I am coming in to better the lot of Ondo people —Akeredolu •I won’t probe Mimiko, it ’ll be a distraction

Friday, 24 February, will mark the beginning of a new political era in Ondo State as the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor, Olusegun Mimiko, will be handing over the reins of power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu. Against this background, the incoming governor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, commonly referred to as Aketi by his admirers, in this exclusive interview by KATE ANI, speaks, among other issues, on the things that will form the focus of his administration.

Have you picked out the people that will constitute your cabinet?

I am not in a hurry to do that. I operate by the Latin maxim ‘festina lente’, which means ‘hurry gently’. I am not in a hurry to pick my cabinet members. I am going to try to be thorough about it. I am looking at several names but I have not chosen any candidate yet.

 

Are you under any pressure from political associates for you to repay favours by selecting their preferred candidates?

That is natural and normal. People who worked with you deserve to be appreciated. It is just for me to keep my head and exercise a measure of restraint by not rushing or jumping into anything. I am going to try as much as possible to be thorough and make up my mind. When I make up my mind, soon, they will know.

 

The last time I was here, your political and legal associates addressed you by your name but now the story has changed; there have been chants of ‘Your Excellency’ by your political associates and dignitaries wanting to have an audience with you. How does it feel to attain this political height and to be addressed as such?

Let me tell you something: I dislike the use of the expression ‘Your Excellency’. I don’t fancy it. I have told people not to address me as such. I have made that clear. You can address me as ‘Mr Governor-elect’ now, and when I become governor, ‘Mr Governor’. Some people even call me ‘Chief’ but I have told them not to, because I am not a chief. You could call me ‘Arakunrin’, which is, ‘Mr’. I would rather answer to ‘Arakunrin’ than ‘Your Excellency’, ‘Chief’ or ‘Barrister’. I have never answered to Barrister, anyway. I am a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), which is more than enough for me.

I don’t feel any different from how I have always felt. It is probably a delayed reaction to the election or the position I am going into. Seriously, I am yet to feel it. People come. I receive visitors in their tens. They come every day, whether I am in Owo, Akure or Ibadan. The last time you were here, when I hadn’t even won the primary, you saw the throng of people that came to see me. You can also see how large their number is today. So, the feeling is not that different. To be sincere with you, I am yet to feel the impact of that which recently happened in my life. As I said, may be it is a delayed reaction. May be I will react to it later. May be I will not. There is nothing to it, for God’s sake. Yes, I am an elected governor of a state, great!

 

Are you not overwhelmed by the expectations of the people of Ondo State and the need to hit the ground running?

There is a lot of expectations, no doubt, but because of my attitude to life, I am not pressured. My attitude to life is to do my best and leave the rest. There is no government anywhere that can solve all the problems of a state. Government is a continuum; you do your best and other people will continue. So, I am not setting out to solve all the problems of Ondo State. It is not possible. But I am setting out to lay a good foundation for good governance. I am setting out to tackle the challenges we are facing head-on and make sure that we find solutions to a sizeable number of them. Once a government is focused with a clear vision and you have people who want to help you realise that vision, not those who would want to destroy it, you will make your impact. I can assure you that what matters to me is the legacy I will leave behind at the end of the day. I know that the challenges are there but they are not daunting; they are things we can surmount. We will surmount them. I believe in God to take charge of this. I will be a tool in His hands. I am going to work earnestly for the people of Ondo State.

 

You are going to be working with a PDP-dominated House of Assembly, which is also embroiled in crisis. How do you think your relationship with the legislative arm of government will play out?

I am sure that I will work with the legislative arm of government on good terms. I am sure of us having a cordial relationship. I am sure that we will work well together. There is nothing so difficult in working with an opposition legislature. Legislative members are just representing their constituencies. They listen to their constituents and the constituents know that their representatives cannot go against them. For me, let the legislature have what is due to them, give them room to operate. Their duty is to pass laws and there are oversight functions. But whatever it is, let them do their work the way they know best. I have no doubt that we will work harmoniously together; I don’t see any problem with the Ondo State legislature. Once the people have confidence in you as their governor and the legislature also have confidence, there will be no turning back. The most important thing is to build that relationship and confidence. I will be serving the interest of the people and there is no legislature that would set out to override the people’s interest. So, I have confidence that we will work together.

 

There is recession in the country, hence reduced federal allocations to states. How do you plan on paying workers’ salaries?

Payment of workers’ salaries has become a problem, except for a few states. I am sure most states have been battling with the issue. It is a big problem but we are going to see how we can increase our Internally Generated Revenue. We are looking at industrial growth. From there, I am sure a lot of things will come up. This recession will not be forever. I am sure the economy will pick up soon. We will pay salaries. We will not even be afraid to go into debt to ensure that our civil servants get paid. To deny workers their salaries is an unfortunate thing. It is not right.

 

As a legal practitioner, how do you hope to improve the fortune of the judiciary in the state?

The judiciary in Ondo State must be smiling now that I am coming up. They know my attitude to that arm of government. I have been the Attorney-General of the state before. When I was in that office, I impacted the judiciary appreciably. Those who worked with me in the Ministry of Justice appreciated my approach to administration. So, for the judiciary, I don’t see any problem. They know that I know that court facilities in the state are not up to the standard that I would have loved them to be. I had expected that by now, Ondo State would have a big High Court Complex, and not where we have stayed since the days of the (defunct) Western Region. I am also particular about the headship. If you have a chief judge that is focused, I am sure the judiciary will be all right.

 

Are you going to probe Dr Mimiko’s administration?

I am not going to involve myself in probing people…

 

But what if upon assumption of office, you find that the situation on the ground is not what you thought it was?

I will not change my mind. We have enough laws to get anybody to answer for wrongdoings but I am not interested in probing people. I have never had such an interest. It is a distraction. You will just find yourself distracted and spending money unnecessarily and you might not get anything from it. So, if you find out that anything has gone wrong, the laws are there.

 

Senator Bola Tinubu is the national leader of your party but I don’t think you have visited him since you emerged as the governor-elect of Ondo State. You have always denied any rift between the two of you, even though he did not support your candidature. When are you planning to visit him?

There is no issue between me and Asiwaju Tinubu. Anytime I know he is around, I will get to see him.

 

Don’t you think that your attitude and refusal to pay homage to him fuel speculation that all is not well between you two?

What attitude?

 

I meant, after your election, you have visited President Muhammadu Buhari and other prominent APC leaders, but you have not been reported to have visited Senator Tinubu or even appeared in a photograph with him.

I only visited President Buhari and the National Chairman of our party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. Anyway, it is clear to all of us that Asiwaju Tinubu has been spending little time in Nigeria these days. If he is around, there is no problem, I will visit him.  I am sure you are aware that for some time now, he has been having some commitments outside of the country.

 

So, people should look forward to the visit soon, so as to put the rumoured conflict between you two to rest?

Rumours that what? I have told you that all is well. If you say that I have not been pictured together with Asiwaju Tinubu of late, how many people have been pictured with him? Tell me. In recent times, how many people have been pictured with him?

 

He attended the recent South West APC leaders’ forum in Ibadan and as an APC governor-elect, you were expected to also be at that meeting…

But I was not invited, so I didn’t have to be there. Maybe (the meeting) was limited to serving governors and I have no problem with that. It is all right because I am not yet a serving governor. If I was invited and I was there, you would have seen me taking pictures with him. But apart from that time, have you seen Asiwaju Tinubu take pictures with any other person? All these questions are not necessary, they are just to fuel rumours. People are only trying to create a problem where it does not exist. I have told you several times that I have no problem with Asiwaju Tinubu. We are in the same political party. If he is around, we will see him. There is no problem.

 

Have you extended an invitation to him to grace your inauguration as Ondo State governor come  next Friday?

He is one of the leaders of the party and we expect that he will be at the inauguration. Invitation will be sent to him, no doubt, we are not going to take it for granted that he will be there. He is the national leader of the party and all leaders of the party are expected to join in this epoch-making event. This is a thing of joy for the party. The party won an election against the incumbent. Everybody in the party and everybody who loves the party should be happy to be there to celebrate this victory and I expect that, as a consummate party person, he will be there. Look, if you want me to say it loud and clear, invitation will be sent to him. I will call him on the phone and discuss with him.

 

What is your relationship with Mr Jimoh Ibrahim?

Jimoh Ibrahim is a very good friend of mine. He is a colleague. We (Olujinmi and Akeredolu) are his tenants. Our office is on the fifth floor of his building. He is our landlord. We both went to Ife (then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife). He sees me as a big brother. We are both from Ondo State and we share a lot in common.

 

In the build-up to the governorship election, it was alleged that he was paid to cause confusion in PDP to pave the way for your victory?

Did they tell you who paid him?

 

No…

It is unfortunate. If there are facts on the names or organisation that paid him, they might be able to defend that (allegation) but I know that Araba Jimoh Ibrahim is richer than I am by all standards. He would rather give me money for my election than me having to pay him. I know that I can’t pay him. I know for a fact that my party can’t pay him. So, those are mere speculations. Do you see Jimoh as a rabble rouser? He is a billionaire by all standards. Can he be bought? I don’t believe anybody can buy him.

 

Some PDP leaders accused him of conniving with the Ali Modu Sheriff faction to distract the party’s governorship contenders.

Let me tell you something, nobody could have used Jimoh. He is a fiercely independent person; he does things on his own. If he believes in a cause, he pursues it and, in any way, before the election, PDP had split into factions—the Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff factions. The same thing happened during the Edo State election. Did anybody pay them to have factions? So, let us look at things and be pragmatic about them and not dwell on all these speculations. If PDP didn’t have their factions, would they have had confusion and be in disarray? The Yoruba say that if there is no crack in the wall, there is no way a lizard would go in. PDP has cracks right from its foundation, which can never be mended again. So, if it is a crack that cannot be mended, don’t put that fault on anybody. Those cracks have nothing to do with APC. They have nothing to do with Akeredolu. It (the situation) is something fundamental to their party. That is why everybody in that party is jumping from the wrecked ship in droves. Everybody is leaving because there is no PDP any longer. So, it is not anybody’s fault.

 

With you in charge, what should Ondo people look out for in the next one year?

In the next one year, I will have what I will call the flagship project, which is, back to basic; back to farming and to our rural areas. I have said that over and over again. I would see if we can access some grants and build our rural roads so that farmers and other people living in those areas can have access to the urban centres. That is one. Two, in the next one year, we will try as much as possible to attract a few industries to the state. In the next one year, we will try as much as possible to ensure that our free trade zone takes off fully so that we can have industries here and there. We will, most importantly, face agriculture with everything we have. We will attract foreign interests to our cocoa, palm plantations and so on. We will try as much as possible to encourage our farmers. We are going back to what we call cooperative farming. If you have groups of people engaging in expansive farming, I am sure that things will improve in the state. Those are some of the major things we want to do.

 

Will you pursue a second term?

I have only been elected for one term, which matters to me. I am an ambitious person but I don’t nurse inordinate ambitions. I want my work to speak for me. If I work well and the Ondo people think I deserve a second term, great. If they feel I have not been able to impress them, fine, I will go back to my office. I am a lawyer, I will resume my practice. I have nothing to lose. But I want to work for the people of Ondo State. Second term is not the priority; it is my work that would speak for me.

 

Are there moves to unite APC leaders and members in the state?

I don’t believe that members of our party are aggrieved. We are one. We all worked for APC and nobody is going after those who left for other parties. If they want to come back, they will be welcome. We are not begging people to come back to the party. The party has more than enough people. But if they want to come back, they are welcome, no problem.

 

Friday, 24 February, is your inauguration  day as the governor of Ondo State. What would you like to say to the people of the state in the intervening time?

What I would say to Ondo State people is that I am coming in to see how we can improve on their lives. My goal is good governance; purposeful governance, a visionary government. I need their support to achieve our set goals. It is not something I can do alone, so I will call on them to let us develop Ondo State together. They should be witnesses to change and be part of the change. Don’t just fold your arms; let the change, as we have been saying, start from you. We must have complete change in our idea of what governance is. We appeal to our elites to let us have a consensus so that all of us can agree that this is where we are going, so that we can all work together. My message to Ondo State people is that change has come. They should be rest assured that our leadership will be one they can trust entirely. We will not fail them.