Today the 18th day of August, 2025, Senator Smart Adeyemi turns 63h. Truly, it can’t exactly be remembered the last time Senator Smart in spite of his verve and vivacity, was associated with a lavish and memorable birthday. A big surprise! Smart is one man whose activities never passed unnoticed let alone easily forgotten. But it appears birthday for him is not such an activity. Generally, birthday whether hugely celebrated, quietly marked or ignored altogether gives us the picture of life. As often said, it means ”a different thing to a different people”.
The meanings people make of birthdays are quite emotional. Our birthday replicate the day we first opened our eyes to this wonderful world and experience the beautiful creation of God, that is for one who still sees the world as beautiful. Again, they are people who give birthdays an occultic interpretation involving the transport of the soul out of the body to the source for a meeting with the supreme for sustaining powers. Whatever is done or undone, birthday remains significant in our lives one way or the other; it either rekindle the flame of our aspiration or brings us into the reckoning of our friends, families or associates and their expectations on us.
For a Senator Smart Adeyemi, birthday especially this edition is significant in more ways than one. Smart is a man after many hearts, and surrounded by many who care, appreciate and genuinely love him. For them too, his birthday counts. Smart conveniently portrays the figure of the most stormy, controversial yet heroic political figure of Kogi State and that comes with its costly price, as Smart is continually put in the view of friends or foes, accordingly. Just as Smart is greatly admired by the majority he is passionately loathed by a reactionary minority who finds discomfort in his exceptionally astute political prowess. So this birthday, springs up memories, sweet or bitter as the case may be depending on who Smart is and
represents for you.
After Smart’s exit from the red chamber of the national assembly, those who took his place have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Year by year, as the cups of bitter leadership is proferred to the people of Kogi west, Smart is increasingly missed. Though the man was successfully removed, all efforts at removing his legacies failed. Ironically, Smart Adeyemi is as good as his legacies. Hence, his dominant image in the state.
Smart is a practical lesson of life, you don’t know what you have got until its gone. Kogi west had Smart Adeyemi. The thought he wasn’t good enough. The impute arrogance to him, The conspired against him and sold him out. But alas! Those who shun smoke often fall into fire. Did the not fell into static fire for two sorrowful and teeth gnashing year? In all of these, there are reasons for us to take Smart’s birthday as important even in our private homes.
It must be pointed out that Smart’s life-long dream of taking Kogi west into broader horizons may not have been shattered. The people do keep faith with him, a striking testimony of his dynamic leadership qualities, the intensity and severity of the helplessness that has engulfed the people and a burning expression of the desire for the changes resident only in the Senator.
The first time in 2003 when Smart was introduced, he instantly became a great popular leader with his careful, deliberate plan, purpose and facility for adapting of means to end in nurturing Kogi west to greatness. Both within and out of government, he has not wavered one bit. If anything being out of government has increased his perceptions and given him new perspectives of governance. And because he is true to his dreams for his people, no force, no conspiracy has he ever succumbed to. Such persistence, courage and resilience is needed to save his people. Therefore, this edition of the Senator birthday, the message is “Give us back our Smart and end our misery if you are truly human”.
Happy birthday the peoples senator. The voice of the voiceless. U are greatly missed in the red chamber. My admiration for you remain unbreakable.
– Musa Wada, is the special assistant to the Hon Minister of Special Duties and Inter Governmental Affairs
