Governor Abiola Ajimobi said recently that he would desire the next governor of the state to come from Oke-Ogun axis. But many people doubt the sincerity of the statement. As one of the guber hopefuls from the zone, how sincere do you think the governor is in this matter?
I think it is just right to hold somebody to his word. Those who say they doubt it, I don’t know the basis of their doubting the statement. If somebody at the level of a governor could come out not once, not twice, I don’t think there is any basis for anybody to doubt him. The governor has put his honour on the line and staked his integrity. I don’t see any reason why anybody should doubt him. I believe him. He is a man of honour. He will keep his word.
Seven years of APC government in the state, there has not been local government election and when are looking forward to one, there has been back and forth in your party over primaries. Are you not worried about this?
I am not worried. Politics is dynamic and we have issues coming up every day. On the issue of the primaries, the party’s constitution is clear on how to elect candidates for elections. And where those provisions are not followed, whoever is aggrieved within the party, has a channel established by the party for people to express their grievances. The party has a provision for people to make complaints and I do know that people have made complaints. I believe the party will take appropriate steps to respect the views of the members within the context of the constitution of the party on the emergence of candidates.
In a democracy, we have to be patient. Sometimes, it is tedious and takes a lot of time. So, we must have the democratic temperament to follow the law. If you do that, it may take some time, but eventually the law will triumph. So, I believe that the provisions of the law will take precedence over any other consideration on the conduct of local government election. After seven years, Oyo State will eventually have credible local government elections.
Disunity among leaders from Oke-Ogun over who to back among the governorship aspirants from the zone has always been drawback for the zone. Now, about seven of you are in the race from the zone. Is there a strategy to prune down the number to enhance the chances of the zone clinching the ticket?
My personal conviction is that every aspirant has a duty to go to the party members and market himself regardless of where the aspirant comes from. Irrespective of the number of aspirants, there are those who will still be able to connect themselves more appropriately with the voting public. The idea of many people coming out to contest is not limited to Oke-Ogun. We probably have as many as 15 aspirants from Ibadan, whereas in Oke-Ogun we are only six from APC. This is the first time we will have a high number of aspirants coming out from Oke-Ogun. When they say we are not united, I don’t know where that is coming from because all over the years, the people in Oke-Ogun have been contented playing the role of deputy governor. So, if they are not united, it will be probably that they are not united on who will be the deputy governor. People from Oke-Ogun have not really seriously contested the governorship of the state. So, I do not think that that position holds water. I believe that, regardless of all these sentiments, every aspirant has a duty to go out and connect with the people. Regardless of the number of aspirants from any part of the state, I believe if anyone believes in himself and connects with the people, that person can win. This is a democracy. You can’t tell somebody who has an ambition not to express it. So, I don’t believe many people should not come out from Oke-Ogun. It is not the way to play. As an aspirant from Oke-Ogun, there is nothing that says I can’t win more of the delegates from Ibadan or Oyo or in Ogbomosho or Ibarapa. It requires hard work. I will rather work hard than spend so much energy on pruning down the list of aspirants from Oke-Ogun.
At a time when most governors are regretting their election or re-election on account of dwindling federal allocation, what is the attraction for you in the governorship of the state?
I am in this race because, by providence and education, I have been trained to run a good government. I read Political Science for my Bachelor, Masters and doctoral degrees and I have moved ahead in academics. I have been exposed to the knowledge of how governments are organised in the interest of the majority of the people.
I have also had the experience of federal and state governments and I have seen the opportunities that we have in Oyo State, but which we have not exploited. I have experienced the potentialities that abound in the state. Probably because I have also worked as a journalist, I have developed passion for values such as good governance, probity, transparency and protection of the interest of the vulnerable members of the society-the old, children, the weak, the poor and the very poor. A combination of all of these has given me a passion to serve and that passion is not a passion that is hindered by the difficulties in the state.
What I see are the opportunities, the great potentialities in the state. In Oyo State, for instance, they say there is no money and people regret they were voted in for a second term. But this is a state that prides itself as the food basket of the country and is one hour away from Lagos State. Lagos consumes food worth N8b a day. How much of this huge money comes to Oyo State? This is part of the opportunities I see. Lagos is the fastest growing economy in Africa. What is the benefit we are bringing to Oyo from this big economy? We have a majority of our youths that are unemployed.
Yet, we know there is what is called knowledge economy which requires training our people so that they can rule the world and generate huge amount of revenue for the state. There are countries without raw materials, but which are making as much as $20b from ICT from the sale of software alone. Can’t we develop our youths along this line so that we can make huge revenue as a state to pay salaries, offer free education, free healthcare and provide infrastructure? It is these possibilities that I see and not the problems. The world gives way to the man who knows where he is going. That is my driving force.
If you are to do a SWOT analysis of yourself, what will you say is the strength you have that others don’t possess?
My strongest point is that I have been trained to run a government and I have the experience. I also belong to a career-the media-that has developed in me the right temperament to run a good government. The experience and the knowledge I have are not things you can take from the shelf. I have the experience at the state and federal levels to know the problems and the opportunities that abound in Oyo State. I have been a journalist for many years with the experience to know that the duty of every government is to serve the interest of the majority of the people. When you combine all of these, you will see that I can’t fail in government. With due respect to other aspirants and I know everybody has his own strength, I do not see anybody who has a combination of these attributes which I have and which guarantee that I will be a good leader.
There is a world of difference between theory and practice and this is why some critics say when eggheads like you get to power as governors, you somewhat find it difficult to connect with the people. So, how much have you been able to bridge the gap between theory and practice to make you fit for purpose as governor?
I have told you that I have experience in government. I have been part of all presidential campaigns in Nigeria since 1999. So, I know what the problems are. Election is just about the needs of the people, which is what politicians react to. I have been in government at federal and state levels. There are two classes of politicians. There are those who have ideas of what they will do when they get to government. There are politicians who do not have any ideas and who work by the proposals brought to them by businessmen. Even if those who have ideas will fail, you are better off trying them than trying those who have no ideas.
But if you look at my career path- academics, media and public service-how else can I imbibe those attributes that will me a government official that is connected with the public? There is nobody who knows the society better than journalists. And I have been one for years. Journalists know the weakest members of the society and what the government is supposed to do for them. That is what I have done all my life. I have the sentiments for good governance and I also read Political Science with specialty in comparative politics which core is about how the best governments are organised all over the world. That is what I have learnt since 1984 till date and I also have the added advantage of working at the state and national levels. I have also consulted for federal agencies. If you say all these are not enough, I don’t know where else you will get somebody with the temperament to run a good government.
and then