Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, Hon. Mashood Mustapha gives it all to regular workouts.

Every member of the National Assembly, whether the upper or lower chamber is saddled with enormous responsibilities, thus they must be prepared mentally and physically for the rigorous nature of their task. Hon. Mashood Mustapha, who represents Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency in Kwara State believes the only way to overcome the much accumulated stress in the business of lawmaking is through proper planning.

The lawmaker who does not toy with his faith even before working out each morning said: "As a devout Muslim, every morning when I wake up, I say my prayers with my family. Thereafter, I take time to go through my exercise routine. This takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour, before I prepare for work.

"I am so used to my exercise that even when I am out of town I go with my gym kit and try to keep up with my routine. Any hotel I check into must have a gym facility to enable me workout appropriately, if not I will go to another hotel that has the facilities I need. When I am in my country home in Ilorin, where I have a swimming pool, every evening I swim after which I engage in my workout, then take a shower before taking my dinner.

"The role of my family in helping me carryout my duties judiciously cannot be overemphasised. I am blessed with my three boys and a girl. My only girl is a lawyer, based in London. Two of my boys are Engineers based here in Nigeria, while my last boy is still in secondary school. I am a family man to the core and I do not joke with my family.

"They help prepare me for the task ahead and make me a better representative. As a devout Muslim, I do not stay outside my house past 7pm, because I must say my last two prayers with my family. I do not engage in unnecessary social activities. These and many more have helped in instilling a great level of discipline in me.

"In fact, my wife and I are already planning our retirement while we eagerly await our grandchildren. I am 52 years now while my wife is 49years, so we are indeed very grateful to God for His grace."

Another thing the lawmaker claims to enjoy when not on the field, working out or relaxing with family, is relating with his people. "I am a man that relates closely with my people. Even while I was still in active service with the Nigerian Immigration Service, I related with my people even with my meager salary. I helped those I could and they were happy.

"I thought of it and consulted my wife on the best way we could help better the lives of our people. So, politics was resorted to as a means of achieving our goal. So, I would say authoritatively that rendering service to my people motivated my interest of going into politics. Now I can beat my chest and say that I have been able to achieve my goal to a large extent by the special grace of God and with the support of my people and my lovely family."

Aside being the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Mustapha is also the member, House Committees on Marine Transport, Environment, Privatisation and Commercialisation, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Steel, Industries, National Population Commission, Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control and Niger Delta Ministry.

A successful business man, he delved into politics having been already groomed by his father, Alhaji Usman Alao Musthapha, a Finance Commissioner for Kwara State in the Second Republic and a contemporary of the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki (Oloye) and Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari.

MM as he is fondly called by close friends attended one of the best schools around his locality at that time - Baptist Nursery School between 1968 and 1969 after which he attended Baboko Primary school, Ilorin from 1969 to 1974 and in 1975, he proceeded to Ilorin Grammer School, Ilorin for his secondary education.

Following his desire for higher education, he was admitted to Kwara State College of Technology Ilorin, where he studied Business Administration with emphasis in Accountancy and graduated with a National Diploma and a Higher National Diploma between 1982 and 1985. He later proceeded to Lagos State Univerisity for his postgraduate studies, where he bagged Master's in Legal Studies (MLS). Mustapha's first political appointment was in 2003 when was made Special Adviser to Local Government /Chieftaincy Affairs to the then Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki. Due to his successful posting, he was in 2004 appointed the Commissioner for Lands and Housing and later Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in 2005.

His robust record as commissioner was, perhaps, motivated his contesting and winning election into the House of Representatives on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party to represent Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency of Kwara State in 2011.