An accomplished chemist, Pastor David Babalola, is one of the leading aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Ekiti State governorship election coming up next year. He speaks to DARE ADEKANMBI on what he plans to do differently as governor, the disunity in PDP, among other issues.
As one of those aspiring to clinch the ticket of the PDP for Ekiti State governorship election next year, are you not worried that the party is not a united family with a split along former governor Ayo Fayose and Senator Abiodun Olujimi?
I do not belong to any faction. I belong to the PDP family in Ekiti. In fact, what you call factions, in the real sense, are not factions, but people who are trying to ensure their interests prevail in the party. I see myself as the candidate that can bring the two groups together. By the special grace of God, I am not tainted in any way and I am well loved by the people of the state. I will be able to speak with the two groups that the PDP family belongs to all and must not be allowed to fall.
Some of us are worried about the seeming disunity in the two groups which is caused mainly by interest. But in the long run, we will get over it. It is like a storm in a tea cup. I will speak with the leaders of the two groups to make them see reason PDP must not allow the disunity to fester. It is not unusual to have this kind of thing, even in all big parties. In spite of this, I believe sincerely that PDP will rule Ekiti from 2022 because it is so glaring that the APC government there has failed on all fronts.
What makes you think that PDP can dislodge APC in Ekiti next year, even with you as the candidate of the party?
Looking at the current style of governance in Ekiti State, it is so clear that majority of the people of the state are not satisfied the way things are being run there. When you are governing a state on the platform of a party, people look at the performance of that party, even right from the national level. All of us know that APC has not done one per cent of the promises with which they swindled Nigerians to get their votes in 2015. Look at the high rate of inflation that everybody in the country is facing now. I don’t think there is a family that is not bearing the brunt of the mis-governance of APC in Abuja and in Ekiti State. APC is a party that does not take the security of Nigerians serious, which is why many Nigerians are being killed and kidnapped on daily basis. In Ekiti, Fulani herdsmen have killed scores of people with the governor not coming out formidably to say no to the oppression of the people of the state. The governor has not demonstrated a typical Ekiti spirit in the area of providing security for the people because he is protecting the interest of the Fulani caliphate. These are some of the things that the people are looking at and are saying it is better to look in the direction of the PDP to field a homegrown candidate in me. I know the feelings of the people and will do better for the people of the state. Go round Ekiti and find out. The road that links Ado Ekiti to the only major tertiary institution in the state, that is, the road linking Iworoko-Ado Ekiti, which is less than 12 kilometres in length, has been under construction for over 12 years. I shudder in revulsion when I see that this road is not prioritised by the current governor. The style of governance of APC does not show the party has the interest of the people at heart. Another thing is that people talk about federal roads, there are two terrible gullies in Ekiti if you are coming from Ilesha to Ado at Ita Ore, which were impassable for many months in the last two years. Many lives have been lost in the place. How many federal people come to Ekiti? Tourists are running away from Ekiti because there are no good roads. I have looked at governance in the state and seen that Ekiti needs me to come out and bail it out of mis-governance.
What difference are you going to make as Ekiti governor?
When we are talking about governance at the state level in Ekiti, we need someone who has passed through some tutelage, which could either be in the private or public sector, to know what it takes to run the gig. Some of those who have been governors have misdirected our resources. They did not prioritise the things that are of importance to the people and the development of the state.
When I become Ekiti’s governor next year, the interest of the people will always come first. I am not interested in living a flamboyant life. My job will be to sit down and do serious governance and to bring joy to the people and development to the state. I passed through all the rudiments of growing as an administrator and I have also led people in various capacities successfully. When I was in Cameroon in 1990, I was promoted twice in a year because of my contribution. So, I am bringing the same contribution and experience to develop Ekiti with prudence.
Things I will do differently are many. Most people have been complaining that Ekiti is poor, but that is not so. Looking at the size of the state, if the resources available are judiciously used, you will know we are not poor. I have my own plan on how to improve IGR without taxing people to tears. It is just a question of applying the tactics, teaching the people in a very polite way to be responsible and they will willingly fulfill their tax obligation to the state. When they see what we will be doing with their money, they will have no stress paying. I believe in a principle of international trade which says we should specialise in areas where we have comparative advantage. Ekiti is an agrarian community. So, I will deploy the resources of the state for integrated agriculture with the private sector having critical roles to play. Give farmers access to loans and other government support to expand their horizon and they will never be poor again. As a chemist, I know many by-products of cassava that can bring money to the people and the state.
I will also improve the quality of education in the state. When you take education away from any human being, you have taken away his destiny. Education will be looked at seriously. I attended Ekitiparapo College and was a boarding school student. I knew how we were taken care of, I knew the quality of our teachers. I am not coming to retrench teachers but to train them.
I have been in the pharmaceutical industry all my life and so the health will be another place I will do things differently by ensuring all hospitals are under good supervision and monitored and I will equip them. You won’t get to any hospital in the state and they will say they don’t have paracetamol or a Sphygmomanometer to check blood pressure.
In Nigeria today, most states are barely surviving because there is cash crunch. Where will you raise money to carry out all the lofty things you have itemised?
I have not said anything ambiguous or outrageous in my plan for Ekiti as governor. There are many resources buried in Ekiti soil that are waiting to be tapped. These are natural resources that God has given us. Agriculture will give Ekiti a lot of people. We have not seen the potential because governors have been paying lip service to the issue of agriculture. The governors have always been looking up to Abuja for money to share. Within six months of my governorship, the people will begin to see salutary effects. There is no amount of maize we produced that won’t be consumed in the country by companies in the brewing industry, agro-allied companies too.
Some APC leaders will tell you that Governor Kayode Fayemi is doing so well for the state that even if PDP gives its ticket to an angel, your party won’t win…
I do not agree with that. In fact, it is nothing but fallacy. I just returned from Ekiti. You try and go there and speak with the common people. You will know their verdict. Don’t talk to any politician. Just go to the markets, schools and the civil servants. All of these people are groaning because of what is going on in the state. All the people hear about is the propaganda of the APC-led government. There is nothing concrete on the ground. This is why I want to stick out my neck to salvage the state from the wickedness and mis-governance of APC. Even APC members themselves know their governor is not doing well.
How helpful do you consider your political antecedents will be in securing the ticket of the PDP?
I joined politics in 1996 during the UNCP days and in fact I contested for the local government election in that year. I won the primary but the powers that were at that time gave the ticket to someone else because of perceived wrangling among us. The person contesting for the governorship at that time thought I was supporting his opponent and influenced the ticket for someone who did not have up to 10 per cent of the votes. He later came back to apologise.
Since then, I have been involved in politics. I joined the PDP at inception in 1998 and I have been participating in all the activities of the party in the state up till now. I contested for the House of Representatives seat during the governorship of Engineer Segun Oni, but unfortunately there was a court judgment by Justice Ayo Salami who sent the government of Oni away then. That was how my aspiration also ended at that time. In all of this, I remained with the PDP. My father was the chairman of our ward during the Action Group, UPN, SDP days until he bowed out of politics due to old age. He was a man of integrity. He was a close associate of the late Chief Michael Ajasin. So, I inherited politics from him and also learnt a lot from him including playing politics with one’s integrity intact.
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