Like Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, it is apt to say that, Senator Adams Oshiomhole is one of the people who by dint of divine grace and hard work, He Came; He Saw;He Conquered. In classical Latin: ” Veni, Vidi, Vici.”
The Odyssey of Senator Adams Oshiomhole is simply, athrilling tale of a man who has come a long way, traversing through several lands, climes and seasons. Unlike many with similar variegated exposures in their lives, Oshiomhole is not like the proverbial “rolling stone that gathers no moss.”
At every station and in all his contacts and engagements, he exudes an amazing tapestry of the kind of wisdom found only in somebody with a rich background of experience and knowledge. In spite of his disarming self-effacing mien, it is obvious to the discerning even in a fleeting encounter that, the man is highly cerebral, sharp witted.
The character traits and attributes that today define the personality of Senator Adams Oshiomhole began to manifest when at a tender age, he left his native agrarian native home of Iyamho, Auchi in today’s Edo state to the comparatively bustling metropolitan cities of Kano and later, Kaduna to the far north of the country.
The young Adams was quick in assimilating and adapting to his new environment, that was so different from the world he was used to, in terms of cultural and language divergences.
As it happens to young persons of impressionable minds in cosmopolitan settings, his new circles of friends were people of different ethnic, social and cultural backgrounds. Most of the bonds of friendships he cultivated way back then, have endured through decades till date.
Providentially, his life was divinely guided to the textile industry in Kaduna still in his tender, formative years. There, as a young worker, he developed and nurtured his latent, inborn leadership qualities, his organisational acumen, his oratory, his selflessness, humane spirit and steadfast courage in the pursuits of goals he adjudged to be just courses.
It was natural for Adams Oshiomhole to be attracted to trade union activities as he did. He quickly evolved into a zestful unionist with overt single-minded commitment to the struggle for workers welfare. The workers reciprocated by continually supporting him in his upward climb on the rungs of union’s leadership hierarchy.
From leadership positions at the local chapters of the union, he climbed steadily all the way to the pinnacle of becoming the General Secretary of the National Textiles and Garment Workers Union of Nigeria. The crowning point of his leadership role in labour union activitism, was his election as President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC for a two terms of eight years,1999 to 2007.
The era was a watershed marked by phenomenal turning points in the anals of the nation’s labour movement. One outstanding challenge at the time, was that of steering the wheel of labour union through the historic transition of the country from military dictatorship to democratic civilian governance. To his eternal credit, Adams Oshiomhole demonstrated the requisite leadership in the face of the emerging challenges.
Coinciding with a period when workers needed fundamental improvement in their conditions of service, the labour union required a courageous and focussed leadership especially, in the face of an equally strong and resolute President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Oshiomhole robustly showcased his gifted oratory, strategic thinking and organisational skills in a steadfast commitment to the course of the workers. Among other feats, he successfully negotiated wage increase for public sector workers, engaged in mass mobilisation against removal of petroleum subsidy and brought labour into reckoning as a critical force in a democracy.
At the end of the day, the name of Adams Oshiomhole was etched amongst the f iconic legends in the cast of Michael Imodu and Hassan Sumonu in the golden chapters of the nation’s labour movement.
From the turfs of labour union, Oshiomhole ventured into partisan politics when he successfully contested the Edo state governorship race in 2008. Again, love him or hate him, there is no gainsaying the fact that he left Edo state much better than he met it.
During his two terms of eight years, 2008 to 2016, he initiated and aggressively pursued transformative programmes and projects that culminated in a plethora of legacy milestones in urban renewal, infrastructure, economic and social security facets of Edo state.
After a stint as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, 2018 to 2020, Oshiomhole in 2023, sought and obtained the mandate of the constituents of his Edo North senatorial district to represent them in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly.
By the quality of his contributions to debates at plenaries as well as, in the rigorous performance of his oversight functions, it is hardly debatable that only few, if any, of his colleagues in the upper Chambers can hold the candle to Senator Oshiomhole. That is, in terms of a background as colourful, diverse and richly endowed.
Unlike a majority of the Senators who are rarely visible at the sittings of the Senate, Adams Oshiomhole is not only regular at plenaries, he is also a vocal and courageous contributor to issues of crucial bearings to the peace, security, development and progress of the country. He has since carved a niche for himself as one that is always daring to veer into salient national issues which most of the other lawmakers tend to avoid for reasons of fear or, narrow self-serving interests.
For instance, most of the nation’s law makers have always played dumb and ignorant of the stupefying level of heist that is carried out at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC. Oshiomhole proved an exception when he moved a motion for a probe into the highly publicised allegations of fraud in trillions of Naira at the agency. That call would certainly have rattled not a few vested interests within and outside the National Assembly.
Similarly, it was vintage Adams Oshiomhole, the Senator from Edo state, who dared to move yet another motion for the adoption of drastic and urgent measures against the murderous, illegal mining activities by a few nefarious persons.
According to him, curbing the menace of illegal mining amounts to drastically taming the ravaging monsters of banditry, kidnapping particularly in the northwest and north central regions of the country. By daring to call for measures to eliminate illegal mining, Oshiomhole was inadvertently stepping on powerful, deadly toes.
It was a call for a war against the Mafia who, in order to enhance their illegal ventures of stealing our common patrimony of gold, lithiums and several other precious minerals, have been recruiting and arming the rampaging vicious bands of terrorists in parts of the country where solid minerals are known to abound. It is of course, not unlikely that the people’s Senator was not conscious of the dangers to himself. He was just being himself: a patriotic leader propelled by share courage and altruism.
Even as he has been dutiful and diligent in his services as a Senator of the Federal Republic, it is noteworthy that Adams Oshiomhole has as well engaged in a wide range of development activities in his constituency of Edo North. His impacts have been particularly profound in infrastructure development, education and skills training, healthcare access, youth and women empowerment, security and community safety programmes.
To us in Edo state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole stands out conspicuously in the galaxy of outstanding leaders that our state has been so uniquely lucky to have in its history. We are equally very happy and proud to have produced leader of the stature of Adams Oshiomhole for the nation. In many climes, he will be celebrated as an iconic statesman, a special divine gift to the nation.
Osamudiamen Lucky Aghedo, Secretary of Nigerian Professionals in the UK, writes from Manchester, Britain.
