As the governorship poll holds on Saturday across the country, the candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Honourable Adekunle Akinlade will be out to secure the mandate of voters in Ogun State in his Rebuilding mission. Kunle Oderemi examines issues thrown by his campaign less than three months after APM hit the political space like a thunderstorm
The stage is set for an epic battle over the governorship seat in Ogun State on Saturday. The high calibre of candidates for the election makes the contest titanic, while their individual support base makes the story of the race distinct and episodic. However, what makes the standard-bearer of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Honourable Adekunle Akinlade, stand out among the dramatis persona is the high quality of his campaign. His emphasis on issues has enamoured him to the critical mass of the population of the Gateway State, which occupies a unique place in the chequered history of the country. His brand of politics has turned APM into a household name, not just in the state and even in mainstream national politics within a couple of months. Thus, his entry into the race with a Mission to rebuild has altered the political calculus of the state, having thrust into the political domain, fundamental issues of good governance, human capacity building, industrialisation and improved revenue base; all aimed at repositioning the state.
Convinced about the need for a paradigm shift in development strategy, Akinlade had embarked on a tour of all the wards in the state with three major objectives in mind: one to accentuate his philosophy of bottom-up development; two to apprise the people of his development agenda based on well-researched efforts and third, to hear from ordinary people what their utmost needs and desire within their neighbourhood, with the aim of incorporating their inputs m into his overall blueprint. This informed his remarks at the beginning of his campaign that he was set to herald a new beginning in the state. “When I served as Special Assistant to the Governor on Revenue Mobilisation, I was able to raise the Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N700 million to an average of between N6 billion and N7 billion per month,” he said. Today, the effort of the self-effacing politician appears to have literally caught fire, going by the synergy between him and the people, because beyond the urge for consolidating the gains of democracy so far in the state, a unified agenda for a holistic development to be executed from May 29, this year by an APM-formed administration.
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Vision
For every opportunity the ward-to-ward afforded him, Akinlade painstakingly expatiated on the covenant he has entered with the people of Ogun State while underscoring the uncommon emotional attachment he has with his home states. A widely travelled man with vast experience in both the public and the private sectors, he says the urge to raise the bar in terms of governance and selfless service remains his burning desire. “For me, I believe very strongly in this state and I have a very deep passion for it. I have lived in the United Kingdom; I have travelled wide across the world and I have seen so much and have come to realise that no matter what you have, no matter how much you have, no matter what your status is, you’ll always be a visitor wherever you go. Even currently, I live in Lagos and Abuja, but the feeling of being from Ogun State is there and that I believe resonates with everybody whenever you go back to your home or your state,” he declared. An apostle of inclusiveness in governance, Akinlade said of particular importance to him was to collaborate with all well-meaning stakeholders to “develop a state that anybody from Ogun State will be proud of in terms of infrastructure; employment for our youths, growing our economy and opening up our rural communities so as to make them economically viable.”
His passion for a holistic approach to development is instructive, in view of the schism by members of the public concern over poor governance in parts of the country. He has promised to usher in a new dawn; carry everybody along in his mission to rebuilding the state, as artisans, traders, professionals and members of the traditional institution will play a critical role in his administration in line with his policy of inclusiveness, stating that all stakeholders will benefit from the action of his government in creating a clement weather for individuals to actualize their desires. In other words, he promised to belong to all, regardless of professional callings or social and economic status or political affiliations. “People used to think that you need to first make sure that there is industry or investment taking place before you now put facilities to get there. The challenge has been which one comes first? Do you put the infrastructure in a place and hope that development gets there or you put an industry or investment before you put a road to get there and that is misleading. Let us put infrastructure round, then it will attract the necessary investors and investments. No matter what you do, there is no way you can satisfy everybody. So, what you need to do is to make effort so that at least you are lifting the state and you are lifting everybody, and that is what we are going to do,” he said.
Endorsements
The popularity of his candidacy is best understood by the chain of reactions with different segments of the major stakeholders in the state, separately identifying with his current ambition. Many notable groups and senior citizens and traditional institutions are backing his candidacy because of what they see as his wealth of experience, pedigree, background, piety and roadmap. For instance, market men and women in Ogun State have promised total support for Akinlade. The traders, at a general meeting held in Abeokuta, promised to mobilise votes for him and other candidates of the APM. The President of Egba Traders, Mrs Kemi Oloyede who spoke on behalf of the traders, maintained: “We will support Akinlade. We are going to mobilise votes for him. We want continuity in Ogun State. Akinlade is the next governor of Ogun State by God’s grace. We Iyalojas and Babalojas are behind you. But when you get there, please don’t forget traders. Don’t relegate us to the background by calling us the informal sector.” In turn,
Akinlade has promised to stand by his promise of keeping his promises and sustaining the tempo of current development in the state. The Babaloja of Yewa, Chief Adewale Adesina and the Iyaloja of Yewa, Mrs Yemisi Abass, had presented Akinlade to the traders, seeking theirsupports for the candidate. Adesina, who is fondly addressed as Saranda, appealed to all the traders to support Akinlade.in response, Akinlade said he would create the Ministry of Trade and Investment to make loans accessible to traders and small scale entrepreneurs. He noted: “I am the only candidate who has been to 211 of the 236 wards of Ogun State and i have seen the excellent work of Governor Amosun. If he could do all these in only eight years,it means this state would have solved most of its problems if previous administrations in the state had the same vision. This is why we need a continuation of his good work”, he said.
Similar endorsement was made by Chiefs in Egbaland because of his rebuilding mission. The chiefs, under the aegis of the Ologun/Olorogun Egba made this promise when Akinlade and his APM campaign team made a courtesy call on them in Abeokuta. Speaking on behalf of the Egba high chiefs, the Balogun of Egbaland, Chief Sikirulai Atobatele, said sons and indigenes of Egbaland would vote for Akinlade to ensure that all ongoing projects in Egbaland were not abandoned. According to Atobatele, “Many candidates have been coming here and many will still come. Fear not, we won’t let you down. The chiefs you see here are what we make up Ogun Central and this is where we have the highest number of votes. We will vote for you. Go back home and speak to your people in Ogun West. Egbas are already with you.” Meanwhile, the Olubara of Ibara, Oba Jacob Omolade also endorsed Akinlade, urging all his chiefs and Ibara indigenes to join him in voting for Akinlade, who he described as his beloved son.
Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)
Even his critics acknowledge his vast wealth of experience, which he hopes to bring to bear on the affairs of the state as governor. He is not just a staunch advocate of wealth creation; he has unambiguously demonstrated the principle practically in all official capacities, either as an appointee or a member of the National assembly. He adds: “At the National Assembly, I have interfaced with the top management of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). I was the chairman of the House Committee on Steel, which means all the steel companies in Ogun State I have interfaced with their top management. I was Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on Insurance, which means that I interfaced with all ministries, departments and agencies of government. I interfaced with everybody on Defence, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and indeed all agencies of government; I interfaced with them on insurance. So, none among the candidates today has the wealth of my experience I am bringing into the race from both the national and state levels. So, that’s what I’m bringing on board, apart from the wealth of experience I had in the private sector before I came into politics in 2011.” He has also promised to use the core area of his areas of specialisation as a professional to give a fillip to Ogun State as an industrial hub by boosting the state IGR to a record-breaking level. Part of what he considers as his Unique Selling Point is the harmonious relationships he had been able to establish with bluechip man firms in the corporate world either through his legislative functions in the House of Representatives or as an ex-SSA in Ogun State. He plans to leverage on the cordial tie in attracting more investment to the state by providing a conducive environment for investment without compromising corporate governance rules and regulations. This is how he expatiated on part of economic palns for the state: “We cannot develop the state without money. One of the things we will do is to increase our internally generated revenue (IGR) from N7 billion to N12 billion.”
On the source of his strength as far as the race is concerned, Akinlade said: “Simply put, the people of Ogun State are the source of our confidence. It is not Senator Amosun. Even, the governor gets his confidence from the people. Because no matter how much you put out there and no matter how brilliant you are, it is still the people that will determine who wins the election at the end of the day. So, it is the people. When I go out every day, I see them; I am tired and my voice is gone. When I wake up in the morning, I see people happy coming out. I do not give them a dime. People sleep outside. They followed me for two days when we went to Yewa North. They follow me everywhere I go. I do not have a hotel. People will sleep in their vehicles. I cannot even leave them alone. I sit with them. All of us will play till the next morning. Then, you will see that there is hope for us in Ogun State.”