Iyiola Omisore @62 Here is a 62 year old Ile-Ife born Engineer and politician

Iyiola Omisore @62 Here is a 62 year old Ile-Ife born Engineer and politician. There can be no better time than now to celebrate the life and tremendous achievements of a compassionate leader, a teacher and father- figure in the mould of Engr.Omisore . The sound of trumpets and torrent of messages will still not be enough to celebrate you. You are indeed an outstanding performer, a builder, a moulder and indeed a model of impeccable character to younger generation. It is of certainty that this birthday will as usual be marked at your usual and preferred place, the motherless home despite having the means to make it a carnival of sort. Interest of Iyiola Omisore in politics had started pretty early in life because of his family’s involvement in sub-national and national level politics. He has also been active in international relations, having represented Nigeria’s interest and position at various global seminars and conferences. In the transition years of the Babangida Administration, Omisore was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and later moved to the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). He was a member of UNCP during the Sanni Abacha years. Iyiola got himself deeply involved with the Pan Yoruba group, Afenifere during the transition years of General Abdulsalam Abubakar from 1998 to 1999. He was the caucus leader of Afenifere’s chapter of Osun State and the south west region of Nigeria. It was only natural for Senator Omisore to have been involved in the formation of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All People’s Party (APP) and finally Alliance for Democracy (AD) where he stood out as a top financial backer of these political parties. Senator Iyiola Ajani Omisore had cut his political teeth in 1999 when he was practically prevailed upon to contest and won the Deputy Governorship election of Osun state with Bisi Akande on the platform of Alliance for Democracy. He had later moved ahead to contest and won the Osun East senatorial election in 2003 under the platform of PDP. He made his mark in the upper legislative chamber, a factor that earned him another term from 2007 to 2011. Senator Omisore distinguished himself not only in name but in performance as he held key positions while he was in the upper legislative chamber of Nigeria. Achievements recorded by Iyiola during this period at all levels of governance were most impressive. Some of the key positions held by Dr. Omisore included the Senate Committee Chairman on Industries, from 2004 to 2005, Senate Committee Chairman on Intergovernmental Affairs from 2005 to 2007, Joint Finance Committee Chairman, Senate Committee Chairman on Culture and Tourism from 2007 to 2011, Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriations from 2007 to 2011, UNDP/NASS Support Implementation Committee Chairman from 2007 to 2011. Of particular mention was the performance of Senator Iyiola Omisore while serving as the Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriation. It is on record that he worked with other members of the Committe over four rounds of national budget reviews and allocation, increasing national investments in infrastructure, economic and social development. He also championed engagement in what has become nationally recognized as the ‘Inclusive national initiative’. Omisore took advantage of this platform to transform the appropriations processes into an evidence and people responsive process, taking on publicly solicited citizens and institutional perspectives to guide allocations and appropriations. It must be noted that the required long and challenging negotiations with the executive and implementation by ministries departments and agencies, personal leadership and people skills were employed by Omisore to keep all views and thoughts included until a shared budgetary consensus was achieved. Senator Omisore gave his all while in the upper legislative chamber to ensure that Nigerians were indeed offered real dividends of democracy. He facilitated several infrastructural projects which included the dualization of Ilorin-Ogbomosho-Ibadan road, repair of Ibadan road dualisation of Ijebu Ode-Ibadan road, repair of Ondo-Akure road, repair of Ondo-Ore road, repair of Ore-Ipele-Lokoja road, repair of Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road, repair of Akure-Ado Ekiti road, repair of Ado-Ifaki road, repair of Aramoko-Ado-Ijero road and and repair of Gbongan-Sekona-Osogbo road. Senator Omisore had also facilitated the reconstruction of Oja-Ife market and expansion of the stall to 24, with further provision of fund for electrification of the market, sinking of boreholes, provision of burglary proof and rehabilitation of the stall owners. He had likewise facilitated the rural electrification projects of some villages in Osun east. He had also facilitated the constructions of UNESCO Cultural Centre in Osun East senatorial district and multipurpose dams in Ife-Ijesha, Oyan, Yemoji in Ijebu Ode and Ogbese in Ondo state. Dr. Iyiola had equally facilitated the dredging of erosion channels from Oke-Eso to Alapata to Ondo Road and from Ilode to Mokuro to Esinmirin. He had also facilitated the rehabilitation of Ife-Ipetu-Ilesa-Akure road and the Oora stream channelization. It was also to the credit of Senator Omisor that he facilitated some infrastructural projects in Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife and the rehabilitation of Ife-Ondo road. It was also to the credit of Omisore that the solar powered boreholes at various locations in Ile-Ife, Osun East were sunk. The solar powered street lighting at vaious locations in Ife, Ilesha and other parts of Osun state were all facilitated by Senator Omisore. He was also instrumental to the Injection sub-station 132/33kv at Imo in Ilesha and the dualization of Mayfair-Lagere-Enuwa-Moore-Ilesha Bye pass-Akure road. He had likewise facilitated the rehabilitation of Ife-Ibadan road and the secondary pipe distribution to Iwo water works. Senator Omisore had again facilitated projects in OAUTH and the Living Spring Free Trade Zone at Oshogbo. He had also facilitated the distribution of NAPEP tricycles to the people of his senatorial district, as well as SMEDAN fund for them. Aside the political activities of Iyiola Omisore, he is also a professional that encapsulates diligence, hard work and intelligence. Pursuit of excellence has been his trademark over the yeas. He is also an astute manager of resources whose attention to detail, calmness, and ability to simplify, and proffer solutions to complex issues is uncommon. The patriotic zeal and engineering acumen of Omisore were of utmost usefulness when he was in the Senate between 2003 and 2011. Senator Iyiola had started his professional life with the firm of Drake and Gordham while in the UK, in the early Eighties where he received on the job training and rose to top Management positions. The same firm, Drake and Scull Nigeria Limited had brought him down to Nigeria where he worked on major Engineering projects for the firm. His project management skills became horned while working at Drake and Scull. He was to later establish his own Engineering firms; Mechelec Consultants, which is an Engineering Consultancy outfit and Chrisore Engineering Limited, which is an Electrical Engineering firm. Senator Omisore had also gone ahead to establish Chrisore Engineering Plc in 1989 as well as Mechelec Consultants Limited in the same year. To the credit of Chrisore Engineering within the first ten years of its establishment were the execution of quite a good number of projects across Nigeria. Some of the many projects executed by Chrisore Engineering Plc owned by Senator Iyiola Omisore were the UACN Commercial Complex, Apapa, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor’s residence including the residences of its 5 Deputies; Afribank Headquarters, Eko International Bank Headquarters, UACN Abuja Complex in addition to the Union Bank of Nigeria Headquarters. Other projects executed by Chrisore Engineering also included nineteen Nigerian Airfields including NAF base in Makurdi, Sokoto Rice Mills, Makurdi Rice Mills, Taraku Oil Mills, Onitsha Flour Mills, Eternit, Sapele Bank of the North Headquarters, Kano NTA/NTI, Kaduna Federal Mortgage Bank, Lagos, Sokoto Teaching Hospital, Podium Secretariat, Port Harcourt, Immirungi Rural Electrification, Bayelsa and Okpella Cement Factory. To the credit of Chrisore Engineering was also the execution of other projects that included World Bank Assisted Projects, Enugu State Multi-State road project; Ondo State Multi-State Road Project; Kano/Jigawa Multi-State Road Project; Ondo/Enugu IDF, Sokoto/Zamfara Multi-State Health Project; Ondo/Bauchi Multi-State Health Project; Ogun/Kaduna Multi-State Health Project. Other projects undertaken by Chrisore Engineering for ADB/ADF Assisted Projects included Kwara Water Supply; Bauchi Water Supply; Delta Water Supply; Lagos Fishing Terminal; Nkalagu Cement Factory, NSPMC Proposed Factory in Jos and Ondo State Afforestation Project. He boasts of a well grounded preparation that has not left out academics. Iyiola had after his primary and secondary education in Ile-Ife attended then Ondo state Polytechnic in Owo, Ondo state before he later sat for and passed his Full Technological . Examinations at the Technology College, Reading United Kingdom where he obtained a Diploma Certificate in Electrical/Electronics Engineering. He is also a holder of Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Power and Machines from Brunnel University Uxbridge, United Kingdom. Omisore also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Building service and Engineering Management and a Master of Science Degree in Building Services from the same University of Uxbridge in the United Kingdom. He had moved ahead to study and was awarded a Ph.D in Infrastructure Finance from the International School of Management, Paris, France in January 2013. The highly lettered Dr. Iyiola Omisore is still undergoing a DBA programme at the same institution where he bagged his Ph.D. Dr. Omisore had equally attended several professional courses in his pursuit of excellence. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in England and Wales. He had undertaken an Advanced Budgeting Course at the George Town University, Washington DC, USA. He had also attended the Appropriations and Public Finance Course at the ABS Academy in Athens, Greece and attended the Advanced Leadership Course at the University of Carolina in the USA. He had equally attended the Innovation and Leadership Course at the West London College; as well as the Public Finance course at the Harvard University. Omisore had likewise attended the Aid Effectiveness and Donour Harmonization Course at the Internationale Weiterbildung and Entwicklung, Germany. Iyiola Omisore is undoubtedly a philanthropist per excellence whose kind gestures had cut across the length and breath of Osun state. He has been engaging in philanthropic activities for over two decades and he is still rearing to do more. As at the last count, Iyiola had personally funded and facilitated the funding of over two hundred and fifty (250) projects widely spread across his home state of Osun and other states in Nigeria. The philanthropist Omisore has been offering scholarship awards to indigent students and responsible for payment of the school fees of less privileged students as well as offering financial assistance to the needy ones. Iyiola Omisore had been conferred with several chieftaincy titles within the Yoruba land and other parts of Nigeria in appreciation and recognition of his various impactful efforts. A few of his numerous chieftaincy titles include the Apesin Oodua of the Source, High Chief Lisa of Oshogbo land, Bashorun of Ilesha land, Asiwaju Balogun of Ibadan land, Akinrogun of Ede land, Maiyegun of Ijero Kingdom, Seriki of Usi Ekiti, Agbaakin of Ila Orangun, Ashipa of Inisha Kingdom, Otunba of Ipetu Modu, Akinrogun of Ede and Otunba of Odo-Eku amongst other titles from other parts of Nigeria. Omisore had equally been honoured with several awards from institutions of learning across the country. He had been honoured with the “Fellowship for Good Human Relationship With People at the Grassroots” and “Invaluable Contribution Towards Alleviating the Problems of the Society” at the College of Education, Ila Orangun, Osun State. Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo the alma mater of Senator Iyiola Omisore had also honoured him with a fellowship of the polytechnic for “Valuable Contribution Towards Technological Advancement and Courses Accreditation.” Iyiola is happily married to Mojisola Omisore, a barrister and solicitor. Their marriage has been blessed with children, who are engaged in diverse academic pursuits within and outside Nigeria.