Hon. ( Mrs.) Omotayo Oduntan-Oyeledun was a three-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Her three terms were however not consecutive. She was a member of the Class of 1999-2003( the 4th Legislative Assembly), and later, a member of the Class of 2011-2019 (the 7th & 8th Legislative Assemblies) all of which made her the second longest-serving female member of Lagos State House of Assembly.
She was very prominent while in the House on account of the mother hen role she played to all and sundry throughout her 12 years in the Assembly.
I remember my first encounter with her in the 4th Legislative Assembly(1999-2003). I had written a story about her beautiful daughter, an undergraduate of the University of Ilorin then, who was usually in her office. She invited me to her office and told me subtly that she did not mind any story written about her because she was in public office, but insisted that her daughter be left out of any story.
That was the beginning of a cordial and fruitful relationship between the gregarious lawmaker and yours sincerely to the extent that she attended my mother’s burial rites in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, in December 2002.
“When did your part and that of the journalist called Tolani Abatti cross”? I asked her in my book, ‘Two Decades of Lagos House of Assembly: Face to Face With Movers and Shakers’.
” It was in the 4th( Legislative) Assembly. I cannot recollect how we met, because there were many journalists in the House then. But one thing I observed was that Tolani will always come to your office to clear one story or the other. He will come to get your inside of view on any issue he wanted to write about, unlike some other journalists.” She responded.
N:B: Thank you very much Hon ma for your patronage.
