on his path to power. Others painted the image of an academic never-do-well, whose wealth and power were derived from his association with the military in their hey days.
Omisore’s stint with the leadership of Alliance for Democracy (AD) when he served as deputy governor in Osun State in Chief Bisi Akande’s administration might have helped in oiling the paint his political opponents used in tarnishing his image at the beginning of the current democratic experiment. No one would deny the tenacity of the opposition that led to his removal from office as deputy governor.
As someone who has monitored Omisore’s politics over the years and worked closely with him in his days at the National Assembly, I have found it imperative to correct some apparent misconceptions about the person and character of the man who served as Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, the engine room and indeed the mother of all standing committees in the Red Chamber.
To some politicians, there was nothing virtuous about Omisore’s adherence to the dictates of elders in AD in 1999, when he agreed to be the running mate to Chief Akande, despite having what was seen as a strong political structure on ground. After series of gubernatorial campaigns during the Late General Sani Abacha transition programme, Omisore succeeded in establishing a formidable political structure ahead of 1999. He could easily have won the primaries if the elders had allowed one. Unlike the situation in Lagos which threw up the Bola Tinubu versus Funsho Williams saga, Omisore agreed to serve as deputy to Akande. It was agreed then that he would be allowed to vie for governorship in 2003, but as everyone knows, that kind of promise was difficult to keep. That’s the genesis of his scuffle with Akande which was why some thought he was hungry for power.
More than anything else, the association of Omisore with thuggery leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Apparently for political convenience, his opponents painted a picture of a man who is only seen in the midst of thugs, a sort of Baba ita, (leading thug) whose hallmark remains deeply rooted in trouble making. But that was a disservice to a Prince of Yoruba land. Perhaps, his undoing was the decision he took out of humility not to adopt the preferred title of prince like those from royal homes. The odyssey of his education is neither shrouded in mystery nor confusion. He is a registered engineer owns an engineering firm, which is reputable for constructing major dams and structures across the country.
I must confess that the ugly picture painted of Omisore as a never-do-well affected our relationship with him during his first tenure at the National Assembly. As a senator in 2003, he had few friends and also had little or no time to prove his mettle as he was in detention for a long time. Indeed, there was a push for his recall at a stage until the leadership of the Senate under Senator Adolphus Wabara invoked a constitutional provision and told those pushing for his recall that he was away from the chamber on “just cause.” Eventually, when he was admitted fully into the Senate at the end of his trial over late Chief Bola Ige’s death, where the court discharged and acquitted him of any wrong doing, it was a bit late for him to have much impact in that Senate.
His return to the Senate in 2007 was remarkable. He was to emerge as the senate leader but for religious considerations, which had thrown up Senator Teslim Folarin. Since Senators David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu had emerged senate president and deputy senate president respectively, there was the need to appoint a Muslim from the South West as senate leader and the odds fell on Folarin.
The Senate appeared to be in quandary as to what position to give Omisore. Those who saw him as a fiery fellow were afraid he could prove difficult to handle if not given the chairmanship of the Appropriation Committee, which was the next most important slot allocated to the South West, but they were said to be apprehensive as he had not been tested for the huge task.
Grudgingly, the Senate President resolved to make Omisore the number one committee chairman in the Senate. As a backup, Senator Mark was said to have briefed his deputy, Ekweremadu and then Senate Leader, Folarin to be on the alert in case Omisore failed on the job. The duo were to set up a secret structure to salvage the budget, if Omisore failed to perform.
But the test for the Ile-Ife politician was not to be delayed. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua forwarded the Supplementary Appropriation Budget to the National Assembly around September 2007. It was a test many expected Omisore to fail. His counterpart in the House, Hon. Ayo Adeseun had also left much of the work for Omisore, who is senior to him in the politics of the South West. He single-handedly handled the budget to the extent that the House only concurred with the almost infallible figures he submitted.
Today, senators of the Sixth Senate will easily agree that Omisore remained the best chairman of Appropriation Committee in recent times. He gave everyone his or her dues and ensured a good budget each year. His mastery of the appropriation process was extraordinary. Incidentally, he is not an accountant. His deftness was first established in the way he handled the 2007 Supplementary Appropriation. That was said to have sent signals to Senators Ekweremadu and Folarin that their stand-by role was a non issue. Omisore performed the job effortlessly.
Omisore also handled the 2008 budgetary process with ease. My interactions with him revealed an avid reader, a diligent academic who is very impatient with dullness. He was indeed eager to learn every minute. He reeled out budgetary issues like American congressmen at different times in history and convinced all that he could handle greater tasks.
When Late President Yar’Adua’s government had complaints about the 2008 budget, Omisore readily explained that the National Assembly is the custodian of the budget and that the entire national budget is a constituency project while senators and members of the House of Representatives are obliged to oppose its passage if they feel their constituencies are marginalized. He said that was settled long ago by the American Congress.
But the mastery of the budget made him a target of a sort of coup in the Senate. Those who felt uneasy conspired and sought his removal. They claimed in the media that Omisore had cornered all constituency projects for the South West and located them in Osun State, while he was also said to have captured that of the entire North and located them in Benue South, David Mark’s constituency.
It was clearly a coup meant to remove Omisore and shake the presidency of David Mark at the Senate , but Omisore handled the saga by cleverly handling relevant documents. At a closed session to address the issue, he unveiled the documented contributions of all senators to the budget to their surprise. It was as if he treated the minutest of the documents with the reverence of a holy book. Thus, when he unfolded the details at the closed session, he silenced his critics.As an insider in the chamber, I am aware Mark himself was surprised at Omisore’s handling of the civilian coup.
That was not all. As Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Omisore lifted the committee to an international standard. He left the committee as the best organized in terms of office space and structure in the National Assembly. He facilitated an international partnership by the committee for the first time through the establishment of the Inclusive Budgeting Initiative (INBI) co-funded by NASS and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The programme was aimed at securing direct input of Nigerians in the budgeting process annually. There were meetings with ordinary Nigerians and civil society groups representing the 774 local governments of the country ahead of every budget and their inputs helped the budgetary process a lot. At that time, the National Assembly had the opportunity of working with the best economists and budget consultants across the world, while staff of the committee were exposed to trainings across the globe.
Inevitably, when Omisore was ordered to face a rerun election, staff of the National Assembly donated huge sums to print posters and handbills to support him. Many also prayed for his return in 2011.
Another surprising thing was how he coped with his duties as Senate Appropriation Chairman and his PhD programme which he completed few months after leaving the Senate. He’s a workaholic, a man in relentless search of knowledge. In Senator Iyiola Omisore, Osun State is assured of a due diligence performer who will give everyone his dues. In him, the state would be blessed with such an accomplished administrator.
source: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=75113
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