Ogun Speaker's Day of Glory in Abeokuta
From Toba Suleman in Abeokuta
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Hon. (Mrs) Titilayo Oseni seems to posses all the three aforementioned attributes going by her birth, her achievements and what fate has placed upon her".
That was the introductory part of the captivating citation on Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. (Mrs) Titi Oseni, as presented by veteran broadcaster, Bukky Da-Silva.
The occasion was the conferment of 'The Platinum Award for Excellence", on the 40 year old Speaker of the state legislature. The uniqueness of the event is rooted in the fact that she is not just the Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, but also the first female Speaker in the entire South-west geo-political zone of the federation.
Based on her intimidating Curriculum Vitae (CV) presented before the colourful gathering of distinguished personalities at the award ceremony penultimate week, many believed the organisers of the prestigious award, could not have erred in their choice of the recipient.
The ceremony held at the popular Valley View glass auditorium Oke- Igbein, Government House, Abeokuta was organised by the management of the weekly soft sell magazine, City People.
While justifying the choice of Mrs Oseni for the award, Publisher of the magazine, Mr Seye Kehinde, in his speech, said " in City People, we have a bias for celebrity women who are making waves and impact in the society. By focussing on them and highlighting what they are doing, we try to encourage them to do better".
"Not only that, and to encourage others who are watching from the sidelines to come out of their shell and be part of making Nigeria a better place", he said.
According to the publisher, the media can put in a major contribution to national development by giving recognition to men and women of substance who stand out clearly and stand to be recognised.
He stated further that, as "we make progress in this Fourth Republic, there is need for the media to single out outstanding people that we can hold out as candles in the dark tunnel which we have found ourselves."
"That we have singled out the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly for honour came out of our appreciation of the lofty roles she has played in the recent politics of Ogun State", he maintained.
While not stopping at that, Kehinde said, when Mrs.Oseni was elected as Speaker, she broke the record of being the first female Speaker in the history of Ogun State.
"She is equally the only serving female Speaker in the entire country, if not in the whole continent of Africa. In less than one year also, she has become one to reckon with in the politics of the state. She has also risen to become a leading female figure in politics", he added.
Recalling when Mrs. Oseni took the gauntlet of the speakership, he said people raised doubts about her ability to steer the ship of the Assembly. According to him, during the period, there were others who wondered whether she could stand the heat of politics or even the politics of the male-dominated House.
"There were other issues cynics raised but I wonder if those questions are still being asked twelve month's after she has spent the last year steering the affairs of the House towards peace and stability,"he explained.
He noted that since Mrs. Oseni has taken over as Speakership, the House has continued to work as an indivisible entity to ensure that the people of Ogun state reap the dividends of democracy.
"She has also ensured healthy relationship between the legislature and the executive and this we believe have helped to move the state forward", he maintained.
While acknowledging the laudable achievements recorded by Governor Gbenga Daniel in the past one year in office, equally attributed the lofty achievements to the unalloyed support from the legislators under the speakership of Oseni.
"If you didn't have a Speaker, who could steer the House through all the vicissitudes of law making, the state may not have recorded all the achievements it has recorded over the last few months", he said.
The publisher, however, expressed profound appreciation to Governor Daniel for not only empowering women in the state, but also supporting them.
"If he were a male chauvinist, he could not have supported the speaker and the House, neither could he have wanted to have a female deputy governor", he added.
Other personalites that spoke inculding her colleagues and other Assembly Speakers showered encomium on her for various achievements, especially in politics where she is still believed to be relatively new.
In his remarks, Hon. Rotimi Amechi, Speaker, Rivers State House of Assemb said "I am giving an arduous task of speaking about a woman of honour, integrity and transparency. She is a woman of high moral and academic standard."
"She is highly intelligent, courageous and bold, whose contributions to issues are always accurate and meaningful. Even among her male Counterparts, Hon. Titi Oseni behaves like an American, adding that the cordial relationship she had with her other speaker colleague sat the National level was superb and enough to talk about".
While commending management of the City People Magazine for considering Oseni for the award, Amechi praised Governor Daniel for giving the Speaker the latitude to prove her worth.
He noted that no Speaker could succeed easily and achieve as much as Oseni has achieved in the state without the support of the state governor.
Dr. Tokunbo Oshin, deputy speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, while extolling her virtues, said "she is a woman of note. She radiates beauty and elegance. She is not only brilliant, but she is a genius, and an unrepentant supporter of OGD. I pray that my daughter would be like her".
While praying that more of such honours would come the way of the speaker before the end of her tenure of office, Oshin stated that members of the House, would continue to remain loyal and committed to her.
Jokotola Pelumi, speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly in his own remarks described Titi Oseni as an impressive personality whom one would always love to meet. Recalling his first encounter with her, Pelumi said he was highly impressed with her disposition to him.
According to him, the choice of Oseni as the Speaker of Ogun State has since proved to be a blessing to the people of the state.
Pelumi called on other women from the state to give their maximum support to her, since she is presently representing women folk not only in the State, but the entire country.
Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson (Iyalode of Egbaland) on her part said that behind Successful Governor theremust be a good speaker. She was of the opinion that the laudable achievements recorded by the state government in the past one year were not without the maximum support and cooperation of members of the legislative arm of government under the speakership of Oseni.
While noting that the award was not by accident but through distinct work, Mrs Lawson recalled that within a year the speaker has passed over 100 resolutions.
Also speaking, Chief Okanlawon Soboyede, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ogun State, said "when she first came to me about her political ambition, I was surprised. I quickly asked if she has ever been a politician. She said no, but said, she is a political animal".
Soboyede, who disclosed that, Oseni came from the same ward, local government and senatorial district with him, explained further that shortly after, he started giving her some political lectures.
Governor Daniel, who rounded off the comment session said he agreed in totality with all the speakers about their comments on the speaker.
Referring to Oseni, Daniel said l have no doubt in any mind that you are making history. "For a lady to emerge from the Speaker representing the most active local government, it is nothing short of her political strong will that she possesses".
According to him, it is on record that Ogun State House of Assembly remains the only House that is the most peaceful across the country.
While expressing his satisfaction about the performance of the Speaker in the last one year, Daniel said all the people of Ogun State are proud of her.
In her response, Oseni described the event as most memorable day in her life. "This is the day that the Lord has chosen, we shall all rejoice in it"
"For the Publisher of the City People Magazine to have considered me for this platinum of Excellence Award, is a clear manifestation of their love, understanding and penchant for handwork in Ogun State today".
To this end, Oseni said, "I cannot but dedicate this award to the entire 25 male members of the Ogun State House of Assembly as well as the women folk in the state".
While expressing her profound gratitude and appreciation to Governor Daniel's unflinching support, cooperation and understanding in the past one year, Oseni said his (Daniel) kind interest in providing the wherewithal for the House actually contributed in no small measure to "our success story".
Born in September1964, Mrs. Oseni had her elementary education at the Trinity Nursery and Primary School, Ijaye, Abeokuta. From there, she proceeded to the famous Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta for her secondary education where she sat for the mandatory West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC) in 1980.
With her commitment and determination to explore the academic world, she went further in her scholastic pursuit and was at the Upsala College at New Jersey, United States of America in 1988, where she bagged the Bachelor of Arts Degree (B. A. Hons) in Business Administration.
Her political antecedents dated back to her student days in the United States of America where she was a prominent activist rising against all forms of injustice.
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