Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 21, 2026, something quietly meaningful will happen at the APC Ibadan North Secretariat in Yemetu. It will not be loud. It will not be dramatic. Yet for many families, it will mark a turning point they may remember for the rest of their lives.

Hon. Umar Farouk Arisekola-Alao’s Land Empowerment Programme begins its first phase with the allocation of plots of land to party faithful within Ibadan North Federal Constituency. Over 40 beneficiaries will receive land with proper documentation, not promises, not tokens, but something solid they can stand on and call their own. In total, more than 100 people are expected to benefit as the programme unfolds in phases.

In a political culture where empowerment is often reduced to items that finish within days, this choice feels different. Two congos of rice feeds a household for a short while. Land changes a family’s story. It offers security. It offers dignity. It offers the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you own something that will not disappear overnight.

“This is about restoring value to loyalty, It is about giving people something that can outlive today and support tomorrow,” Arisekola-Alao said.

For many beneficiaries, this will be their first piece of property. A place they can build on. A legacy they can pass to their children. An asset that grows even when times are hard. That is why the initiative has struck an emotional chord within the constituency. It speaks to real needs, not political theatre.

Party leaders from the state and the constituency will be present, but the true focus will be on ordinary men and women who have stood by the party through difficult seasons. As one local leader quietly put it, “This is not empowerment for applause. It is empowerment for peace of mind.”

There is also a deeper story behind this gesture. Philanthropy, in its truest sense, runs through the Arisekola-Alao family. The late Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola-Alao, the first Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, was known for changing lives in ways that endured. He invested in education, helped people establish businesses, supported religious obligations, and lifted families without stripping them of dignity. His giving was never about noise, but about impact.

That same spirit appears present here. This programme does not ask beneficiaries to feel indebted. It places them on firmer ground and lets them rise on their own terms.

For Umar Farouk Arisekola-Alao, a former Commissioner for Youth and Sports and a 2027 aspirant for Ibadan North Federal Constituency, the message is clear. Leadership, to him, is not about waiting for office before acting. It is about understanding what truly improves lives and acting on it when the opportunity arises.

Tomorrow’s event may last only a few hours. But for those who receive land, it may quietly reshape their future. And in a time when many have grown weary of political gestures that fade quickly, this simple act reminds us that real empowerment does not end with consumption. It begins with ownership.