Prior to the 2023 general elections, the people of Ogbomoso Zone spoke with one voice when they rallied behind Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala following his nomination as Deputy Governor to Senator Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja.
Twenty-three years after, history appears to be repeating itself.
The Allied Peoples Movement, APM, has nominated Engr. Muftau Open Salawu, FNSE, as its Deputy Governorship candidate to Hon. Bimbo Adekambi for the 2027 general elections.
Engr. Salawu, who holds the traditional titles of Babalaje of Ogbomosoland and Giwa Adini of Oyo State, hails from Ile Alapa, Isale Ora, Ita Alasa in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.
A call has gone out to the people of Ogbomoso Zone and beyond to extend to Salawu the same level of support given to the late Alao-Akala, on account of his contributions to the development of the zone.
A profile of his interventions shows a record of support cutting across faith, education, empowerment and infrastructure.
On community and faith, Engr. Salawu donated a bus to the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ogbomoso Zone, in 2021. He has sponsored Rev. Dr. Titilade Adetayo's Christian radio programme on Parrot FM every Friday in the last 10 years, and has donated to various churches across Ogbomoso. For 10 years, he has also been sponsoring both Muslim and Christian programmes on Parrot FM, Ogbomoso.
On the Islamic faith, he built the Central Mosque in Ilajue, Surulere Local Government Area and the Central Mosque in Olokoto, Oriire Local Government Area. He also built the mosques in Ile Ogiri and Tara in Ogbomoso, supported the foundation of the Ikoyi Central Mosque and roofed several Jumat mosques.
He initiated the Itikaf programme at the Ogbomoso Central Mosque and has funded the feeding of 100 participants annually since 2023. He has also fed 9,000 people every Ramadan for the past eight years.
In the area of education and empowerment, he is providing full lifeline scholarships for 20 students from primary school to university, many of whom are now in higher institutions. He gave 50 laptops to indigent students across Ogbomoso and recently granted N1 million startup capital each to several traders, while supporting many others with business capital.
He donated 300 bags of rice with cash to party members during festive periods over the last three years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he distributed over N10 million worth of food items to the community. He donated N10 million to the Ogbomoso Education Endowment Fund and has consistently supported all Ogbomoso development programmes. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the proposed Ogbomoso University.
On infrastructure, he distributed 50 motorcycles, known as the Green Bikes, to beneficiaries across party lines, drilled several boreholes in many communities and provided a 200KVA transformer at Okin Apa. He also facilitated 46 kilometres of township roads in Ogbomoso, with work now at an advanced stage.
On employment, he is credited with facilitating appointments for sons and daughters of Ogbomoso into federal and state services, including nine federal government appointments and 65 state government appointments.
According to his supporters, like Alao-Akala, Engr. Salawu has always been present for the cause of Ogbomoso, a reason he enjoys cordial relationships with traditional rulers and religious leaders across the zone.
Social Plugin