I just came across a picture that stopped me mid-scroll. It’s Senator Buhari AbdulFatai, Ph.D, seated on the right side, surrounded by his people in the courtyard of his family house in Ogbomoso. No gates. No security blocking the view. Just a man, his family, and the community that raised him. This image is powerful because it defies every expectation we’ve come to have of “big men” in politics.
Look at the setting. This is not a banquet hall. Not a government lodge. Not one of those manicured estates where access ends at the security booth. This is a family compound. Children stand shoulder-to-shoulder with elders. And right there, among them, is a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Senator Buhari could have sent an aide to “represent” him. He could have invited everyone to his personal multibillion-naira mansion elsewhere. But according to multiple accounts from Ogbomoso residents, that’s not who he is. They say he still sleeps, dines, and spends time in this family house whenever he’s in Ogbomoso. That when you pass by and see him seated out front, you wouldn’t guess he holds one of the highest offices in the land.
In Nigeria today, even seeing some councilors requires connections 😀 They’re shielded by layers of protocol. There are people with a fraction of his influence who have walled themselves off from their own families. They now live in gated estates and communicate only through assistants. If a family member wants to see them, they must book appointments and follow protocols.
But here is a senator, a Ph.D holder, a man who debates national policy, still accessible enough to take a family photograph in his ancestral compound. This kind of image will stay in the hearts of those children forever.
Senator Buhari chose a different path. He refused to let his title create distance. He still returns to the family house, the same walls that knew him before “Senator” became part of his name. In doing this, he’s telling every child in that photo, including his own, this truth: “You can rise, but you don’t have to leave us behind.”
Leadership isn’t just about motions on the Senate floor or constituency projects. It’s about symbolism. It’s the message your life sends when the cameras are off. This picture tells Ogbomoso, and tells Nigeria, that service doesn’t require you to abandon your roots.
His humility isn’t poverty. It’s intentionality. It’s the decision that “my people” are not a constituency to visit every four years, but family to sit with on ordinary days. It’s the understanding that accessibility isn’t weakness, it’s the whole point of representation.
Senator Buhari is reminding us that the highest office doesn’t have to mean the highest wall. That you can sit with presidents in Abuja on Monday, and sit with your uncles under the same roof in Ogbomoso on Friday. That greatness and groundedness can coexist.
A Word to Senator Buhari AbdulFatai’s Family: You are blessed to have him. People of his caliber who live simply are rare in families today. Many never get access to their rich and influential relatives. The fact that he still identifies with you is enough.
Show him genuine love. Don’t envy him. Pray for him and stand by him,don’t let him fall. When he does you a favor, appreciate it sincerely. Don’t feel entitled. Don’t listen to bad advice from outsiders. Don’t push him away. He is a flower that Allah has planted in your midst,water him so he doesn’t dry.
Not everyone in a family will become rich, so don’t envy him. Accept him as the helper God sent to your family. From what I’ve gathered, he’s doing his best for his people. But remember: he’s not God. He cannot satisfy everyone, and even God didn’t satisfy everybody. So please, stand by him, support him, and defend him wherever you are.
