Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki will forever be a name that will be difficult to evade while writing the political history of Kwara State. He would have loved to celebrate his 80th birthday come May 2013 but the cold hand of death snatched the maverick politician six months to the next birthday that never was. It was indeed the end of an era for the former Senate Leader who had a firm grip on the political scene of Kwara.

Saraki was a different personality to many people. To his political opponents he was a stumbling block to their ambition, a rock too difficult to challenge politically and thus a wicked and retrogressive man.

But to the beneficiaries of his acumen, he was the best giver who lived his life to enrich others.

Whichever way one looks at this enigmatic politician, one would not deprive him of his dues; he was indeed popular with his people and he had their sympathy on virtually all issues of great concerns to him. It would be an acceptable statement with more than 70 per cent population of the people of Ilorin the state capital that whatever Saraki wanted would also be the choice of the people of the town.

Capturing vividly the formative years of the late politician in Kwara politics was a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Albert Folorunso Ogunsola. Ogunsola in a chat with The Guardian in Ilorin said the passion for assisting the less endowed persons could not be divorced from the generosity of Saraki in his life time.

"He loved his people and would do anything within his powers to make them comfortable. He was not interested in mundane things but would fight with the last drop of blood in him any attempt aimed at deliberately pauperising his people. So it was not all about politics with him but also economy," Ogunsola said.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Saraki had two houses in Ilorin, built mainly for his political activism. One of it was said to have been built for him by a former Governor of the state, Alhaji Sha'aba Lafiagi. The second one was renovated when his biological son Dr Bukola emerged as the Governor of the state.

Secretary of the state's chapter of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) Prince Yemi Afolayan said, "many of those that 'Olooye' assisted to get to the zenith of their political careers are richer than him, yet he was not moved. He instead kept on giving to them more. He was indeed a true giver, a leader with no rival in generosity and a quintessential visionary."

Saraki's silent way of ensuring redistribution wealth among his people was in his love for putting his close associates in juicy political offices.

Some of these beneficiaries have been described as 'Wretched of the Earth', but the great politician still favoured them.

There was once a story of how a member of the House of Representatives had emerged as a candidate of the 'Olooye'. The candidate was said to be of a lower academic status, and the report got to Saraki.

The ensuing conversation had taken place between him and the candidate thus:

Saraki: 'I learnt your English is poor? What is your name and what is your age?'

The Candidate: 'my name is … and I am …years old.'

Saraki: 'this is amazing to me. You have passed my test you are going to represent us in Abuja. What other skill do people want from you than the one you had just displayed?'

Saraki's penchant for having his associates around him all the time could not but be seen as another way of identifying with their joys and sorrows. At his 'Ile Loke' political square, 11 pm would be viewed as merely 7am due to the constant activities that often kept it warm and exciting. Fried meats, beans cakes and sometimes, African cuisines would be served without anyone being exempted. At dawn, money would be shared among the people and sometimes yards of Ankara would accompany the money.

Although Saraki was never a religious bigot, he married a practicing Christian faithful Florence; he was always at the forefront of donating generously to the building of mosques especially the Central Mosque Ilorin. A Muslim leader in Ilorin, Mohammed Abdullahi, said Olooye used his wealth to sponsor countless people on pilgrimages to both Israel and Jerusalem just as he aided the proprietors of many Islamic schools in the state while setting up their schools.

Suleiman Kayode Yusuf the follower of Saraki for over two decades said unlike many other politicians the late senator had a "forgiven spirit" and was willing to pardon any of his political opponents, irrespective of their misdemeanours. Yusuf, now the Chairman Local Government Service Commission in the state said; "we were not always happy each time 'Baba Olooye' would ask us to forgive those who had attacked us during the build up to any election. Besides, sometimes he would even accommodate some of these people in his cabinet after the elections. He was indeed kind hearted."

Olooye, a lover of journalists explored the power of the press to its fullest, as he accorded practitioners the best respects despite his busy schedules. At Ilorin, in particular, he would gather the resident journalists in his house shared his wealth of experience with them and express his views on topical issues.

Most notable on his views about the nation's democracy is his belief in the supremacy of the party over those serving at the Executive arm of government. He once said during a chat with reporters at his 'Ile Loke' residence," that until a party has firm control over those holding elective offices, then democracy will not be the way it ought to be.

"During our days at the defunct National Party of Nigeria, (NPN), the National Chairman of the party, my good friend Chief Adisa Akinloye was more powerful than the President of the nation each time we held our party meetings. Adisa was always the last man to appear at the meetings and we would all be on our feet to welcome him. Until we go back to that golden era of true democracy, we may not give the people true benefits of this system of government."

Saraki, despite his popularity among his people was always very focused each time there was an election. He would comb every nooks and cranny of the state canvassing votes for all his candidates. To attest to this development, for a very long time, each time there was a convoy; uninformed villagers would hysterically shout 'Olooye,' not minding even if the convoy belonged to Saraki's political opponents.

The political incursions made by this enigmatic politician in the old Kwara state, which was made up of the present day Kogi and Niger states, were stuff for great stories. According to Afolayan, "it was always laughable seeing some politicians coming to Kwara when elections were approaching boasting of their prowess to oust Saraki politically.

"How do you displace a man who had been on the saddle for almost half a century? How do you defeat a man who was spending his resources even when there was no election? How do you beat a man who liberated his people from shackles of poverty? How do you remove a man who was moving from one community to the others asking for what the people wanted? He was a people oriented politician and the best example of what a politician should be."

He again showed his compassion when the bakers in Ilorin suddenly hiked the price of bread some years ago. Saraki first held a parley with the bakers on the need to reduce the price. But when it became apparent that the bakers would not heed the call, he set up a bakery in Ilorin, selling to his people at highly subsidised price.

The acceptance of this development made the people to compose a song in support of his bakery. The song goes thus: 'Ogbe un ti mo moje de, Saraki se Buredi, o gbe un ti mo moje de.' (In the song, the people sang that the entry of Saraki into the business of baking suits them).

Significantly too, the Vice President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Isa Aremu said Saraki was labour friendly. According to Aremu in a chat with The Guardian in Ilorin, Saraki was instrumental to the historic enactment of the first minimum Wage Act of 1981 as a Senate Leader following the struggle of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) led by comrade Hassan Sunmonu.

Aremu added, "Saraki was also instrumental to the establishment of Micheal Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, (MINILS), in Ilorin, a fast growing centre of labour studies in Africa, an institute that eternally immortalizes Labour number one, Pa Michael Imoudu.

"Essential Saraki qualities were twin issues of education and gender sensitivity. He once observed that; "education is very important. My father left me a lot of properties. But I have not touched them. It is the education I'm living on and the reason I sent my children to the best of schools in the world".

The NLC boss continued, "Saraki showed that knowledge is wealth and that wealth is knowledge. Personally I am a beneficiary of his historic generous support for community public schools (Ilorin Grammar School). In a country with regrettable high illiteracy, in which governance has not been knowledge driven resulting in mass poverty, private greed as distinct from public prosperity, Saraki's death was a loss for a voice for public education.

"Lastly, Olooye was commendably concerned with women's plight. Indeed, Saraki showed that if your support base was gender sensitive with considerable concern for those on the margins like women, nobody can stop you. He was truly a politician of the 'heart'.

Saraki, during his political sojourn, supported people like Alhaji Adamu Atta ( 1979 to 1983)Chief Cornelius Adebayo( 1983, three months), Mohammed Lafiagi (1991 1993), Mohammed Lawal (1999 to 2003) Bukola Saraki (2003 to 2011), and the incumbent, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed to be Governors of Kwara state.