Oyekoya Akintunde
Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu’s sojourn into politics was not accidental; it was a pre-destined journey driven by the conviction that when the righteous leave leadership recruitment to the very few, there is a strong possibility that wolves will fill the vacuum. This philosophy has anchored a political career spanning over three decades.
Born on 25 February 1962 into a metropolitan family, his upbringing combined opulence and provision with regimental discipline. This uncommon equilibrium moulded him and gave him the opportunity to see both sides of life — privilege and struggle — which shaped the grassroots instinct he displays today.
As a young boy, Hon. Adebutu’s love for friends and family was palpable, so it was no surprise when he grew up to associate with people across all social strata, making his home a sanctuary for the downtrodden. He often says the ornament of a house is the people who frequent it. That belief produced a trait his associates now call AVA: Accessibility, Visibility, and Acceptability — attributes uniquely ingrained in him.
In the Ogun State political landscape, Hon. Adebutu exemplifies a rare hybrid of feedlots, floor motions, and philanthropy , an unusual combination of traits all ingrained in him. Trained as an analytical chemist, he chose farming immediately after his 1987 service year in Biu, determined to promote sustainable food security and create employment. He has since spent decades in politics and shown a deep capacity for empathy. This combination of regimental discipline, enterprise, and service compounds like elements in a lab to yield results.
Today he stands as one of Nigeria’s leading farmers. By introducing sophisticated farming methods, he has grown his enterprise into a major agribusiness that boasts 5,000 cows and 30,000 pigs, among other livestock. His achievements are widely regarded as a turning point in Nigeria’s and Africa’s agricultural sector, proof that science and enterprise can meet national need.
Politically, Adebutu has been active for over 30 years. He was first elected to the House of Representatives for Remo Federal Constituency in 1992 on the Social Democratic Party platform. He later sought the Senate under the United National Congress Party in 1998, and contested for the National Assembly on the Peoples Democratic Party ticket in 2003, 2007, and 2011. In September 2007 he was appointed Full-Time Commissioner II in the Ogun State Local Government Service Commission, and upgraded to Commissioner I within a month. During his time at the LGSC, he facilitated appointments, promotions, training, and jobs for local government workers and Remo indigenes across state parastatals.
On 28 March 2015, he returned to the National Assembly, elected to represent Remo Federal Constituency Sagamu, Ikenne, and Remo North LGs in the 8th Assembly. As Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development from 2015 to 2019, he sponsored key motions that reflected his dual interests in agriculture and rural welfare. He called for a re-imposition of the ban on malted barley imports to save Nigeria’s sorghum industry, pushed for investigations into the lack of rural healthcare facilities, and demanded action on the delayed National Rural Telephony Project. He also moved for federal security intervention in Ogun Waterside LGA against militants and kidnappers, urged protection for indigenous language film-makers, and pressed for the urgent completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway after witnessing the August 2015 gridlock that left motorists stranded overnight. His major legislative proposal, the National Film and Censors Board (Amendment) Bill 2017, sought to include theatre arts and indigenous language film producers on the Board to protect Nigerian languages and culture.
Within Remo Federal Constituency, his 2015–2022 scorecard includes classroom blocks at Ansar-ud-deen Primary School and Ode Remo High School, and Wesley School in Sagamu; complete renovation of the Emergency Unit at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital; re-roofing of a section of General Hospital, Iperu Remo; motorized boreholes in Sagamu, Isara, and Ilara Remo; and mass empowerment with tricycles, motorcycles, computers, deep freezers, hair dryers, barbing kits, fryers, and garri processing machines.
Beyond his legislative work, Adebutu established the Ladi Adebutu Democratic Organisation (LADO) in 2015. Guided by Albert Pine’s words — _“What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains; and it is immortal”_ , LADO has donated over 500 units of 500KVA transformers, built a bridge along Ajibode-Konifewo Road in Ado-Odo/Ota LGA, graded roads and constructed culverts in Ogijo and Mowe, and funds the LADO Empowerment Institute, a free vocational center in Ota.
His community ties run deep. As Chairman of the Akesan Day Celebrations Committee in 2007, he raised substantial funds for Iperu’s development. Traditional institutions have responded with titles: Lisa-Aje Egba by the Alake of Egbaland; Lisa-Aje Ota Awori by the Olota; Okanlomo and Seriki of Iperu-Remo by the Alaperu; Aruwajoye of Ode Remo by the Alaye; Otun Ajagungbade of Remoland by the Akarigbo; and Maiyakun of the Nupe Community in Remoland, among others. He is Vice Patron of Abeokuta Sports Club, a member of Akesan Club Iperu and Remo Club, and an honorary member of the Lions Club, Abeokuta Metropolitan.
Spiritually, Adebutu straddles Nigeria’s two main faiths. He is an active member and Patron of the Celestial Church of Christ, Tiwadire Ipile-Ogbon Sagamu, a member of the Pastor-in-Council of CCC Worldwide, and Baba Ewe of the Methodist Church, Ibu Road, Iperu Remo. He also bears the Islamic name _Kamorudeen_ from his grandparents and holds the titles Balogun Zumurat-Ul-Muminin and Mayegun Adini of Ogun Waterside for his support of Islamic programs.
A Chelsea FC supporter, he owns Ladi Adebutu FC and serves as Patron of Remo Football Academy and Ikenne LGA Football Council. Through the Ladi Adebutu Under-20 Football Competition for Ogun East youths, he helped discover talents like Ibrahim Deinde, Ayodele Femi, and Udoh Akpan. Akpan went on to become first-choice goalkeeper for Nigeria’s victorious Golden Eaglets at the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile.
On a personal level, his philanthropy extends beyond constituency work. He has funded roads, drainages, and classrooms; awarded bursaries and scholarships; run free health and vocational programs; built a ₦2.5m ICT Resource Centre at Ilisan; donated a sports pavilion to Federal Government Girls College, Sagamu; drilled boreholes; established viewing centers in all 35 wards of Remo Federal Constituency; built a mosque for the Nupe Community in Sagamu; and donated millions in building materials to palaces and civic centers across Remoland.
In 2018 he emerged as the PDP governorship flagbearer for Ogun State but could not contest the 2019 election due to legal disputes and party leadership tussle. On 25 May 2022, he again emerged as the PDP gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 general elections. He contested the 18 March 2023 Ogun governorship election and has since remained a leading opposition figure while expanding his agribusiness and LADO interventions statewide.
Despite his wealth and national profile, Hon. Ladi Adebutu lives in Iperu with his family and keeps his assets in Ogun State, with no record of financial crimes. To many, he remains the archetype of a grassroots politician and businessman — one whose training in Analytical Chemistry found expression not just in agribusiness, but in what he calls the chemistry of politics: combining regimental discipline, enterprise, and service to produce results.
The titration or reaction of the aforementioned qualities has produced a gaseous effect inhaled by many making the world around him evolve
