By Dr. Akinbobola Otitoju.
There is an old Yoruba proverb that says, “Bí ẹgún ẹni bá jọ́ dáradára, ara á máa yá ẹni.” Loosely translated, “If one’s masquerade dances well, one feels proud.” It is a saying steeped in communal pride, the kind that swells in your chest when someone who carries your name, your values, or your identity stands tall and makes the world take notice. As for the people of Okunland, and indeed for Lagos and Nigeria, few embody this proverb as fully as Rt. Hon. (Dr.) James Abiodun Faleke.
When James Faleke dances, the performance is not a mere spectacle within the fenced arena of the National Assembly. It is a dance that spills beyond the marble corridors and polished floors of Abuja, reaching the streets of Lagos, flowing into the hills of Okunland, and resonating in the hearts of ordinary Nigerians. Yes, Faleke is a legislator, but to reduce him to that alone would be to miss the point entirely.
The true measure of a man often emerges when the lights of the chambers dim, when the mace is laid aside, and the microphones are switched off. Beyond those hallowed halls lies the world where titles mean little and impact speaks louder than protocol. It is in that world that Faleke’s heart beats loudest. From Lagos to Kogi, his philanthropy flows like a river; unpretentious, consistent, and deeply humane. Scholarships for bright but disadvantaged students, healthcare interventions, empowerment schemes for women and youth. His reach is as broad as it is sincere. These are not seasonal acts meant to garnish a political résumé; they are patterns, a lifestyle of giving.
In his ancestral Okunland, his presence is felt not through pomp but through projects; roads, community facilities, and countless small interventions that keep hope alive where government input is often inadequate. For the market woman in Kabba or the aspiring entrepreneur in Ijumu, he is not the distant Abuja politician but Uncle JAF, the benefactor who still answers when home calls. Perhaps this is why honors come his way, like the 2024 Award of Excellence in Community Development and Empowerment from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. But truth be told, his most enduring honor is etched in the gratitude of those he has lifted.
Politics, however, remains an arena where Faleke’s influence cannot be overstated. His strategic brilliance was on full display during the 2023 presidential race, where, as National Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, he worked behind the scenes with precision and loyalty, helping to script the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This was no isolated act; it was consistent with a pattern stretching back to 2015, when his role in breaking the PDP’s grip on Kogi politics became the stuff of political lore. Through triumphs and tests, he has remained unflinchingly loyal, a trait rare enough to be called priceless in our political climate.
Today, Okunland celebrates him not merely as a politician but as an Àrólé, a worthy heir of its proud values: diligence, integrity, and service. Traditional rulers affirm it with titles; the common man affirms it with trust.
When Faleke dances, the earth moves beyond the National Assembly’s polished floors. His steps resound in the quiet gratitude of a student whose fees are paid, in the relief of a widow whose business he revived, in the political narratives he helps to script, and in the pride of a people who see in him a reflection of their finest selves. That is why, when we say his masquerade dances well, we do so with hearts full and voices firm; because his rhythm is not for applause alone, but for progress, for hope, and for legacy.
Long may that dance continue.
– Dr. Akinbobola Otitoju writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
