The ANRP gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Mr Olalekan Ayorinde, an entrepreneur based in the USA, spoke with newsmen recently, about his antecedents and political ambition. TAIWO OLANREWAJU was there. EXCERPTS:
Why governorship and not any other political office?
At the moment, I think we are in a very tight situation in our country where we need some form of faithfulness and honesty of purpose. I either lose telling the truth than win telling lies. Only the truth can stand the test of time. This journey that I am embarking on is not a journey for power; not a journey for money but a journey to salvage the commonwealth of our state from the so-called political jobbers.
If I have the leadership qualities to take on the position, I think it is my right, just like that of anybody else to aspire. In my place of work in the United States of America, I lead a bunch of men and women. Unfortunately, however, leadership as it is in Nigeria, is not what leadership is all about. Good leaders must be ready to take responsibility and accept mistakes when they happen. Nigerian leaders don’t do that. They give excuses. The fundamentals of leadership are the ability to take responsibilities and accept mistakes. I have the requirements and what it takes to aspire for the governorship – the leadership qualities, the antecedents, respect for our culture and values, the ability to gather the right people. We are not going to follow the status quo. But we are determined to work for the betterment of our society. It is not a competition with anybody; neither is it a do-or-die affair. In approaching it, I am not going to wear my religion or my skin. And like I said earlier, I’m not doing this thing for power or money. Mine is a resolve to contribute to the progress and socio-economic development of the state.
You have a solid economic base abroad, why did you decide to venture into Nigerian politics?
I have been in the USA for over 20 years with my family, contributing immensely to the socio-economic growth of that country and coming to Nigeria on visits. But on one Sunday afternoon after the Church service, my pastor, Lucille Russo of the Oasis of Grace Church of God, told me that many successful Nigerians, including me, are all over the place in the US doing fantastically well. He further asked me why we couldn’t mobilise and come to Nigeria and help in fixing the ailing national economy. “Or you don’t love your country,” Pastor Russo asked me. That really beat me. And that was indeed an eye opener. It doesn’t take God to come down and tell you what to do.
I couldn’t keep Pastor Russo’s challenge to myself. I discussed it with Nigerians of like minds in the US and other parts of the world. And we all agreed that it is a task that must be done. Notable among eminent Nigerians in full support of the idea is Mr Julius Kolawole, an engineer. He is a renowned US-based industrialist of the Ijesa ancestry, who successfully handles the popular Electricity Company in the US. Mr Kolawole, like many others, is already a committed volunteer for the Olalekan Ayorinde gubernatorial project.
Why did you decide to pitch your tent with Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) and not one of the old well known parties?
Well, I will tell you that ANRP is simply the only feasible alternative on ground to the old parties which have failed to take Nigerians to where they rightly deserve, for almost 20 years in the new-found democracy. The beauty of ANRP is the fact that it is the only party that can boldly say it is not being remotely controlled by political godfathers or money bags.
What is your blueprint or focus?
Our blueprint cuts across all the spectra of human endeavours including education, social services, healthcare and the poverty ravaging the land. I will tackle them headlong if elected as the next governor of Oyo State come 2019.I am very passionate about the whole issue on ground. And that’s what actually prompted my emergence.
Education is one of our major areas of focus. We need to improve the lives of the teachers and make the infrastructure conducive for teaching and learning. A lot needs to be done in the healthcare sector also as most of our public hospitals are already outdated. Since it is the responsibility of government to save life, we need ambulances, we need emergency services to prevent the present ugly situation where our people are dying cheap deaths. And in the agricultural sector, we need to standardise a lot of things and we will support our farmers, both in the areas of crop farming and animal farming while the issue of silos will be taken seriously to keep surplus farm produces bought from farmers during the harvest period as a protection for the farmers against glut.
and then