Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari: Sustaining the Future of Oyo State (Series 1)

As Oyo State looks toward a sustainable economic future, Senator AbdulFatai Buhari stands out for his commitment to employment creation and youth empowerment across both formal and informal sectors — a model for leadership that builds beyond politics.

The media space has been on positive fire for some days last week with the news wave of a popular young man whose destiny helper, in the name of Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari, PhD, located him and gave him the opportunity to be gainfully employed by one of the top federal government agencies. I am first sure that the immediate family of the beneficiary, along with his extended family and friends, are swimming in the pool of happiness.

One thing I like about this kind of opportunity is that it breeds positivity for both the facilitator and the beneficiary. It is always a win-win situation that inspires others to believe in the power of goodwill and leadership that touches lives.

The above is just by the way. But let us delve into some of the ingredients of sustaining a society for its continued existence — one with a viable economy and valued human capital to meaningfully drive the prosperous and enviable agenda of advancing the cause of such a society; an agenda that Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari has clearly taken to heart.

One of such ingredients is employment, both in the formal and informal sectors of society. A society where its citizens are swimming in the pool of unemployment tends to fail and experience high levels of social vices orchestrated by idleness, frustration, and unproductivity, leading to desperation where the so-called “state of nature” begins to take over the social order.

In advanced societies, the formal and informal sector operators are the engine rooms of the economy. According to statistics from the United Kingdom as of June 2025, the country’s unemployment rate stood at 4.6%, while that of Nigeria, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was 22.6%. South Africa’s rate is estimated at 32.7%, and Mali’s at about 3–4%. These figures reflect different economic realities. Nigeria, with its vast and youthful population, faces high unemployment but benefits from a vibrant informal sector that absorbs millions into small-scale and self-employment ventures. Its key challenge lies in under-employment and a weak industrial base, though the country holds immense potential for job creation through industrial diversification, digital innovation, and youth empowerment.

If we clearly observe the percentage, we will definitely understand how Nigeria is faring better in Africa through its high level of productivity and structured economic chains of operation when compared to South Africa and Mali — even though Mali’s data is not as thoroughly official according to the IMF. In Mali, for instance, the informal sector and subsistence economy drive the economic chain more than the formal sector contributes. That is why we should be giving it to Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari for driving economic empowerment in both the formal and informal sectors to sustain the future of Oyo State at the sub-national level. When many hands are engaged in productive drives at different levels of operation, the society can rest assured of sustaining its continued existence.

That same principle applies here in Oyo State, where we are setting the pace for development. Therefore, all hands must be on deck to “prepare to sustain” the future by engaging productive citizens at different levels of economic operations to enhance productivity and build an Oyo State that we will all be proud of.

AbdulFatai Buhari: A Babaluabi For a Reason

The above is one of the reasons why the people of Oyo State should look beyond any sentiment or sense of entitlement and instead advance their support for someone who is already building the future — a leader who has facilitated federal government employment opportunities for Oyo youths and also equipped informal economic operators with modern tools to enhance productivity.

Sustainability is not the problem of Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari, who is steadily building a structure that promotes growth and development as compared to those who do not even know where a survey begins, let alone building a structure on it.

Akande Omonike writes from Ibadan, Oyo State.