A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and an aspirant for the House of Representatives, Mr Dotun Babayemi, in this interview with MOSES ALAO, insists that the Governor Rauf Aregbesola government has spent funds accrued to the state judiciously and that it is turning the economy of the state around.
A leader of the PDP in Osun State said that if Nigeria is in recession, then Osun State is in depression, noting that the economy of the state is comatose because the APC has no foresight. What is your view on this?
While I will not like to join issues with anyone, I have to tell you that what he or anyone else is saying about the State of Osun as opposition politicians is not the true picture of things. To start with, Nigeria is no longer in recession; the recession lasted for just about two quarters. But the APC-led Federal Government has been able to turn things around and there is a significant improvement now. Due to the fact that a government with insight and determination is in place at the centre and because of the policies, people-centric policies on the social and economic fronts, we have been able to come out of recession. Most importantly, these policies were far-reaching not just at the centre but some of the policies were able to impact the states.
On the economy of our state, there has been a significant improvement and this is due to the insightful leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. In terms of rural roads, we now have enough penetration such that our agricultural products are coming out and being taken out for sale as far as Lagos State. You will also note that Osun is at the forefront of regional independence primarily focused on agriculture. Several things have been introduced in the agriculture sector with a view to leveraging on it to boost the economy of the state. I am sure you will be aware of the Osuwon Omoluabi, which the government introduced to ensure an equal measure for agricultural products across the state. While I can say that there are still challenges as a result of reduced allocations from the centre, what is being provided to the state has been used judiciously to ensure that the economy, the people and workers in the state continue to move ahead in a progressive way.
But the opposition politician also insinuated that workers in the state are still paid half salaries, which are not even regular?
Sometimes, opposition politicians have to say anything, including lying, to gain the confidence of the masses, you have to know that. In the State of Osun today, even though we are not anywhere near the top in terms of accruements and the interventions from the government, what has been given has been spent judiciously to ensure that the people of the state can survive in a very reasonable way. Most especially, the state has been spending the funds in a way as to prepare for the future. If you look at the state today; you will see the network of roads and other key infrastructure being built by this government.
Today, Osogbo is looking like a state capital for the first since the creation of the state in 1991; it is now looking like a city. Go to Ile-Ife and Ilesha, it is the same. The network of rural roads that have been built now allows agriculture produce to come out to urban centres. So, respectfully, with the kind of things everyone can see in terms of capital infrastructure, the state stands among the top three in terms of infrastructural development and looking at tomorrow. The APC government is not just about today and it is definitely not in support of the norm of what you can put into your pocket. The people of the state can see in real terms some of the things that have been put in place not just for today but for the future of Osun and the future of its children.
But the government has been accused of having taken massive loans…
Government is a continuum. If you look at the state from the time of its creation and because of the challenges we had and bad management; there were loans that were obtained in the 90s that the government is still paying today. And it is critical to find a balance between what we are trying to achieve today and what we have to do tomorrow. That has led to scenarios where there has to be a lot of financial reengineering, so that we can continue to operate as an entity. There is no government worldwide, both in developed countries and the third world countries, that does not have loans ord debts as a form of financial projects or building capital investments. So, the State of Osun is not doing anything out of the ordinary and the state is not even the highest borrower in terms of loans in the federation. It is important that as we talk about these things, we remember that government is a continuum and some of the loans being repaid today were obtained in the last 20 years.
You aspired to represent your federal constituency in 2015 but lost the APC ticket, so the question is what is your interest this time, the governorship seat?
Well, my primary interest in the State of Osun goes beyond holding a particular position; it is to be able to offer service whether in government or outside government. That is something I have been doing over the last 10 years; that is something I learnt from my father, who is the immediate past Olufi of Gbongan. He was instrumental to the creation of Osun State and when he was leaving the University of Ibadan as a professor to become a traditional ruler, we all wondered and asked why he was going to the village. He said he needed to serve his people. So, for me, it is not just about politics but being able to offer service to the people of the state either in the private sector or in government.