Olaiya Abideen

Olaiya Abideen
Born	1967 Oke Oluokun, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Occupation(s)	Academic, politician
Years active	1998–present
Known for	Member of the House of Representatives (1998)

Olaiya Abideen is a Nigerian academic and politician. In 1998, he held a seat in the House of Representatives, representing the constituencies of Ibadan South East and North East on the GDM ticket.

Early life and education

Born in 1967 in Oke Oluokun, Ibadan, located within Oyo State, Nigeria, Olaiya Abideen commenced his formal education at Ibadan Municipal Government Primary School III, Eleta, where he studied from 1975 to 1981. He then proceeded to Olubi Memorial Grammar School in Molete, Ibadan, completing his secondary education between 1981 and 1986. Following this, he attended Polytechnic Ibadan before obtaining his bachelor's degree from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, during the years 1987 to 1992. Subsequently, he pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Ibadan, earning both his master's and doctoral degrees between 1993 and 1995.

Career

In 1998, Abideen served as a representative for Ibadan South East and North East constituencies in Nigeria’s House of Representatives under the banner of the GDM party. He contested the governorship election of Oyo State in 2019 but was defeated by Oluwaseyi Abiodun Makinde of the PDP. Earlier attempts to secure positions as party chairman and Federal Representative in 1999 and 2003 did not yield success. In 2003, he became part of Chief Ladoja's political team; later in 2007, he vied for the Oluyole Federal seat representing Ladoja's Labour Party but encountered opposition from a powerful faction led by Adedibu. He made another bid for the same legislative seat in 2015 under the Accord Party but was unsuccessful once more.