By joshua When A Man’s Way Pleases His People: Prince Mathew Kolawole, The Bridge Builder Who Has Become Kogi’s Political Compass
By Abu Micheal
In the ever shifting political firmament of Kogi State, there are politicians and there are institutions. Rt. Hon. Prince Mathew Kolawole, immediate past Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly and now Technical Advisor to Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo on Assembly Matters, belongs in the latter category.
His appointment by Governor Ododo was not a favour. It was a recognition of experience, competence and years of dedicated public service. As many have described it in several fora, he is not a newcomer to legislative governance. As Speaker, he demonstrated remarkable leadership, political maturity and a deep understanding of parliamentary procedures, promoting cordial relations between the executive and legislature that delivered stability and effective governance.
In today’s parlance, he is a square peg in a square hole.
Who is an effective administrator and politician? The management guru Peter Drucker once said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” An effective administrator plans with clarity, organizes with wisdom, leads with empathy and delivers with accountability. He understands budgeting, human resource management, conflict resolution and institutional stability.
John C. Maxwell captured the politician aspect when he said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” An effective politician listens more than he speaks, builds consensus where others see division, keeps friends across divides and places collective interest above self.
Prince Mathew Kolawole embodies both definitions. As Speaker, he ran the Assembly not as a battleground but as a functional institution. He understood the rules, respected the institution, and ensured that executive-legislative harmony translated into development.
But to understand Kolawole, you must go beyond the Assembly complex. You must go to Kabba Bunu Ijumu Federal Constituency, where his footprint cannot be overemphasized. In Kabba Bunu, stakeholders themselves describe him as one of the soul of the APC and one of the major movers and shakers of the politics of the area.
When Governor Ododo appointed him, the APC in Kabba Bunu LGA hailed it as a master stroke that has sealed opposition. That is not noise. It is the verdict of a people who know that Kolawole has carried their hopes for over two decades.
What makes him the man for all seasons is rare. He is a politician with no boundaries. He has friends across divides — across party lines, ethnic lines and religious lines. It is the reason his nomination into the APC reconciliation committee was seen as top notch.
He does not burn bridges; he builds them. Even when he disagrees, his outburst is brief. He vents, then he works assiduously to close gaps. He is a jolly good fellow, a man full of life, with no dull moment.
Leadership, as Governor Ododo himself has said about him, goes beyond office. It is about retaining the confidence and trust of your people after leaving office, and the massive Team Yomikola structure that still follows him to Government House today is proof that he has built trust, not just a structure.
In Kogi APC, his likes are a blessing in every way. He has resources, though he is not a money bag. His relevance is not bought; it is earned through sharing. That culture of giving has made him relevant right from his days in the political school of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, when he first made his name in the sporting world before transitioning into full politics. He learned early that politics without humanity is empty.
His lifestyle mirrors what great researchers of human service have said about men who live for posterity and not just for profit. Albert Schweitzer observed that, “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And the famous leadership scholar Warren Bennis noted, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
Kolawole’s service is for posterity, not transaction. In his years in the Assembly, he organized empowerment programs for 155 beneficiaries of skill acquisition, expended over N3.5 million on Ayede-Olle-Igbo electrification where communities had not enjoyed light since creation, supported 350 beneficiaries in education, paid monthly stipends to over 120 youths, settled medical bills, purchased over 40 vehicles and 80 motorcycles, renovated health centers and town halls, and commenced construction of two cottage hospitals in Ayede Bunu and Gbeleko Kabba.
Beyond politics, he is an entrepreneur with distinction in the hospitality industry, a sector where service, detail and human relations define success. It is a known fact that Prince Matthew Kolawole owns hotels both in Nigeria and outside the country since 2009, and by 2015 had become an entrepreneur with chains of businesses in the hospitality sector.
This is where his entrepreneurial philosophy comes alive. As Conrad Hilton, the global hotel icon, said, “To be successful, you must act big, think big and talk big. But most importantly, you must serve.” Kolawole brought that hotelier’s creed into public administration — prompt service, attention to guest satisfaction, efficient staff management, financial discipline, and sustainability. He treats constituents like valued guests and public service like an enterprise that must deliver value.
His loyalty is legendary and sacrificial. In 2023, when he was contesting for the Kabba Bunu Ijumu Federal House seat with bright chances, he was asked by the party leadership to step down. He obeyed. In 2026, during the APC primaries, he indicated interest again, Governor Ododo begged him to withdraw in the interest of peace and unity, he obliged again. Governor Ododo himself attested to this, saying his leadership is not because of money or wealth, but because of loyalty and sacrifices.
That stabilizing role when Kogi State was about to be turned upside down, as attested during his 60th birthday, will not be forgotten. His superlative consultancy in building legislative capacity is now national. He just returned from Rwanda with State lawmakers, a capacity building feat he has established across the country, equipping legislators with global best practices in lawmaking, oversight and representation.
It is that depth that makes him invaluable to Governor Ododo as Technical Advisor, guiding the delicate but critical relationship between the executive and the 8th Assembly.
Prince Mathew Kolawole has come to embody the truth that when a man’s way pleases his people, even his perceived adversaries become his advocates. He is not loud, but he is rooted. He is not a noise maker, but a vote magnet. He is not desperate for office, but office keeps finding him because his people keep calling him.
In Kogi West, in Kabba Bunu, in the Assembly, in the boardroom of his hospitality empire, and now in the Lugard House advisory, he remains what Kogi politics needs most — an effective administrator, a dependable leader, a loyal party faithful, a distinguished entrepreneur, a bridge, and above all, a man whose way pleases his people and whose service is for posterity, not just for today.