Teslim Folarin

Teslim Folarin
Senator for Oyo Central
In office 29 May 2007 – May 2011
Preceded by	Brimmo Yusuf
Succeeded by	Ayoade Ademola Adeseun
Personal details
Born	October 1963 Oyo State, Nigeria
Political party	People Democratic Party PDP

Teslim Kolawole Folarin (born October 1963 in Zaria) is a Nigerian politician.

Early life

He is a son of Alhaji and Alhaja Hamzat Folarin. He stemmed from Baale House in Oja Igbo area of Ibadan North-East Local Government area of Oyo State. He is the Head (Mogaji) of his family House and a ranked traditional Chief in Ibadanland. He is the Laguna Olubadan of Ibadanland.^[1]

He attended primary school in Lagos; his secondary education was completed at Nigeria's premier secondary school, Methodist Boys High School. He holds a B.Sc (Hons) degree in Political Science from the University of Ibadan and a diploma degree from Harvard University, USA. He spent some years gathering valuable civil service experience in the UK, including management roles at the Department of Trade in London before returning to Nigeria in 2002. He performed his obligatory NYSC tenure in Kaduna and joined politics thereafter.^[2]

Political career

He contested and won the senatorial seat to represent Oyo Central in 2003 at the age of 39 years on the platform of the PDP and was re-elected based on his performance for a second term in 2007 on the platform of the same PDP. He remains the only legislator in Oyo State who has served two terms at the Senate. At the Senate, his leadership skills were recognized and he was rewarded with the position of the Leader of the Senate. He also served on the Senate Committee on Business & Rules, Marines and Transport although his peculiar interests were in Education, Power Supply and Water Resources. It’s not surprising that he was in the thick of the Power probe in 2008. As the Leader of the Senate, he led debates on all Executives Bills and sponsored several private Bills himself.^[3] These included the Insurance Act, Armed Forces Pension Act and several others. He is famously known for being one of the brains and engineers behind the Doctrine of Necessity, which necessitated President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan to assume full presidential powers and prevent a collapse of the 4th republic, after President Yar’Adua’s demise.

During his tenure at the Senate, he also facilitated and oversaw several projects into his Senatorial District of Oyo Central including the construction of the Ibadan-Ilorin Express Road (phase 1&2), rehabilitations of Ibadan-Ijebu Ode road, upgrading of the Ibadan Airport in Egbeda, construction of school blocks at Apatere (Lagelu LG), Origi (Surulere LG), Olubode and Idi Ose (Ona Ara LG). He also constructed several kilometers of road at Olubadan Estate and in various locations in Egbeda and Oyo districts. In addition, he donated fully equipped health centres to the following communities; Pade Village (Akinyele LG), Olode (Oluyole LG) and Araromi (Oyo East LG). His passion to ensure that his senatorial district enjoys basic amenities saw him facilitating power supply to 48 villages and water supply to 168 locations in his Senatorial District. He operates without propaganda. He is a man of modest and humble temperament who executed all the above projects without fanfare at their completion.^[4]

He won the gubernatorial ticket of his great party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014.^[5] Senator Teslim Folarin brings unprecedented peace to his party in Oyo State thus putting an end to age-long political thuggery and bringadage. An advocate of free and fair elections.

During his governorship campaign across his State, his campaign train was the only one devoid of political violence. Although, he lost his election bid to the ruling party in the State, he is a believer in “winners never quit, quitters never win.” A Marxist whose passion for politics is necessitated by the love for his State’s and people’s emancipation. At the collation of election results, due to the love for his dear State and people, he was the first gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State to concede defeat to the winning party thus dousing heightened tension that could have engulfed the State.

He is a bridge between the old and the young generation is an agent of change who is working tirelessly towards the rebranding of the largest political party in Africa and he is currently the convener of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) repositioning for the next upset victory at the polls.^[6]

Personal life

Folarin is a philanthropist who identifies areas of developmental dearth amongst his people and sacrificially improves their living conditions in areas of power, water supply, rehabilitation of roads, health care and stomach infrastructure.

Despite being of a quiet disposition, Senator Folarin enjoys being amidst his people. He is passionate about football, enjoys reading and can often be found potting pool balls. He is happily married with children to Barr. Angela Folarin, a woman whose passion is in caring for widows and destitute through her NGO, “Sidikatu Abebi Foundation” named after her mother-in-law.^[7]

References