By Kayode Odunaro
In my political and public service life that started with political appointment as Chief Press Secretary to Military Administrator of Ogun State in May 1997, I had a stint of Lagos State politics with my joining the team of the Hon. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola representing Alimosho Federal Constituency sometimes in 2011 shortly after my service as Special Adviser to the Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Dimeji Bankole. The stint was supposed to be short as my joining the now Senator Adeola was premised on his movement to Ogun State to contest to represent Ogun West Senatorial District to have a foothold for his ultimate ambition contesting for the state number 1 position.
That supposedly short stay in Lagos ended up to a span of over a decade. The power that be in Ogun State frustrated the moves of Senator Adeola but as the power above all power, God Almighty wants it. Senator Adeola became Lagos West Senatorial District Senator in 2015 instead of Ogun West. It was more or less a blessing in disguise as Lagos West is the largest senatorial district in Nigeria in terms of population that is far bigger than some states and any politician that can excel therein can well be trusted to govern most states in Nigeria. And Senator Adeola aka Yayi did excelled in his effective representation of Lagos West with his performance acknowledged worldwide in viral videos of his performance.
A critical individual in the structure of that success was Barrister Babatunde Isola Quazeem Rahj Label popular in Lagos politics as B.I.Q. In the campaign leading to the election of Senator Adeola in 2015 as Senator, he was the Deputy Director General to the Director General, Hon. Kehinde Joseph. As an interloper from Ogun State politics in Lagos State, the duo of DG and Deputy DG made my entrance and work for Senator Adeola easy and seemless as they took me in as a part of them even with the realization that one of my own objective is to contribute to a transfer of a star player in Lagos politics to come serve his people in Ogun State. We all worked tirelessly and Yayi became a senator that to our joy did not disappoint in his first term as a senator even with being sidelined for not supporting Senator Bukola Saraki’s presidency.
Towards 2019 election, Hon. Kehinde Joseph, made a pitch for the Alimosho Constituency seat in Lagos State House of Assembly and the ball fell on the laps of BIQ to soldier on as DG of Yayi Campaign Organisation that made a bold move in aspiring to contest for the governorship seat of Ogun State. Everything was going on well until Senator Adeola was again, prevailed upon to run again for the seat of Lagos West Senatorial District. With BIQ as DG and all the team of coordinators, we successfully delivered and Senator Adeola became a ranking senator with a record of five successful electoral victories back to back. For his role in Lagos politics and the success of Babajide Sanwo-Olu electoral victory as Lagos State governor, BIQ was tipped for commissionership but when that did not happen, BIQ was appointed by Senator Ahmad Lawan as a Special Assistant to Senate President (South West Affairs) following the role of Senator Adeola in the ascendancy of Senator Lawan as president of the Senate. He was equally appointed by Governor Sanwo Olu into a committee that handled the rehabilitation of dilapidated schools in Lagos State.
In all these positions, BIQ was instrumental to running the effective representation that was delivered by Senator Adeola in Lagos West as he was a grassroots politician that ensured that the administrative structure for Yayi to deliver his mega empowerment and other initiatives runs smoothly. Come the run up to 2023 election, BIQ was virtually working in two places, controlling the structure in Lagos West for APC and joining Senator Yayi for a final foray into Ogun state to once again contest for the Ogun West Senatorial seat. In the later endeavor, BIQ became the Deputy DG to Dr. Kunle Salako who was the DG of Yayi Campaign Organisation. I used to joke with BIQ that just as I was a stranger in their midst in Lagos politics, he is now a stranger in Ogun State politics with me. But BIQ will not accept being a stranger as he has been with Yayi in all his forays into Ogun State politics and had come to know all the stakeholders in Senator Yayi political structure in Ogun State. And indeed, coming from Olorunda in Badagry in Lagos State that shares boundary with an ethnic group in Ipokia LGA in Ogun State, I cannot argue with him on his stakeholding in Ogun State just as I am also linked to Lagos West by the connection of Yewa people of Ogun State in Lagos West through Ishaga and other Yewa people that settled in most parts of Lagos West with many areas bearing Ishaga name. Not a wonder as BIQ is a quintessential grassroots politician with an amiable character and indeed, a unique moniker BIQ.
Again, and convincedly, Senator Adeola won his sixth electoral victory in Ogun State breaking all records and setting a precedent that is wothy of intellectual study in grassroots politics. All was set for the original pursuit that dates back to 2011. BIQ rather than stay behind in Lagos politics decided to follow Yayi in the putsuit for the exalted seat in Ogun State. In the almost one year of Senator Adeola’s success as Ogun West Senator, BIQ, appointed again as Special Assistant to Deputy Senate President (South West Affairs) for Senator Yayi’s role in the Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Barau Jubrin presiding officers of Senate role, was critical to what is now unprecedented representation for the people of Ogun West Senatorial District. There is no event that Senator Adeola attends in Ogun State that will not have BIQ present except he is elsewhere representing the Senator.
That was the case again when Senator Adeola was to attend the Commissioning of the Ilaro-Owode Road constructed by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Administration on May 30, 2024. On a good day, BIQ was in charge of the team moving from Lagos to Ogun State. I came in from Abuja with Senator Yayi and other aides around 9 am and with the BIQ team comprising both Ogun and Lagos stakeholders, moved to Ogun State via Ota to Owode and Ilaro. We arrived around noon at Ilaro traversing the road we were coming to commission.
On arrival to the usual tumultuous reception by all that were gathered for the occasion for Senator Adeola, I quickly cornered BIQ and told him that since we had all not had breakfast up till after noon, it is better that we find something to eat before the arrival of the governor as otherwise we may end up eating breakfast late at night from our experience. He agreed with me and immediately called Tunde Basmarc, another aide of the senator working with him in Lagos to go buy food for those of us in peculiar positions that leaves no time for eating breakfast before diving into our daily schedules. I went back into the tumultuous crowd and minutes later, it was BIQ phone calls ringing on my phone in the cacophony of the still ongoing tumultuous reception for Senator Adeola. I did not bother to pick his calls as from experience of working with him for over a decade, I knew it was a “food is ready” call. I headed for where we had the last conversation and indeed food was ready courtesy of BIQ, a man that could be relied on for his organizational skills from ordering food for colleagues to representation in the law court or effectively representing his principal in high profile events. We all entered one of our airconditioned buses and about 7 of us ate ‘breakfast’ courtesy of BIQ.
The event of commissioning was successful for the Yayi team with critical take away for prognosis analysis and we headed for Abeokuta from Ilaro enroute Lagos. As with politicians, we arrived Lagos very late and spent the early hours of May 31,2024 sorting out issues. As usual, BIQ was responsible for the closure that included the usual Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) for all deserving members of the team particularly security agents. I had to leave for my hotel as I had a 7am flight to Abuja to catch up with so I can attend to official duties in Abuja. In a Abuja, I had a hectic Friday, end of month at work and left staff at about 3pm to go and, again, eat ‘breakfast’, in my usually busy schedule and catch some needed sleep. On my way back home in Abuja, I ate at a restaurant and headed home to sleep in the evening having being at work and on the road for the last 48hours.
Then the bad and sad news came from Femi of Ajeromi, one of the coordinators that worked under BIQ as DG in Lagos. He informed me that BIQ just attended a meeting at Alimosho and on his way to Badagry had an accident and he 99% confirmed his demise. It was a devastating news that kept me just sitting in shock for the next hour in my house having just undress and only in singlet and pant when the call from Femi came. What a huge blow and loss. I had to do the needful. A statement must be issued which I did at about midnight of 31st May. On Friday, June 1, 2024, BIQ was buried according to Muslim rites. I took a flight from Abuja back to Lagos to participate in bidding a friend and colleague a final good bye. I could not make it to Badagry on time for the burial. But I met the prayers for the peaceful repose of his soul. As I man of faith, I submit that only God knows why BIQ had to leave at this time.
BIQ was a good man. He is not the shouting argumentative time. He will silently undertake and achieve tasks under daunting circumstances managing men and resources. He left a vacuum that will be difficult to fill. But as Paulo Coelho posited in his acclaimed book “The Alchemist”, BIQ must have discovered his “Personal Legend” and fulfilled it to be part of the “Soul of the World”. I prayed for the peaceful of his soul and fortitude for his family to bear the irreparable loss. For us the living associated with BIQ, we must trudge on and continue the work he so much believed in working with Yayi. It is yet “victori ascerta”. We move. Rest in Peace, BIQ.
