By Damilola Oni
Politics knows no dress code. Although public office holders use their dress code to display who they are and how they associate with the people. Generally we believe being casual in the right setting shows they are more willing to listen and more approachable and cultural dressing shows they are ready to associate with the culture and are not shy of their background.
Most Nigerian public office holders have a signature look. They are known for wearing a particular type of outfit. They have their own special fashion style which separates them from the rest.
Many of them dress in their native attires to portray where they are from. Some just have a sentimental attachment to a particular outfit and many have now accepted it as their own unique way of dressing.
Taking a look at Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, the current Minister of the Federal Ministry of Interior of Nigeria who was the fourth civilian governor of Osun State, he is a politician who has a unique way of dressing as a governor but has recently changed from the casual way of dressing to the flowing big Agbada known for big men and political office holders in Nigeria.
Starting from his trousers Ogbeni usually dress as a Tabliqs, wearing trousers that are shorter as compared to the trousers that people wear, Tabliqs way of dressing shows the individual is not arrogant.
At the top he is well known for wearing the popular Dashiki sewn from colorful, African-inspired cotton prints or from solid color fabrics, Dashiki gained global recognition in 1964 following the Civil Rights Act as an indicator of black unity and pride and the Minister for interior was never shy to associate himself with the Africa culture during his time as the number one citizen of Osun state.
As a black Nationalist he completes his dressing with a popular Taqiyah cap its a well accepted fact that whoever wears this cap acknowledges the constant divine presence that covers them and the cap is the commonest associated with Muslim men around the world.
But what really happened when Aregbesola relocated to Abuja? Why did he change his mode of dressing unlike the former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole who sticked to his khaki, known with him since his days as the NLC chairman.
Like it or not, Abuja has had a big influence on Aregbesola’s fashion sense who can be seen wearing the big flowing wide-sleeved robe popular known as Agbada sometimes with matching shoes unlike the palm slippers he mostly wore during his time as Governor of Osun State.
Leaders must realize that the society does look at what they wear just as much as they listen to their spoken words.