Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (born 14 June 1955) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

architect and politician, who was elected as a senator to represent Kwara South Senatorial District in the 9th Senate. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Projects Limited, a real estate firm, with branches in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

, Abuja and other

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

n countries.

Early life and education

Ashiru was born on 14 June 1955, in Offa, Kwara State

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. He attended Iyeru okin primary school, Offa, before proceeding to Esie Iludun Anglican Grammar School in 1968. He completed his secondary education at Federal Government College,

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the ...

, in 1974, and later studied environmental design and architecture at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

where he graduated in 1980.

Political career

Having run for office on multiple occasions in 2018, Ashiru declared his intention to run as Senator of Kwara South senatorial district in the 2019 Nigerian general election, on the political platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). In August 2018, PDP members in Kwara State, including Lola Ashiru, decamped to All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to campaign against the dynasty of Bukola Saraki, who he accused of poorly administering Kwara state previously, for 16 years. In the APC primary election, Ashiru won the senatorial ticket, after defeating Suleiman Ajadi and many others. On 23 February 2019, Ashiru won the senatorial election with 89,704 votes, defeating incumbent Adebayo Rafiu Ibrahim of PDP, who polled 45,175. After his inauguration into the 9th Senate on 11 June 2019, he was appointed the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Housing and Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Public Procurement on 29 July 2019.

Assassination attempt

During a campaign tour to Ojoku in the

Oyun Oyun is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ilemona. It has an area of 476 km and a population of 94,253 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in variou ...

area of Kwara state on 20 February 2019, Ashiru and his supporters were attacked and APC alleged that two of its members were shot dead by attackers loyal to the PDP. Ojoku is the home town of Adebayo Rafiu Ibrahim, who was contesting the Kwara south senatorial seat in the 2019 Nigerian general election. On 22 February 2019, Adebayo Rafiu Ibrahim, the incumbent senator of

Kwara Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internatio ...

south was arrested in connection to the attack on Ashiru and his supporters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashiru, Lola 1955 births Living people People from Kwara State University of Lagos alumni Members of the Senate (Nigeria) All Progressives Congress politicians Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians 21st-century Nigerian architects 20th-century Nigerian architects