downtrodden in the nation, it is a project that he knows about. The needs of the poor and vulnerable must be completed in this country in other for us to get out of being called “A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY’! So, this is where the concept of TIK 2023 is coming from, and I think Asiwaju is the only one that understands all this and can divide everything according to different people’s needs”. Talking about how to get people to share this same ideology with her to push the project forward was one of the things she also mentioned,
We have gotten the TIK 2023 on all social media platforms and have been re-educating people about who Asiwaju is. Many people have a wrong notion about him. Many people have been fed with false misconceptions about him. We are mainly engaging the youth for this. Many youths need to learn what Asiwaju is doing or what he has done. We launched this project and are concentrating on the youths because if we can capture the youths, the adults will follow. To conceive this idea of a movement slightly different from others, she must have studied Asiwaju before and after she joined politics carefully. Hear what she said:
It is not that I studied him per se. Let me take you through the journey. I am a registered Nurse and Public Health professional. When I left this country for the US, I didn’t want to come to Nigeria; why? I was not too fond of politics for anything. I will visit Nigeria during Ileya to celebrate with my Dad of blessed memory. One day, we both went to Ikoyi to my uncle’s place for a private get-together. They started talking bout politics without knowing my mindset about politics. When he was speaking, he now said, look at how this set of people will be venturing into politics, and we elites will just be looking. When we need anything, we go to this set of people in politics to do it for us or provide one thing or the other for us. We will not be able to talk to them or correct them because we can not carry a gun or do jazz. He was talking on and on and on like that, so something struck my mind that moment, that okay, if I cannot beat them then let me join them to make a change. So, that night was the turning point, I made up my mind to go into politics, just within my spirit. So when I returned to the US, I allowed my subconscious mind to open up. The significant influence of politics on me was my Dad. Asiwaju came to my Dad during his tenure as Governor in 1999.
One of the things that my Dad always resonates is Asiwaju and his visionary leadership. He visited my Dad in Epe when he was governor, and he promised my Dad all the things that are being actualized now in the Lekki-Epe corridor. He said all this was what he would do. He said baba, we will bring deep sea port, Imota rice mill, bring in the airport to this axis, that Epe axis will be opened up. He was promising my Dad back then, so these were the things my Dad used to discuss with me. He used to talk about Asiwaju. He was so proud and impressed by his person and his kind of reasoning. That led me to start thinking and discovering who this person called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is. And honestly, I was amazed by what my Dad told me about him, so that was what was much more embedded in my brain to follow and study him.
Another instance was when I came back from the US. My uncle, Ambassador Femi Owoaje, introduced me to Baba Dele Ajomale, a staunch politician who taught me politics. He became my mentor and taught me a lot about politics. He invited me to the party secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, to learn about politics. That was where I went for four years vis a vis running my other businesses. While at this, I had hearing many stories about Asiwaju and the way he does politics.
I read the story about how he came from Mobil, it is just something natural, and I look at his ideology for someone like me who has some perception about Nigerian politics, and now seeing my ideology in someone like Tinubu encouraged me. So it was just a natural mindset I had of him when I joined politics. Many youths don’t bother to study or know him. Most of the informations they have are hearsay, and what is really about the person, Tinubu? He is about making sure Nigeria is better for the next man. I always say this, if people are also empowering people the way Asiwaju does, his investment in people and all, then we will all be better off. So for me, it is not so much about Asiwaju but what is in him, knowing that Nigeria will be better off with him as our next PRESIDENT. That is why I can relate to someone I call “daddy.” He is the father of politics in Nigeria”. How well Asiwaju accepts this project? She emphasized,
“For someone who also loves to meet the needs of the downtrodden in the nation, it is a project that he has given the go-ahead. I met him in Abuja, and I showed him this concept note. He saw picture of the logo on his cap at the back cover, smiled, and asked me, “do I know what the logo on my cap means”? I said No, then he said it means “breaking the shackles of poverty, breaking the shackles of uncertainty, breaking the shackles of inequality, “ which aligns with this project. We must break all these shackles before we can have a stable country which corresponds with what I am doing. So the project, TIK 2023, is meant to address that primarily. If you go through the pyramid concept note, It practically explains the breaking the shackles of poverty cliche.
So this tells us there is a big problem. Unless we make sure people at the bottom of the pyramid are stabilized. They have nothing to lose. The poor and vulnerable needs have to be attended to continuously, so the concept of TIK 2023 comes in. I think Asiwaju is the only one that understands all this and can divide everything according to different people’s needs, the need of the rich, the upper class, the middle class, the lower class, the youth, the poor and the vulnerable. We have to discard the idea of treating every class as if their needs are same. Until this is properly addressed, we will continue to have unresolved problems that sets us back as a country and as a Nation. We will continue to be treated like other African country that are still at the bottom of Economic and Development Pyramid, whereas WE ARE NUMBER ONE AFRICA GIANT!
And on Asiwaju’s leadership style?
“I think it is more of a father-like leadership style. It is from him that I heard the phrase, “no permanent enemy, no permanent friend.” He is more like a permissive leader who allows you to do your own thing. He will not dictate how to do it but rather guide you. So, to a certain extent, he leaves you to do your own thing.
I will liken this project, TIK 2023, to Asiwaju 2023 candidacy, in which many people have been clamoring that Asiwaju should be the next president. What is your take on this?
If we all want Nigeria to thrive, let us support Asiwaju for the 2023 Presidency. Lagos is the biggest metropolitan area in Africa and has made a name for itself as a tech hub rapidly advancing towards 24-hours economy, generating btw 20 and 25 percent of Nigeria’s total GDP of over $432.3 billion as of year 2022.
He is a Nigerian, and he has the right, the experience, the strength, the right that everybody has, despite being a kingmaker and someone who poaches good hands.
He already has the proper knowledge of governance before he gets there. How do we take ourselves out of this problem that we are in? Go and look at the prices of things now? It is on the high side. How does an average Nigerian survive? How do the poor and vulnerable make it? Suppose the needs of the people at the bottom of the pyramid still needs to be resolved. In that case, the average man, the affluent n the rich, will not be able to live comfortably. There will be unresolved security threats. The country will continue to deal with one crisis or the other. The future of the next generation will be dark and uncertain!
We need a leader who can think deep down, outside and inside the box. This is the only man who can pick people and make them perform in Lagos and many states across the country. If he gets there, he has the knowledge and the joker to rule Nigeria, to make Nigeria stable.
Some people call him the Master Strategist. But, to you, who is he?
Yes, 100% he is. He knows the right people that are suitable for jobs. He knows how to put the round peg in the round hole. He is someone who loves to look and focus. As he is looking, he is thinking, he is calculating. Suppose someone can bring the economy of Lagos to where it is right now. Regardless of all the traumas Lagos has gone through. We are still in this best position in the African market. Then give it to Asiwaju, who is the master strategist. If he can stabilize Lagos until this point, he can fix Nigeria. She also spoke about how she gets funding for TIK 2023. We have some private people who will not want their names mentioned working with us, primarily intellectuals, which is also an idea My governor, Mr. Sanwo-Olu, has bought into this movement and is so much into it. He is working with us for the success of this project.
She gave insights into youth and women’s participation in a project like this and politics. To the youths, I will advise that they learn by themselves, they should not be misled by hostile media, they should take time to look at Asiwaju’s antecedents, they should look at what he has done, how he makes people great and his achievements in totality.
To also the women, I want to encourage more elite women to come out and join politics, not to bring any other woman down but to support, uplift and build each other. We should get to practice the superwoman God has destined us to be, to lend our voice, support good causes as mothers, and be the backbone of society in impacting positively on the political structure of our dear country.
People should look out for these books, The Political Doyen & Bridge Builder and At Long Last: The Kingmaker is crowned King written by me and co. authored by Com. Oluwaseun Okunnuga.
We will also be launching Asiwaju E-library so that the youth can use this avenue to learn about Asiwaju’s ideologies and leadership style.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
(08111811219)
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