Ekiti 2015: ‘My candid advice to Opeyemi’
Two years ago, I came home and contested for the chairmanship of Ekiti South-West Local Government Area of the state. I lost due to some political reasons adduced by the state government. We were to have primaries but, it was suddenly cancelled and the people they wanted there were picked. That actually angered me but I did not write any petition over the matter. That’s gone now and we have to move on. That was in the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). But today, we have the All Progressives Congress (APC) to which I belong.
So, are you here to contest for local government chairmanship again?
I am in the state for political reasons but not to contest local government elections. I have been monitoring the activities of the present Ekiti government. The fact that I live overseas does not hinder my frequent contact at home to know how our state is being run and to know how the government is doing. I learnt from various groups and even people who are not members of my party what is going on in the state. So, I was generally told that the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, is doing his best, particularly in the areas of infrastructural 2development, education, provision of adequate healthcare, especially to young children and to the elderly, as well his efforts in upgrading primary and secondary schools in the state. Education is the biggest industry in state and the governor has done well in the education sector.
But, are you here to challenge him to do better or you are here to contest the governorship with him, notwithstanding your claim that he is doing well in office?
I am not contesting for any election because of the good job the present government is doing. I have rather come to support him. The governorship election will come up next year and the job has to start now. That is why I am here. I have my own programme on how to come in to contribute my quota to ensure that Governor Fayemi is elected for a second term. This is because I feel that he has done very well and if given another opportunity, he is going to perform better for the people of the state.
Can you let us into some of the programmes, or is it money that you have brought to contribute to the cause?
I am not a money bag but, when I believe in a cause, I put all my energy and other resources available to me to ensure that I make an impact. I have a group that has been on the ground in Ekiti since my venture into the electoral contest and I am ready to deploy the members of my group for this venture. I have devised a means to ensure that the job is done and this is my own way of showing that politics is not about grabbing money, but about contributing to the development of the state. And we believe that Fayemi is doing well, so we are out to support him to win the 2014 governorship election.
You are in support of the governor. There are those who do not support his second term ambition, especially a hitherto member of your party, Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele. How do you see this?
Bamidele served in the government of a former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, for eight years and also served four years in that of incumbent Governor Babatunde Fashola. Today, he is a member of the House of Representatives. I know him and some of my friends were among those who encouraged him to be a lawyer. I know him and I doubt if Bamidele can perform better than this government is doing if he were in the saddle. We know his limitations. On the other hand, we know what Fayemi stands for. We know his democratic antecedents and he is just about completing his first four years in office. So, I think it is out of place for somebody from nowhere trying to rub shoulders with him because of some petty personal issues that don’t hold water in political arena.
If you have the opportunity to advise Governor Fayemi, what are those things you would tell him and in which areas would you want his government to put more efforts or do differently?
Rome was not built in a day and Rome has never stopped being built. The governor cannot do everything in a day and he cannot even do everything in eight years that he has the constitutional right to spend in office if he wants a second term. Governance is a continuum but, I will want him to tackle the issue of potable water and if possible, electricity generation. We have rivers that can be dammed. Nigeria is not developing at a reasonable pace because we have no power. There isn’t energy here while America as it is still finding more ways to further generate power. They have gone from hydro to wind, solar and now they are facing ethanol. So, I would want us to do something about that. Another area is agriculture and I’m glad he is already tackling that. Agriculture would boost the economy in very many ways and this is apart from ensuring food security.
What is your advice, especially to those who do not share your thoughts on politics?
That is what makes politics interesting. We cannot all share the same thoughts. If there was no opposition, there possibly would be no development. If there were no such challenges, the party in government would be complacent and that could hamper development. So, the issues of Bamidele and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are keeping the government on its toes and now, we have a lot of development to campaign with. If the government had not performed, what would we have campaigned with? The development in all parts of Ekiti State is the reason everybody, including myself want him to go for another term.
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