Kingsley Adeseye Ogunlewe is a Nigerian from a royal family of Igbogbo and politician who was elected Senator on the
Alliance for Democracy (AD) platform 1999 for the Lagos East constituency, before he defected to the PDP. He later became the Minister of Works (July 2003 to March 2006).
When he was sacked from this position by President
Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...
, it was said to be due to a feud with his former patron,
Bode George
Olabode Ibiyinka George ("Bode George") (born 21 November 1945) is a Nigerian politician who became Military Governor of Ondo State, and later Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, then national vice-chairman in the southwest zone of the Pe ...
, the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP.
Background
Ogunlewe is from an affluent dynasty of Igbogbo, a community in the
Ikorodu
Ikorodu is a large city in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is located to the north-east of Lagos, along the Lagos Lagoon and shares boundary with Ogun State. With a population of over 1million inhabitant, Ikorodu is currently the 12 largest city in Nig ...
Local Government Area of
Lagos State
Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...
.
His elder brother, Dr. Akin Ogunlewe, was a permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry, who was relieved of his position soon after Ogunlewe transferred to the PDP.
Ogunlewe is an alumnus of the
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...
. During his stay in the premier University he lived in Mellanby Hall and participated actively in students politics.
He is a lawyer, and at one time was permanent secretary of Lagos State.
[
]
Senator
In July 2002, Senator Wahab Dosunmu and Adeseye Ogunlewe accused Lagos State
Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...
Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu (born 29 March 1952) is a Nigerian accountant and politician who served as the Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and Senator for Lagos West during the brief Third Republic. In June 2022, he was chosen as the A ...
of abusing trust of public funds through contract awards to his friends.
He ran for reelection in 2003 on the PDP ticket, but was defeated by Olorunnimbe Mamora
Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora (born 16 February 1953) is a Nigerian politician, who is currently the Minister of Science and Technology, he previously served has Minister of State of Health of Nigeria. He was elected Senator for the Lagos East con ...
of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).[
]
Minister of works
In July 2003, Ogunlewe announced that the federal government would invest about US$2.85 billion in rehabilitating and upgrading the nation's highway network, and planned to make all roads in the country accessible by year end.
In January 2004, Ogunlewe said the Federal government had approved an extra N900 million for rehabilitation of roads in the South-east.
In April 2004, Ogunlewe won the Dr Kwame Nkrumah Africa Leadership Award in Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
, Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
.
In May 2004, Ogunlewe published his mobile phone number and told people to use it if they saw any pot-holes or had a traffic accident. He said he was inundated with calls, but also said of the roads "They are fantastic now." He claimed that 12,600 km of roads had been rehabilitated in the past six months.
In June 2004, there were clashes in Lagos state between agents of the Federal Ministry of Works and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority. The clashes were over control of Federal roads, and were apparently linked to ongoing disputes between Ogunlewe and the state governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu (born 29 March 1952) is a Nigerian accountant and politician who served as the Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and Senator for Lagos West during the brief Third Republic. In June 2022, he was chosen as the A ...
of the Alliance for Democracy.
In August 2004, Ogunlewe announced that The World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
and the African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies i ...
planned to cooperate with Nigeria to build the Trans-West African Highway from Lagos to Mauritania
Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...
's capital Nouakchott
, image_skyline = Nouakchott.jpg
, image_caption = City view of Nouakchott
, pushpin_map = Mauritania#Arab world#Africa
, pushpin_relief = 1
, mapsize =
, map_caption ...
.
In October 2004, Ogunlewe stated that the year 2005 would see faster rapid progress in road repair and construction.
In March 2006, after being dismissed from his job as Works Minister, Ogunlewe urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek a third term in office.
Later career
In July 2006, a Lagos State governorship candidate, Funsho Williams
Anthony Olufunsho Williams (9 May 1948 – 27 July 2006) was an influential politician from Lagos State and former Commissioner under Colonel Olagunsoye Oyinlola's Military Administration in Lagos.
Early life
Funsho Williams attended the St. Pa ...
was found murdered in his home. Ogunlewe, who had been a rival for the PDP nomination, was arrested in connection with the murder.
He was later released, but in February 2007, he was re-arrested.
In November 2009, the Senate ad hoc committee on transport led by Heineken Lokpobiri
Heineken Lokpobiri (born 3 March 1967) is a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator in April 2007 on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform in Bayelsa State, for the Bayelsa West constituency. He is currently the Nigerian Minister of St ...
, submitted a report to the upper house that revealed "alleged serial malpractices" in road contracting over a ten-year period, and recommended that former ministers of works Anthony Anenih
Anthony Akhakon "Tony" Anenih (4 August 1933 – 28 October 2018) was a Nigerian politician who was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in 1999.
Background
Anenih was born in Uzenema-Arue in Uromi. In 1933, he joined the Nigeria Police For ...
, Adeseye Ogunlewe, Obafemi Anibaba
Obafemi Anibaba is a Nigerian civil servant and businessman who was appointed Federal Minister of Works in March 2006 and was redeployed as Minister of Communications in September 2006 during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.
Background
Obafe ...
, Cornelius Adebayo
Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo is a former Senator of Nigeria, who became a state governor, and later was head of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Communications.
Background
Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo was born on February 24, 1941 in Igbaja in Kwa ...
and others be prosecuted for corruption.
Senate discussion of the report was delayed. Senator Ogunlewe resigned from his position as the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta is one of the higher institutions of learning owned and run by the Federal government of Nigeria.
History
The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, or FUNAAB, was estab ...
in 2016. In 2019, Senator Ogunlewe left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogunlewe, Adeseye
People from Lagos State
Living people
Yoruba politicians
Members of the Senate (Nigeria)
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria) politicians
Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians
Federal ministers of Nigeria
Yoruba royalty
University of Ibadan alumni
Lagos State politicians
Nigerian Permanent Secretaries
20th-century Nigerian politicians
21st-century Nigerian politicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Ikorodu
Citizens of Nigeria through descent