FG should partner UK to fight insecurity —Agbalajobi

Otunba Segun Agbalajobi is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a governorship aspirant in the forthcoming elections in Ekiti State in 2018. He speaks in this interview with wole efunnuga on security challenges in the country, how to overcome recession and how to ensure job creation for graduates in the country among others. Excerpts:

The country is in financial crisis and the various states are also feeling the pains. What do you think can be done by the states at a time like this to remedy the situation?

It is about setting priorities right. Putting the right people in the right positions. There are highly intelligent and exposed Nigerians who have a lot to deliver but have not had the opportunity. This is one of the reasons I offered my self to serve my people. Since my ambition is to govern Ekiti State, let me focus more on how my state can get out of the mess. If given the opportunity to serve my people, one of my plans to bail out the dwindling economy of the state is by releasing a special agricultural funds for 200 farmers in each 16 local governments, for a start,  to venture into large scale  mechanised cash crops farming.  I intend  to generate funds from the sales of the crops by exporting them to foreign countries within the first two years of my administration.

Funds appear to be a major challenge that most states are grappling with now. Apart from agriculture, what other methods do you intend to adopt to generate funds in Ekiti?

Without being immodest,  I have travelled to most parts of the developed world and I have the necessary link and have sufficient knowledge on governance. Having travelled to major tourism centres in Europe and  discovered  how nations in Eupean countries turn their tourism centres to wealth for their citizenry and governments, I will package Ikogosi tourism centres and other tourist centres in the state into international  standards and facilitate  easy movement of tourist developers to Ekiti State from European countries. One thing that Nigerian leaders have failed to realise over the years is the fact that there is a lot of revenue derivable from tourism. I can assure you that Ekiti State will record million of naira from tourism within a short period.

Ekiti State has a lot of academics scattered all over the world. What are your education programmes for the state?

For a start, I will  identify 100 primary and secondary schools  that need urgent renovation and facilitate  a  special United Nations educational funds meant to revamp poor schools in third world countries. I believe  that  will be the first as no government in the country has thought along this line as the money are transferred to a special account only to be monitored and supervised by the donors.

Millions of youths in the country are unemployed. How do you hope to tackle unemployment in your state?

That is one major area that gives me a lot of worry every now and then . On assumption of office, I will create  jobs for the youth by opening up different skill acquisition centres in the 16 local government  areas  of the state and ensure that graduates from this one year training centres are employed to work in  special recreational centres and other areas, and are placed on special salaries.

Insecurity  is another worrisome issue that is giving the country bad reputation among the comity of nations. What is your advice for the Federal Government?

My  advice for  the federal government is  to be more proactive in its surveillance by forming a partnership with the UK government whose air surveillance security is second to none in the world. Religious extremists are yet to launch any attack on UK because the country’s security through air surveillance has remained unbeatable among other nations of the world. They are able to ward off ISIS before they can plan any attack on Britain.