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Hon. Olanrewaju Oshun speaks passionately on life at 45

Hon. Moshood Olanrewaju Oshun, is a member of Lagos House of Assembly, representing Lagos Mainland Constituency.
He turned 45 on Sunday, May 18, 2014. He celebrated with a special prayer in the morning and a light refreshment.
ENCOMIUM Weekly had an exclusive interview with the birthday boy. He told us his pedigree in politics which started with his father, who was ward chairman in the Second Republic, his brother, who was the Chief Whip, House of Representatives in 1992-1993 moribund Third Republic and how he, in that Third Republic won the party’s ticket as councillor in Lagos Mainland local government but the election didn’t hold because of the June 12, 1993 presidential election annulment.
He also told us his experience in the Lagos House of Assembly, where he has been a member since 2007 and much more.

Congratulations on your birthday celebration.
Thank you very much.
How do you feel turning 45?
There is no difference. It is another day, another year and life continues. The most important thing is I thank God everyday for sparing my life, for making me what I am and for making me who I am. For me, I just say Alihamdulilahi.
The average life span in Nigeria is said to be 42, would you say you are lucky turning 45?
It is by the grace of God and not by luck. Although I tried as much as possible to control what I do, the most important thing is being close to your God and being honest with the people you deal with. Second, you must also care about other people. Other than this, I don’t have any special thing that I do. But luckily for me, I don’t drink and I don’t smoke. I eat anything and I do everything I have to do. But the special grace is God.
You look younger than 45, are there some exercises that you are doing to look this young?
I play football. I love playing football. I love walking on the treadmill and I also play table tennis once in a while. I am trying to learn how to play lawn tennis. I am not very good at it.
Are there certain things you were doing before that you can no longer do because of your new age?
Nothing, except reading which I love a lot. But of late I have not been able to read as much as I love to do because of time. By the time I leave office, I’m always too tired to do any reading.
Which of your childhood memories do you still cherish?
The day I passed my school certificate examination (WASCE) because I knew that was the beginning of good things to come. The day I met my wife was a memorable day for me. The day I had my first child, I can never forget because I was right in the hospital when my wife delivered the baby. Actually, for all my kids, I was usually in the hospital with my wife when she delivered them.
The day I was elected into the Lagos State House of Assembly is a memorable day for me. But my most memorable day was the day I lost my mom. My mom died a year ago and she died in our hands. We were with her when she passed on. That was an experience that I can never forget.
Were you very close to her?
Very close to her. She was a wonderful woman, a virtuous woman and a very religious woman. She cared more about others more than herself. Most of the time, she never asked me anything for herself but she was always troubling me do this and that for others.
When will you consider the most challenging period of your 45 years of existence?
There have been ups and downs and that is what life is all about. There is a saying that no venture no gain. There will be trials and for me every trial is a challenge.
When then would you consider your saddest day?
The day my mom died. Though she was 84 when she died, it was a day I lost a gem. It was a day I lost something of inestimable value. That was a sad day for me. It was a sad day as well as good day for me. Good day because she had always said she wanted to die in her sleep and that was how she died. It was a sad day for me because I was not ready for her to go.
What was growing up like for you?
Wonderful. My dad was a loving man. He was somebody that cared about his family very much. Every day he came back from office with snacks for the children. He cared passionately about his children, he cared about our education.
He was someone that would give his right hand to make sure that his family is okay. It was fun growing for me. We had the usual boys pranks and everything but seriously I had fun growing.
Where did you grow?
I grew up in Abule Ijesha, Yaba.
Is that where you are still living up till now?
It’s a family house and I have my constituency office right beside it. But I live in Alagomeji, which is still within my constituency. That was where my mom was living and that was where she passed on.
Why did you relocate your family abroad?
I did not relocate my family abroad. I had to leave the country during the June 12 (1993) saga. My brother, Hon. Wale Oshun was one of the activists that took part in the struggle for June 12. He was the Chief Whip in the House of Representatives. He was one of the key men that fought for the restoration of June 12. Because of this there were attacks. That was where I met my wife and I started my family.
I never relocated my family abroad. I started my family abroad. I came back in 2001 for 2003 elections and since then I have been here.
But I brought two of my kids back home to get their secondary education here. It wasn’t as if I relocated my family abroad, that is where they’ve always been.
Where and when did your journey into politics start?
My father was the ward chairman of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979 and usually, political meetings were held in our house which I was always part and parcel of. I would be the one to set the place for them and I will be the one to clear the place after the meeting.
When the meeting was going on, I was usually with my father to see what was happening. That was the first stage.
The second stage was when I was living with my brother, Hon. Wale Oshun. He contested for the chairman of Lagos Mainland. That was the old mainland, which includes the present Surulere and Apapa. I took part in his campaign. Then in 1993, I contested as a councilor before the annulment which led to my travelling abroad in 1994. I came back in 1999, when we started democratic rule again in Nigeria.
In 2000, I started my campaign for House of Representatives seat for 2003 elections. But the party said it wasn’t time then that I should wait. In 2007, I came out again and here we are.
So, one could say partisan politics has always been in the family?
Yes, it’s always been in the family because my family has got a history of service. Even up till now, I have a brother who is still serving the party, the state and the country.
He is a member of the National Confab?
Yes.
How will you describe your experience so far as a member of Lagos House of Assembly since 2007?
When we came in 2007, it was a learning experience. We came in running and that’s why the 6th Assembly was the best in the country. It was a wonderful Assembly. It’s been a learning experience and we keep on learning. By and large, it’s been a wonderful experience. I have been able to contribute my quota to the development of my constituency and the state as a whole.
You are the chairman of the House Committee on Local Government. How do you assess the performance of local governments in the state?
Like I have said several times, at different fora, we have one of the best local government administrations in the country. At least our local government chairmen are working. From our research in the course of this job, some local government chairmen in other states are not visible until the end of the month when they come to collect their cheques.
But in Lagos State, we have local government chairmen that are visible, that are working. However, there is room for improvement. That is why our oversight function is to put them under pressure to do all they are supposed to do. By and large, I will give them a pass mark. They’ve been wonderful, they’ve done their best.
Don’t get me wrong. There is room for improvement. Some of them that we feel are not working up to our expectations, have always been corrected and put under pressure to improve. But one thing is clear, you can’t compare the chairmen in Lagos to those in other states. They are far beyond their colleagues in other states.
For someone who has been in politics for this long, what will you say you like about politics?
Like a philosopher said, politics is what we all do every day. We are all political animals. Therefore, we are all politicians. Wherever you are, whether in your home or work place, we all play politics. Politicians are human beings too. People who say they detest politicians because they are bad are not realistic about life generally.
There are good and bad people in all professions. We have good and bad lawyers, good and bad medical doctors, good and bad journalists and so on.
In every profession, we have the good, the bad and the ugly. But because the politicians are in our face, they are the only ones we talk about. There is nothing politicians are doing that is not happening in other fields. That is the truth. There are politicians that are far better than the people criticizing them.
What would you say you like about politics?
So many things. Politics has offered me the opportunity to serve a whole lot of people. It has also afforded me the opportunity to meet a whole lot of people, many of whom I have positively affected their lives.
What is it about politics would you say you don’t like?
Lying. Some people thrive on lying to cause rancour. They tell you lies, go to another person tell him lies about you. For people like this, I don’t have accommodation for them. The way I was brought up is to say this is what I said and this is why I said it.
I may be wrong but I won’t deny what I said. But some people want to defame you by lying against you. I can’t stand such people. But like I said, every profession has its own good, bad and ugly side. That is the ugly side of politics.
Let us know a bit about your immediate family members. Where and how did you meet your wife?
I met my wife through a mutual friend. I have this friend that I went to school with and who went to school with my wife. I went to College of Education with the lady and she went to School of Nursing with my wife. So, we met in her house.
What would you say was the attraction?
The first attraction was her humility. My wife is somebody who can sit in this room for hours and you will not notice she is there.
A very humble woman, pretty woman. Her humility is out of this world. That is what attracted me to her. I don’t know what attracted her to me because when I went to her, she gave me a hell of time. She told me she was not ready bla bla bla. I was persistent and today as they say the rest is history.
How many children is the marriage blessed with?
We have three boys.
How old is the oldest and the youngest?
The oldest is 16 and the youngest is 9.
Is there anyone of them who is already following your footsteps in politics?
I don’t know but it they want to why not, I don’t have any problem with it. But I am not going to force anybody to tow my line.
We are very close to an electioneering period. What are you gunning for in the coming elections?
Two things. One, I am a party person. I believe so much in the party and anywhere my party feels my service would be needed, I will gladly go there. Two, politics is about representation. I am representing some people. Where my people want me to represent them, I will go. But most important, I leave it to Allah. I am waiting for Allah’s guidance on what my next position would be.

– TOLANI ABATTI

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