Tolulope Odebiyi (born 14 November 1963) is a Nigerian politician from

Ogun state Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...

, who was elected to the Ogun West senatorial seat in 2019. He previously served as the Chief of staff to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state. Odebiyi is a graduate of

Government College, Ibadan Government College Ibadan (founded 28 February 1929) is a boys' secondary school located on the hills of Apata Ganga in Ibadan, Nigeria. History The founding fathers of Government College Ibadan were Selwyn MacGregor Grier, Director of Education ...

and Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2018, he rejected the idea of Governor Amosun to leave his political party,

All Progressive Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, th ...

for another saying he needed to protect his political pedigree.

Early life, education and career

Odebiyi is the son of Kemi and Jonathan Odebiyi. Odebiyi's father was a former senator and his mother was a member of the

Independent National Electoral Commission Independent National Electoral Commission may refer to: *Independent National Electoral Commission (Burundi) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Guinea) The Inde ...

. He earned a B.Sc. degree in Building Construction and Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston Odebiyi gained his elementary education at All Saints primary school in Ibadan before attending Government College in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

to acquire his Higher school certificate. He left the shores of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

to further his education in the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. He later started his professional career in Real Estate and later ventured into politics.

Career

Real estate career

After his education, Odebiyi started out in real estate both internationally in the

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

and locally in

. Prior to his political appointment, he served as the managing director of Agbara Estates Limited. He sits on the board of Travant Real Estate, Stururacasa Nigeria Limited, Travfirst Nigeria Limited and others.

Political career

Odebiyi has a strong politically inclined background. His father, Jonathan Odebiyi, was the minority leader in the second Republic senate on the platform of the defunct

Unity Party of Nigeria The Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) was a Nigerian political party that was dominant in western Nigeria during the second republic (1978–1983). The party revolved around the political leadership of Obafemi Awolowo, a sometimes polemical politicia ...

. He previously served as permanent secretary in the office of chief of staff, Ogun state Governor's office in 2006 before being appointed chief of staff by the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration. His desire to run for senate in 2015 was suppressed by his political party. He initially decided to run for governor of the state in the 2019 elections but stepped down. He resigned his position as Chief of Staff in 2018 to run for senate representing Ogun West.

Electoral history

In the 2019 Nigerian general elections, he contested the

Ogun Ogun or Ogoun ( Yoruba: Ògún, Edo: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a Yoruba Orisha that is adopted in several African religions. Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spi ...

West senatorial seat under the

party and won. He got the highest vote of 58,452 compared to his closest rivals, candidate of the Allied People's Movement who got 48,611 and People's Democratic Party with 43,454 votes.

Personal life

Odebiyi is a native of Iboro,

References

External links

"Tolu Odebiyi"
at ng.linkedin.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:Odebiyi, Tolu Senators of the 9th National Assembly (Nigeria) 1956 births The Polytechnic, Ibadan alumni Wentworth Institute of Technology alumni University of Massachusetts Lowell alumni People from Ekiti State Politicians from Ogun State All Progressives Congress politicians Living people