Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, the politics of the South-West geopolitical zones is getting hotter, with different exchanges among some of its leaders over the presidential election. As a PDP chieftain, what is your take on the comments against former Governor Bola Tinubu on how he is holding some South-West states and forcing them to dance to his tune?
I told you from the outset that I guess your target in this interview is to put words into my mouth so as to get me into trouble, but God will see me through. You see, I am a thoroughbred Yoruba man, born and brought up in the best traditions that accord elders honour and respect. Any Yoruba man that is well-brought up will never speak ill of any elder in Yoruba land. For me, I believe so much in this tradition. If there are issues to be discussed about the conduct of our elders either in governance or any other area, I will, in line with Yoruba tradition, prefer to discuss with such elders privately or go to their colleagues (elders) who can discuss the matter with them but such can never be subject of newspaper interview or publication.
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In Yoruba land, it is an abomination to ridicule an elder in the public and thereafter attempt to honour him or her in the private. For me, I hold this as sacred.
One of the issues causing the argument borders on division in Afenifere following the endorsement of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, with a faction already declaring support for President Muhammadu Buhari. What is your take on this?
The Yorubas, as you know, are highly sophisticated people. Ditto their politics. The scenario you have just described is politics; it is all politics. But watch it; they would not because of politics fight dirty. The Yorubas embrace politics without bitterness, as same brothers of the same family will belong to different political parties and they will coexist amicably.
But there has been a sort of enmity between Tinubu and Chief Bode George, with some saying it is capable of continually taking the Yoruba race backwards in the Nigeria project. What is your view?
With due respect, there is no enmity between them let alone the enmity constituting a setback to South-West development. They are well-respected Yoruba leaders and where they have differences, they iron such out privately and quietly in an amicable manner. They are leaders that conduct themselves impeccably in line with Yoruba sacred customs and traditions. For instance, sometimes ago there appears to be a gap between Chief Bode George and former President Olusegun Obasanjo and both quietly resolved it amicably (in private), closed the gaps in between them and they are very much together now.
I was going to touch on your last answer; many Yoruba people also believe that former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not sufficiently make use of the opportunities he had to develop the region?
Please, on your own, compare the military regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his two terms as civilian president with all the governments that we have had in Nigeria in terms of development and nation building. I am very sure that even with the worst mind of an enemy who is envious, jealous and has the intention to condemn OBJ, the inevitable answer will be that his government, so far, is the best in all the six geopolitical zones and indeed Nigeria. He was not and is not tribalistic or sectionalist in his approach to governance. He was not and is not a person that would want the development of South-West more than any other zone and at the expense of the other zones or Nigeria.
Obasanjo was and still remains an epitome of the Yoruba virtue, which forbids cheating in any form against a fellow human being. He was the president that paid off Nigeria’s debt accumulated over so many years by past governments. You can imagine the situation now in the budget just laid by the president before the National Assembly. Nigeria is using 60 per cent of our annual budget to service external debts. God forbids that it reaches 70 per cent; otherwise the economy of this country may collapse completely. That is why it is better to have former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who learnt the ropes under OBJ and was part and parcel of that loan repayment agenda to come on board to pay off our debts at this critical time in history.
Let us come back home to Oyo State, what is your view of the government of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who is completing his second term in a few months?
First and foremost, the mere mention of Oyo State reminds me of the strong man of Oyo politics, the late High Chief Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, of blessed memory, who through the grace of God made many of us what we are today in the politics of Oyo State and indeed Nigeria. For those who know and appreciate him for what he did for us, they must by now realise how difficult it is to get to positions he got for us on a silver platter using the resources God endowed him with. May God Almighty grant him Aljanah. Most people can now see how difficult it is to contest for positions, as many have contested and lost elections for positions they would have won easily in the days of Adedibu, the generalissimo of Oyo politics. We miss him dearly.
Now, back to your question, go and check my records, I have never and will never openly or publicly condemn Senator Abiola Ajimobi or any governor for that matter, as I maintain that it is unlike a Yoruba man brought up in the best customs and traditions of Yorubas to so do. Senator Abiola Ajimobi is not a saint or an angel. He is a human being like any of us with blood flowing in his veins. If I have any comment on his administration of Oyo State one way or the other, I prefer to see him to discuss it privately or tell his elderly colleagues who can discuss such with him. Go and check my records, I have never and will never condemn him or any other elderly Yoruba man on the pages of newspaper or publicly. For me as a person brought up in the best traditions of the Yorubas; when an elderly person is in government, rather than condemning him openly, one should do his best to support him irrespective of party differences.
For the records, I had such golden opportunities when I was in House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015 and I made the best use of them. First, there was a heavy flood that ravaged the whole of Ibadan, destroying many houses and killing many residents. To assist the Oyo State government then being led by Senator Ajimobi, who was of the then ACN while I was in PDP, I moved a motion of urgent national public importance on the flooding on the floor of the House of Representatives. That motion resulted into several resolutions that made the House to send a delegation to commiserate with the Oyo State government and to visit the scenes of the flood. Eventually, provisions were made in the national budget for channelization, which assisted Oyo State to put an end to such floods till date.
Secondly, I also raised a motion of urgent national public importance on the Bodija Market women that were killed in Maiduguri, Borno State. This motion led to the visit of the House members to commiserate with the families of the deceased and compensations paid to the affected families.
Rather than being antagonistic and engaging in condemnation of the elders at the slightest opportunity, Yoruba elders whether in or outside government, should be respected, honoured and supported as much as possible to achieve maximum success. It is important to note that I did all these as a PDP member and I have remained in PDP till date.
Do you have any advice for the youths and coming generation of South-Western Nigeria?
They should continue to hold the virtues of respect and honour for elders as sacrosanct no matter what positions they find themselves in government. Like a Yoruba adage says: “Don’t destroy elders, perhaps you may be one in the nearest future” which translated in Yoruba as – “E ma ba agba je boya yoo kan’ni lola.”
The youths of Yoruba land, when they are in positions of authority or in government, should honour, respect and adore elders. They should hold firm the great virtues of the Yoruba race in this respect at all times. They should always remember that no matter how high their political or governmental positions may be, they will eventually leave these positions. They should always remember the Yoruba adage that says “a masquerade that will later become a human being should beware of his conduct when in uniform” – literally translated-“Egun to mo pe ohun o pada d’eniyan gbodo sora se nigbati o ba wa ninu eku
and then