Buhari reveals how he got approval for railway extension to Oko, Ogbomoso, narrates ‘PhD’ frustrations
Femi OGUNLANA
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The senator representing Oyo North senatorial district, Dr. Abdulfatai Omotayo Buhari, has revealed how he got the federal government’s approval for rail line extension to Ogbomoso in Oyo state.
According to the three-time senator, who was chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport during the 9th National Assembly, the opportunity came fortuitously after he was summoned by the then Senate President Ahmad Lawan to oversee the plan to extend the rail line to his own town Geshua, in Yobe state.
Buhari who made the disclosure during a radio interview on Parrot FM Ogbomoso Tuesday said he quickly used the opportunity to solicit an extension to Ogbomoso to be included in the papers.
At the brief interaction, Buhari said the Chinese contractors who would handle the project were also present but they told Senator Lawan the project specification was to make the rail line pass through only state capitals.
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However, the Chinese businessmen hinted that if the extension is not more than 100 kms, they could make the rail line veer-off to a new location. That is how the veer-off to Geshua from Damaturu (Yobe state capital), was approved, Buhari added.
Sequel to that discussion, Buhari who recently played lead role in facilitating the rehabilitation of old Ogbomoso – Oyo road, began to work furtively on securing the rail line veer-off to the Ogbomoso zone and so began to push for the extension to reach beyond Oko in Surulere local government.
Fortunately, the then permanent secretary in the ministry of transport is an Edo woman married to an Ogbomoso man (Mr. Ajani) and another person Solomon, a clerk, also was drawn in, they both assisted in getting approval for the veer-off of the rail line to Oko, which is about twenty minutes drive to Ogbomoso.
Buhari informed how he also got the late Soun of Ogbomosoland Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III involved to talk to the husband of the woman, Mr. Ajani, and to the woman herself, to get her wholly committed to the project.
The efforts sailed through, though the senator stressed when it would materialize is unknown but that the foundation had been laid.
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“When I was chairman of the railway committee in the ninth National Assembly, it was approved that the rail line passes through all the state capitals. I was summoned one day by my boss, Ahmad Lawan, and I saw a (new) file on his table.
“In his office that day were some Chinese contractors. He said he wanted me to monitor the project of the extension of rail lines. He said the line passed through Damaturu but that he asked them to make an extension to Geshua where he came from. That set my head ringing. So, the contractors agreed they would do it if it is not more than 100 kms.
“And the extension they are talking about, Damaturu to Geshua, is not more than 100 kms. I now chipped in, ‘Oga it is supposed to pass through Ogbomoso too.’ But he responded that it passed through Ogbomoso now. You know, these Hausa people confuse Ogbomoso with Osogbo (capital of Osun state). I explained to him that Osogbo is different from Ogbomoso. That is how I now mentioned Oko, in view of the 100 kms veer-off option, that Oko is still within Ogbomoso zone.
“They approved his own. But as God would have it, I found two persons who assisted me a lot, a permanent secretary in the transport ministry, an Edo woman, who is married to an Ogbomoso man. And one other person, Solomon. They assisted a lot to the full extent of their capabilities. I discussed with these two persons how we could make it veer-off to Ogbomoso, and we began to work underneath.
“I also told the late Soun Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, who said he knew the husband. I asked Baba to call him, and he immediately did so. I didn’t discuss it with anyone except those close to me. When I returned to the woman I chatted her up, we discussed and let her know if she did it, it is for her children she did it for. She did wonderfully well to make it even beyond Oko. It will be made the terminal like it was done for Geshua. So, it has secured approval.
“You see, it is cheaper for it to pass through Oyo, Ogbomoso to Ilorin but we do not have old rail and that is what they wanted,” he disclosed.
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He emphasized that the project has not yet materialized, but that there is hope one day it would, while saying, “The president recently went to China to secure funds for the project, and papers were signed. We have laid the foundation but we don’t know when it would materialize but l am saying this so that when it sees the light of the day people will remember, I might not even be in the House at the time.”
Meanwhile, the Ibapon Prince expressed regrets that the town is heavily plagued by pull-him-down (PhD) syndrome, averring that it is at the roots of underdevelopment in the land.
“It is regrettable, we indulge in a lot of pull-him-down shenanigans. This is discouraging. They will (ignorantly) claim, ‘Yes, he is not doing anything, he is just there.’ They will jeer, ‘is he the only one?’ They talk as if I am the president, who has the executive power to give approvals. Though I am never bothered by such criticisms. But it affects us a lot. It is ignorance and it becomes more painful when the so-called learned people, elites are involved in such.. We should learn how to encourage ourselves, to do more.”
