Exclusive Interview with Aaraj, Speaks about Kejebu, Adeleke’s performance, Ajagunla’s Petition, AEF, Others

Exclusive Interview with Aaraj, Speaks about Kejebu, Adeleke’s performance, Ajagunla’s Petition, 2026 agenda, AEF, Others

In this interview, an Osogbo born Civil Engineer, founder of Aaraj Empowerment Foundation (AEF) and Kejebu crooner, Engr Raji Kehinde famously known as Aaraj, exclusively talked about Kejebu 2.0, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s performance, Ajagunla’s petition, AEF plans for Kejebu, next steps ahead of 2026 guber poll in Osun among other issues as conducted by Oyeniyi Timileyin, and transcribed/converted to texts by the OsunReporters News Correspondent, Omobolanle Jamiu 

Kejebu has been a household name in Osogbo, Osun state and has been around for a while. How did kejebu come into existence?

Thank you very much. Aaraj empowerment has been around for about 12 years. And every year we empower people especially the less privileged people, the poor people. And last year I got this divine mandate of kejebu, the word came and I tried to search out and I discovered it has three different definitions. Kejebu can be referred to as ‘Single Moms’, mothers that take care of their children alone. Another meaning is your lifestyle, the way you live your life, don’t live above your income, don’t live above your earnings. You can also Kejebulaize your doings or your lifestyle.

So those are the definitions we have for Kejebu and I just felt in my spirit that it would be a very nice thing to gather the less privileged people at the end of the year, so they can know that somebody remembered them.
Last year, we started with Kejebu 1.0 where a whole lot of people like Nano traders were empowered and agents with medical needs. They were also empowered. And this year was taking me forth, we had about 5,000 people gathered on the single tent. We were able to feed a lot of people, everybody that came, they ate and some even went home with drinks. And we also gave 2,000 aged women and men Aso Ankara as gift for the year and some of our members who are fashion designers were engaged to sow the cloth for them and we paid for sowing as well.

Aside from that, we had students from the school of Special Needs, we pay their WAEC fees and we also have some of those physically challenged guys who are traders, we empowered them as well. We also empowered members of Aaraj Empowerment Foundation (AEF) so that they can draw themselves money within their cycle.
Aside that, we gave the 400 Nano Traders 50,000 naira each to support their business. This money will be repaid monthly for 10 months. If everybody pays, we will have 2 million naira monthly for another set of Nano Traders to alleviate poverty.

To the ordinary layman, this kind of program is too big for just an individual, who is bankrolling you?

God is bankrolling us.

Some people often believe that Kejebu has a political undertone. Do you intend to contest now or in the future?

Thank you very much. I want to give you the final answer to the question you asked because a lot of people have been saying the same thing. You see, when they know that you have followership, politicians will come to you with all sense of humility and remorsefulness. And the kind of person I am, when you talk to me I don’t believe you’re lying. During the time of the former governor Oyetola, I asked people to vote for them, I voted for them as well, but they got some power without asking us to give us any appointment. None of them give me postcards to take care of the people who voted for them. Whatever they can do to support my followers they can do because by the special grace of God I’m okay, I’m blessed. But they don’t want to see them anymore. So, that was what the government of Oyetola did, not the governor himself but some of his aides that were so desperate. I told him six months before the elections that you are losing this election and I told everyone of them. You know why? Because you can’t cheat people and you think that you’ll go scot free. It’s never done, especially in a divine set.

This present government also came the same way. The chairman of the party led the team that came to my house, Reverend Bunmi Jenyo and others came and said, Araji Please let’s work together and we did. The governor made promises, they all made promises. But today two years into the government, they don’t even want to see my followers. But God has been so good to me. Initially, we were just in 2 local governments Osogbo and Olorunda, today, Kejebu covers the whole of the 30 local government and area councils. We are at all the 332 wards in Osun state. You can go through our website, the names of my coordinators, the ward. Aaraj empowerment foundation www.aarajempowermentfoundation.org
Kejebu does not resonate to that kind of level.

Talking about the present government. Few months ago, you said you will access governor Ademola Adeleke’s performance after 2 years. What’s your assessment?

Well, I believe they’ve tried. They’re doing their own best but I believe with the funds that have include into the pocket of the government In the last two years, they should do better.

In what areas?

Thank you very much. Governor Ademola Adeleke and I are a very good friend and he is a very good brother that I hold in high esteem and respect, but when it’s time to say the truth I will tell him the truth. He has allowed a lot of people who are not supposed to be in government to take over power. They are abusing their positions, so he needs to check that or else they’ll run this government down. We are on the streets, we know what’s happening on the street. Aside that, if you’ve empowered people by appointing them as commissioners as SAs, SSAs and they’ve presented their budgets and it has been approved allowed them to take responsibilities for the budget, let them have full autonomy of the execution of their projects, so we will know who to hold responsible if things go wrong in that particular aspect. I Think these are part of the lapses because many appointees are just there joking with everything on their table.

As some people will say that governor Adeleke is a good person, but he is not in charge of this government do you believe that?

Well, the little I know about Ademola, I call him brother Ademola, he is a very nice person, he has a very good heart and nobody can take that away from him but in terms of governance some of the aides that he has abrogated power to run things on his behalf are not doing well, they’re not doing well. I was at Iresi some few days ago, the new road that was constructed, I drove on that road and it wasn’t properly done. You can see my car was galloping just about 100 – 200 meters. 4.2 kilometers from Iresi, Oke-Iro, Igbajo I did that road almost 10 years ago. I’m not condemning it but that’s what I know because construction is my major. So I know when a road is good and when a road is bad. The contractors should go back to that side and probably do some overlay, it’s as simple as that.

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With the numerous followers of yours across Osun, the political party will come and go. Do you intend to support this current government in 2026?

It’s too early at this time, by this time next year, 2025, I will decide. I don’t just decide, we have over 162 thousand members. AEF has 162 thousand indigenous members in the state. So who is Aaraj? We have to sit down and talk to ourselves about who we want? Because we don’t even know who is contesting yet, and we don’t even know who God’s gonna preserve till that time. So by this time next year. Six more elections, we should know where we are going but for now, we’re so neutral. Very neutral.

On a final note. What’s your next plan ?

Probably Kejebu 3.0?

What is the line of the program for the rest of the year?

Well, it’s too early to say that but we have some very main projects that we do monthly. And we still intend to continue doing that. We take care of the aged people who are blind, take care of the people who are childless, and we also want to make sure that they don’t feel that absence of not having children. So we do as much as given them a token. We are the biggest private client of the State State Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS), you know, the last Kejebu that we did 2 weeks ago, we have about a thousand OHIS recipients. We have engaged 500 of them So the cards of 500 should be ready, we’ve gotten some already. So once that’s ready, we’ll switch to the second phase of free medical treatment for the next one year, fully sponsored by Aaraj Empowerment Foundation (AEF).

You have a little faceoff with Osun Central Senator, Olubiyi Fadeyi Ajagunla that resulted in Police and Court involvement. What really happened ?

Well, his Chief of staff Tunde Badmus led some boys to social media to blackmail and defame me. Not only me extended to my family members and the way I am I can do anything to protect my name because I have really worked to be where I am today. So if any political office holder or because you’re Chief of Staff or Personal Assistant to a Senator and governor, that does not give them the audacity to go online and defame and cyber bully. So I acted on it as soon as I got evidence. I don’t know why Mr. Governor would appoint such a person into a political office. It is an embarrassment to the government as far as I’m concerned. S when I saw it, I called my lawyer, he should have petitioned. The Commissioner of Police invited me and an invitation was extended to both of us. The commissioner said there’s another petition from Senator Olubiyi Ajagunla against me concerning this similar issue, I said okay. I responded to it and the police came up with their reports. Ajagunla’s petition was dismissed. I have the satisfied true copy, which is gonna be published this week on social media for everybody to read. About three of them were also invited and they responded to the petition. The police has concluded investigations and recommended that the three of them should be charged to court for defamation of character and cyber bullying. Those guys believe they are untouchable when they’re in government. I will use the harm of the law to get justice. And that’s the right thing to do.

Thank you so much for having us today Engr. Raji Kehinde Kejebu 001

Interview conducted by Oyeniyi Timileyin, and transcribed/converted to texts by the OsunReporters News Correspondent, Omobolanle Jamiu.