Development of Osun State will give people better life —Ogunbiyi

Dr Akinade Ogunbiyi is renowned for his philanthropic intervention. Through his Arubiewe Foundation, he has given hope to many indigent but brilliant young people of Osun State. This celebrated industrialist who has remained passionate about the plight of Osun people, especially how their common wealth is distributed by those running the affairs of the state, has indicated his interest to run for the office of governor of the state on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party. He speaks with some journalists on his ambition and why people of Osun deserve a government that cares about their future.

YOU’RE a private sector individual going into politics. How do you hope to deal with the violence associated with political activities?

Am I going there to go and fight anybody? I spend an average of N50m every year, picking people from the streets, supporting indigent students, talent hunting. If you take these ones off the streets, who will the politicians use to engage in violent acts? And what do they give to them. If you give anybody N200 in my village, that is a lot of money. Our parents gave us quality education from their merger resources.  When our leaders have failed to give us the deliverables to ensure a decent quality of life, they find something to engage us. Unfortunately, because of poverty in the land, they are able to use people to perpetuate violence.

 

We have always had people show so much commitment and passion about how to develop the nation when they are coming into politics, they espouse the same passion you are exhibiting now, but as soon as they get there, they, like you said, know what to do, but they refuse to do it. Why is this so and what do you think you will bring that will be more beneficial to the people?

There are a thousand and one people like me who are very passionate about leadership and know what to do. But it is either they are not bold and courageous enough when they get there or they get there using the wrong platform. Nigerian politics is dominated by some clear factors, god fatherism and monetization. No matter what, no matter how principled you are, if you use the wrong platform to get into political office, unfortunately, you become crippled from day one.

Yes, I am gunning for this, but I can tell you by the special grace of God, though monetization and godfatherism are in politics, but here I stand on God and what I represent as Akin Ogunbiyi; what I represent to my God, what I represent to my family, that is what I am taking to politics. As long as that independence is maintained, as long as you are able to align your thought, focus and energies to the goals of helping the people make a decent living, you will surly deliver. We can complain and complain, good people had gone into politics but the platform of getting there is the issue. Somebody said to me that if you want to run for governorship of Osun State, do you have N3b to N5b to throw away?  I said I am not going into politics because I want to go and throw N5b away. If I need to spend N5b, I want to know why I am spending N5b. Remember that what I know how to do best is to sell pure water N10, N10; buy a bag for N10 and find a way to sell and make N100. I am not used to free money. If I have to spend N5b to make it happen, it has to be N5b that I can walk away from if something else happens. I am not desperate. It is not the N5b I am relying on one god father to give to me and tie my hands. If I win it and spend N5b it is not an investment that I want to recoup; whatever I am deploying to get to the office, they are part of the sacrifice, I think the society needs to sacrifice.  And that is part of the problem of this country – people are not ready to make sacrifices.

 

You spoke about platform and you are using the PDP platform; looking at the state of the party as of today in Osun State, how confident are you that is the right platform?  Looking at the economy of Osun today because it is heavily indebted, will you still be able to work within that kind of environment?

I will start from the second question. One of the things that spurred me into taking this decision is because of the common man of Osun State.  For the past eight years, it has not been what it ought to be. They always say if it is not broken, don’t try to fix it. But what did you describe now, you said Osun is indebted. We don’t even know how much the debt is: Some say it is N400b, some say its N200b. The government itself said it is N143b. But for eight years, this is the best that government can give. There is nothing bad in borrowing, the question is, what did you use the fund to do? We know that Osun State is heavily indebted. And luckily for all of us, there is no hidden place any longer. Debt management office, every month, they publish the statistics. So, there is nothing that is hidden. Not everybody would ride a car in his life time. Not everybody would build a house in his lifetime. Not everybody would  buy bicycle or wear rubber slippers in his life time.  But good leadership dictates that everybody must have access to the basic needs of life in order to live a decent life. My parents, your parents, under the leadership of some people, they had access to that and we are what we are today.

Let me take health care for example.  My mother gave birth 16 times. She got married 1944 to my father, before then she was married to somebody else where she had given birth ten times. What do you think was responsible, poverty! When her in-laws advised that you have suffered enough with us, why not go and try another man, may be through another man, God would grant you grace of another child. 1944, she married my father and with my father, she gave birth six times before remaining the just two of us. Let me tell you something about health facility. 1962 they set up Iwo Medical Centre, General Hospital. My mother said she had forgotten about child bearing. She was just nurturing the only one remaining, my sister, when she saw her pasturing tummy and thought it was fibroid. She said there was nothing they didn’t do to about my pregnancy until February 1962 when the Iwo Medical Centre was established and my father said, ‘let’s take you to the clinic in Iwo’.  The reason was that she was pregnant but our people thought it was fibroid so they attempted to dissolve it not knowing that it was pregnancy. They took her there where she was told that she was 6 ½ months pregnant. And here I am today, to the glory of God, employing over 5000 people, creating value here and there. That is the power of a good health facility when made available to the people and the people will always pray. They have done, their best, let posterity judge them.  I am fully aware of the challenges on ground but my life has been that of entrepreneurship. I always start from ground zero. The grace of God is more than sufficient, we have more than enough resources in Osun. I am not saying it is going to be easy. It is going to be tough. But where there is a will, there is a way. I know how to create wealth. I know how to drive value. I am going to take Osun as a country that is indebted and has nothing and then start from ground zero. Look around, can you see greens everywhere. Green means life. Green means wealth. Mineral resources are there. The 4m people of Osun is a market on its own. So, there is work to be done. For somebody like me, by the grace of God, it is going to be tough but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Coming back to the platform, I am not just new in politics. I may not have been out there in the open but I have been in PDP from God knows when. I have impacted the party. There are so many reasons why the country is going through what it is going through now. We thank God for the crisis in PDP. Now, we have the benefit of a standard and which is the standard of APC  coming into government. Failure isn’t a bad thing. But for the discerning eye, failure is an opportunity to start all over more intelligently. This is what PDP is presently is. I was part and parcel of resolving the crisis of PDP in Osun State. Without peaceful platform, no matter how well meaning, there is nothing you can do. PDP has got its act right especially in Osun. And Osun is like the new foundation the PDP at the national level is going to ride on. We have learnt our lesson from our mistake. There is nothing bad in failure. It is a man who fails and still fails to rise above his failure that is a failure.

 

The bulk of the money they collected is used in servicing civil servants and their productivity you cannot really measure, just like it is in other states. As a manager of personnel and employer of labour, what is going to be your blueprint for Osun State as they are owing teachers, pensioners and everybody? How would you reform the civil service in making it efficient and effective?

The civil service is the bedrock of governance anywhere. They are the real technocrats. They know their onions.  They assist government to run efficiently and effectively.  But the unfortunate thing about our civil service, it is not only in Osun, it has been politicised. When I get to government by the special grace of God, I will go back to professionalise the civil service  and make it more productive.  They say there is time value for money. There is also value of time.  If you make this people professional and productive, there is no free lunch.  They would give you ideas, resources, actions that would bring about productivity.  What I heard they do now is task the people and increase taxes. If you tax somebody you are owing three years’ salary, even if you say the tax is 30%, what you are going to get is zero.  So what do you do? Create the enabling environment for civil servants to be productive, for SMEs to grow and thrive. What is the internally generated revenue, IGR of Osun state, it is about N660m in a month. The bulk of this revenue, about 60% is derived from one senatorial district. What is happening to the two other districts? As I said, look at greens everywhere. Don’t forget, I am a farmer. My first degree was in agriculture. I have invested over N2b in setting up of farms.  This is how we are going to approach it.  Once I assume office as governor of Osun State,  the first thing is unification of common purpose. I must get a balance across the ethnic, political and religious divide.  That is the first assignment. Let everybody know that before anything, I am Osun citizen. I am a stakeholder in this.

 

In our business,  do you know where ideas come from that we generate millions and billions?  There is something we do in our organization,  we call it strategic session. It is every Monday.  We gather together,  from assistant managers upward,  about 250 of us,  from 6.30 am to 8am.  Some people say it’s too early but in a place where you find me as the boss, where would you say you were? Look at the way I am dressed.  I don’t need the glare of any office.  I have wined and dined with president’s around the world. When you find me in our farm, until they point at me that I am the one,  you would not know I am the boss, so what is new?  I don’t need that title.  I only need the office to be able to make the difference. Leadership is about service.  People are happy to make use of their time. There is that personal satisfaction the civil servants, director in agriculture, arts,  will get.  Nollywood is the third biggest contributor to Nigeria’s GDP. About 8% I think.  If I need to fetch water for Osun people  and they will use the water and bring out money to pay  salaries,  who cares?  This is leadership.  It is about service.

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How about other co-contestants,  what is the relationship like?

There are about 23 of us on the platform of PDP contesting for one ticket.  All I could do is what I am doing now. I have presented myself and everything I stand for. I have presented my pedigree.  We are all aware of the enormity of the problems in the state today. Do you need a conventional politician? Good luck.  Look at the profile of all of the aspirants.  They are all qualified by their own right.  But my God says everyone runs a race, only one person takes the crown. And it says run,  do everything within your reach so that you will be the one to win the crown.  By the grace of God,  I am comfortable.  I am not looking for political power for additional relevance. Let the party look at us vis a vis the deliverables as it affects  Osun and make a decision. I will do everything. I have reached out to some of my co-contestants in their homes. I tell them, I wish you the very best I wish myself. This is it.  There is no fight.  If I win,  it is the same Osun and PDP. Please queue behind me. If you are the one that wins the ticket, if you look at your back, you would see me behind you. There is nothing other than that I am a stakeholder in Osun. I pray that Osun people know and appreciate the enormity of what is on ground and choose Dr Akin Ogunbiyi. As I said,  it is going to be tough  and rough  but together we can build  the Osun of our dreams.