11/05/2026
OMO-IWA: The Hand That Lifts, The Voice That Speaks
We are Focused!!!
Some men inherit titles. Others earn them through decades of quiet sacrifice, competent service, and an unshakable love for their people.
Hon. Barrister Olufemi Adeleke Ogunbanwo — Omo-Iwa — belongs firmly to the latter.
Born in Ijebu-Ode on October 7, 1967, he grew up breathing the same air you breathe, walking the same roads you walk, and feeling the same needs you feel. That is why he has never governed from a distance.
His journey of excellence began at Ijebu Ode Grammar School, where he completed his secondary education in 1983 as a proud member of the JOGS 78/83 set. From there, he moved to Ogun State Polytechnic for his Higher School Certificate (1985-87) before gaining admission to the University of Lagos (1988-91). Even then, leadership was not a title he sought — it found him. He served as Assistant Secretary-General of the Law Society in 1988/89, and by 1990, he had risen to Secretary-General of the entire UNILAG Students' Union. In that role, he did not merely occupy office — he transformed campus life: reforming the transport system, bringing in shuttle buses that moved thousands daily, and introducing bursaries from students to students. It was also he who organized the students' reception for the great Dr. Nelson Mandela and had the honour of signing his certificate. A young man, already building.
He graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 1992, served at Prime Merchant Bank in 1993, and honed his litigation skills at Tunji Abayomi & Co from 1994 to 1995. Then, in 1996, he took a leap of faith and co-founded Ogunbanwo, Asekun, Okusanya & Co — a law firm that stands to this day.
But the law was never his final destination. It was his foundation.
From 1999 to 2007, he served as Chief Legislative Assistant to the Senate in the National Assembly under Senator Afikuyomi of Ifo. There, he played a prominent role in the creation of 37 Local Council Development Areas — a structural reform that brought governance closer to millions. He was also a lawyer to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 1999, learning statecraft from a master long before either of them became what they are today.
In 2014 and again in 2019, he contested for elective office. Both times, in deference to party supremacy and the greater good, he was asked to step down. He did so without bitterness — because Omo-Iwa understands that leadership is not always about being in front. Sometimes, it is about holding the ladder steady for others to climb.
That patience was rewarded. In 2019, he was appointed Honourable Commissioner — a role he executed with the same competence he had brought to every previous station. And in 2023, the people of Ijebu Ode, Odogbolu, and Ijebu North East spoke loudly: they elected him as their member of the House of Representatives.
Not because he promised the earth. But because he had already proven, over three decades, that he could deliver.
Today, he is also a minister of the Redeemed Christian Church of God — a man who prays before he decides, and serves before he speaks.
*A Lifelong Builder: Before Politics, There Was Service*
Long before Omo-Iwa held any political office, he was already building. Not for campaign pamphlets. Not for photo opportunities. But because his heart has always been wired for service.
At 35 years of age, he mobilized resources and facilitated the construction of a structure at the State Hospital — giving the sick a better place to heal. At 40, he built a structure at the SOS Village in Owu Ikija, providing shelter and dignity for vulnerable children. At 50, he did it again — this time in Isolo, Lagos — as part of his quiet, unwavering commitment to social welfare.
Three decades. Three locations. Countless lives touched. This is the man they now call Omo-Iwa — a man who was building hospitals and children's homes while his critics were still learning to spell 'governance'.
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*His First Love: The School That Made Him*
Ask Omo-Iwa where his heart truly lies, and he will not point to Abuja or the Government House. He will point to Ijebu Ode Grammar School — JOGSOBA — the institution that shaped his foundation.
He has never forgotten where he came from. As a member of the JOGS 78/83 set, he contributed to the renovation of the school hall in 2013. When he became Honourable Commissioner, he did not abandon his alma mater; he returned with colleagues in government to upgrade that same school hall in 2022. He contributed again with his set to buy a school bus for the school — ensuring that students who lacked transport could now arrive on time, ready to learn. In 2025, he contributed to the celebration of Founders' Day, honouring the legacy of those who built the institution. And as we speak, he is working on a recreational centre in front of Johnson House — a gift that will serve generations of students yet to come.
This is not the behaviour of a man who fails his own people. This is the behaviour of a man who remembers his roots, waters them, and watches them grow.
*Not a Spectator. A Builder.*
Many politicians promise. Omo-Iwa delivers. Not in grand, empty declarations, but in the quiet, steady rhythm of projects that change lives.
Roads — opened across the constituency, connecting farmers to markets, children to schools, and hope to homes.
Electricity — transformer after transformer installed in Ososa, Imepe, Isoyin, Golden Estate, Oke-Eri, bringing light where darkness once reigned. Solar-powered streetlights now guard your nights.
Water — solar-powered boreholes now flow in Isiwo Ijebu, Ala Ijebu, and Odo-Kalaba Ijebu. No more long treks. No more contaminated streams.
Classrooms — six new blocks at St. Peter's FACN Primary School, UNA Primary School, Ikangba, and Molipa. Our children now learn in dignity.
*3,000 Youths: Not Forgotten, But Forged*
In a nation where young people cry out for opportunity, Omo-Iwa did not just listen. He acted.
Three thousand young men and women from Ijebu Central have been placed into apprenticeships and equipped with practical skills — tailoring, hairdressing, farming, cookery, and trades that pay.
They did not receive fish. They received fishing nets, training, and start-up tools. Today, many are no longer job seekers. They are job creators.
*The Widow's Friend, The Student's Hope*
Omo-Iwa remembers those whom society often forgets. For over seventeen years, he has quietly supported widows across Ijebu Central — not as a political calculation, but as a lifelong commitment. In the last two years alone, over five hundred widows have received cash grants and empowerment support, lifting them from despair to dignity. Over three hundred tertiary students have received bursaries to stay in school. Fifteen hundred farmers got ₦50,000 each plus tools under the Back-to-Farm Programme. Fifteen hundred women and youth received sewing machines, grinding machines, hair dryers, and clippers. Every festive season — Christmas, Ileya, Easter, Ramadan — rice and cash reach hundreds of homes.
This is not politics. This is love in action.
*Laws That Last Beyond His Tenure*
In the National Assembly, Omo-Iwa does not just debate. He drafts, sponsors, and pushes for institutional change: the Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria Bill, the National Entrepreneurship and Artisan Training Institute Bill, the National Institute for Creative and Performing Arts, Ososa-Ijebu Bill, and the historic Creation of Ijebu State Bill (2024) — a dream that refuses to die.
These are not empty papers. They are blueprints for a better Nigeria, written by a man who understands governance.
*What Others Say*
In August 2025, the Association of Nigerian University Professional Administrators at TASUED looked at his record and gave him the Public Service Excellence Award.
Why? Because excellence, when consistent, cannot be ignored.
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*Understanding Governance: A Realistic Mandate*
There are those who expect Omo-Iwa to perform as a president — solving every national crisis, fixing every federal road, and resetting the entire Nigerian economy from his desk in the House of Representatives. But they need to understand governance.
A local government chairman serves locally. A commissioner serves statewide. A federal lawmaker serves a constituency of three local government areas. That is the boundary of his mandate, the limit of his budget, and the focus of his accountability.
Within that defined space Ijebu Ode, Odogbolu, and Ijebu North East — Omo-Iwa has performed beyond every reasonable expectation. He has not touched every sector. He has transformed every sector he touched. Roads, water, electricity, education, youth empowerment, widow support, legislative drafting — all delivered not in theory, but in concrete, verifiable reality.
He does not ask to be judged by the standard of a president. He asks to be judged by the standard of a representative. And by that standard, he is unmatched.
*The Omo-Iwa Advantage: Social Capital*
Beyond projects and laws, Omo-Iwa possesses something money cannot buy: social capital.
He moves freely across party lines. He is respected by elders and adored by youth. Muslims and Christians alike trust him. Traditional rulers open their palaces to him.
That capital — built over decades of integrity — is the fuel for the unprecedented developments still to come.
*The Choice Before Us*
Ijebu Central Federal Constituency has tasted growth. Do we turn back? Do we experiment with inexperience? Do we gamble with our future?
Or do we continue with a man who has proven — not promised — that he can deliver?
Hon. Barrister Olufemi Adeleke Ogunbanwo (Omo-Iwa) is not asking for your blind trust. He is asking for your continuity mandate — to finish what he started, to deepen what he has built, and to take Ijebu Central to heights no one has seen.
Omo-Iwa: The Hand That Lifts, The Voice That Speaks
Ijebu Ode | Odogbolu | Ijebu North East
Forward Ever. Backward Never.
Vote OMO-IWA. Vote CONTINUITY. Vote GROWTH.
*©Omo Iwa Media Team*
