“I met Rauf sometime in 1991 when I was running for the Lagos West Senatorial District ticket of the Social Democratic Party. This was at a meeting of the leaders of the Alimosho Local Government branch of the defunct Social Democratic Party. He was also running for the House of Representatives. What struck me about this young man was his frankness and openness. Though he lost the primary election by just one vote, his obvious leadership qualities and his contributions to the emergence of the party candidate in the general election is a lesson in party politics.
“When I decided to run for the Office of Governor in Lagos State, I wanted a man of integrity, intelligence, hard work and experience in the realm of politics. My mind immediately went to Rauf and I invited him on board my campaign team as the Chief of General Staff. Without doubt, his contributions made the difference in my emergence as the party candidate and the subsequent victory of the party.
“As a member of my cabinet, Rauf has displayed a rare sense of commitment to his assignment as the Honourable Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure and to Lagos State. He is a very resourceful, innovative and productive individual. “In terms of creativity, dependability and passion for any assignments, you can rely on him that he will deliver. In terms of quality, you can go to sleep because his trained instinct as an engineer would not miss any detail.
“He is a passionate human being who is totally committed to any cause he believes in. Give Rauf an assignment, he does not need any supervision, you can rest assured that the job would not only be done, it would be done well and on time.
“As a politician, I know Rauf has a bundle of passion for a truly democratic Nigeria. I am not surprised about his desire to contest for the Office of Governor of Osun State. The Nigerian political space needs men like Rauf Aregbesola who are sticklers for the rule of law and other democratic tenets. He has demonstrated the capacity to captain and steer a ship and I am convinced about his ability to chart new courses. These are rare combinations of who a true leader is. He is a leader of possibility and not probability……….”
Comment : Information for the ignorants who may not know, or for mischief makers who knows but will not accept the reality of it, or the ones with sense of entitlements that they should have been the one.
