Senator Odebiyi’s Legislative Interventions in the Ninth N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye profiles the legislative activities Of the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Tolu Odebiyi
At the inauguration of the Ninth Senate on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, Senator Tolu Odebiyi, was one of the few Senators who were cutting their legislative teeth in the National Assembly. The 57-year old first time Senator and holder of a first degree in Building Construction Technology has over 25 years of International and domestic real estate experience with core competences in the areas of Building Construction, Property Management Portfolio and Project Development Analysis. In 2012, he became the Managing Director of Agbara Estates Limited, a development and Investment company with over N20billion in assets worth.
Tolu Odebiyi indicated interest in 2014 and ran as a Senatorial aspirant in Ogun West Senatorial District under the All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2017, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Governor of Ogun State, a position he occupied until 2018 when he contested under the APC as a Senatorial candidate. He had a landslide victory and won the election to represent Ogun West Senatorial District.
Few weeks into the life of the Ninth Senate and with the composition of the upper chamber ’s standing committees, Senator Odebiyi was named the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and member of several other Committees. In recognition of his sterling performance and quality contribution on the floor of the Senate, he was appointed a member of the ECOWAS Parliament to represent Nigeria.
The determination of Odebiyi to help raise the standard of life of the less privileged in the society and the enthronement of peace in the country led to his participation in quality legislation of laws that will quicken that process.
In the last two years, the Senator has sponsored no fewer than eight bills in various stages of legislation and also contributed meaningfully at plenary to several bills sponsored by his colleagues.
The bills sponsored by Odebiyi include the bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the National Burns and Rehabilitation Centre, Ilaro, Ogun state to provide intensive treatment and the rehsbilitative needs of burns victims and to train capable hands in the treatment of burns related injuries and for other related matters (SB676) which has been read for the first time at plenary by Senate Leader, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya.
Another one is the Bill for an Act To Establish The National Institute for Border studies, Imeko, Ogun State which is to provide for teaching, research, instruction and training of students in Border Management and for other Matters Connected Therewith (SB. 266) 2020. It has passed third reading.
Also, there is the Bill For An Act To Alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 CAP C23 LFN 2004, to make provision for change of name of the area referred to as ‘Egbado’ to ‘Yewa’ in Ogun State as contained in the First Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) 2020 (SB. 357). This has passed second reading and is at the level of public hearing.
Others include A Bill For An Act To Establish The National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management, Aiyetoro, Ogun State To Provide For Teaching, Instruction And Training Of Students In Food Processing, Preservation And Entrepreneurship Management And For Other Related Matters and is under consideration for first reading.
The other four bills to the credit of Odebiyi are: A Bill For An Act To Establish The Federal Vocational And Skills Acquisition College, Iboro, Ogun State which has undergone first reading;
A Bill For An Act To Amend The National Youth Service Corps Act And Other Related Matters has also passed first reading; A Bill For An Act To Establish The Chartered Institute Of Administrators And Registrars Of Nigeria Universities has also passed first reading and
The Federal College Of Education (Technical) Ipokia, Ogun State Bill, 2020 which has passed through second reading and is awaiting public hearing.
Senator Odebiyi is also known to have moved several motions during Senate plenary sessions between June, 2019 and July, 2021 when the upper legislative chamber proceeded on its annual vacation.
The motions include Motion of urgent public importance on the need for the Senate and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to investigate and ensure the immediate and speedy release of two Nigerians, Pastor Kunle Garb and his interpreter, Mr. Benjamin Amosu, who were unlawfully arrested and detained by security officials from Republic of Benin in Nigeria on 24th June, 2021 at Igbokofi, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The two Nigerians were released few days after the motion sponsored by Senator Odebiyi was raised and adopted on the floor of the 9th Senate.
The love Senator Odebiyi has for the less privileged and the most vulnerable
member of the society made him in 2019 to launch the Tolu Odebiyi Foundation that has four primary areas of focus namely Education, Health
Care, Youth Welfare and Women/Widows Empowerment. When it was
launched in October 2019, over 54 Ogun West undergraduate students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria benefitted from the scholarship award.