What was the most challenging episode in your life?
The most challenging thing in my life is the hostile environment in which we are. We are in a society that security is almost at zero level. Also, the economy is not so encouraging. What we used 50,000 naira to do before, if you have 500,000 now, you cannot do it. And people like me are in such a society and we work around the clock to get results from such hostile environment.
Having spent over three decades in the political terrain, what was the most trying period of your life? What was it that thing that has left indelible memory in you that you can hardly forget?
The most shocking thing that has ever happened to me that would take time before forgetting it was the shocking death of the late Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Uncle Bola Ige. We were together on December 19 0r 20, 2001 after which we parted. I went to Akoko. I was very shocked when I heard of his assassination by some wicked people. The way the gruesome murder was committed and the shoddy way the country handled it almost made me lose hope in the entire judicial system of this country. It was handled in such a way that we had little knowledge of how he died. It was very disappointing.
How have you been coping without him since his death affected you so much?
After ten years of his unresolved
murder, what has kept me is the inspiration that I have been able to draw from
his family members. I have got a lot of inspiration from Mr. Muyiwa Ige, Gbenro
and Funso. They have inspired me the way they have been waiting for Justice.
Then, I worked with Uncle Ige’s associates like Ayo Afolabi, Layi, a
commissioner in Osun State, Odia Ofeim, Kunle Famori worked with Uncle Ige’s
associates like Ayo Afolabi, Layi, a commissioner in Osun State, Odia Ofeim,
Kunle Famoriyo and many others.
Do you think justice can still take his cause after many years of his death?
Yes, I still believe sooner or
later, justice will be done. At the end of the day, all those who had hands in
his killing would be brought to book. His spirit would also continue to haunt
them until all of them are exposed.
Scrapping of the Federal Road Safety Commission
Nigeria has more problems than it
is solving. This is extremely unfortunate. Nigeria has tendency to always want
to throw the baby away with the bath water. It also has the tendency of having
weak memory and also jettisoning history and reports. Incidentally, it is not
only shameful for Nigeria; it is also very ridiculous, laughable that Nigeria
government appears to be in the rhythm of coming around to say what they don’t
think is correct and say what they would not do. In 1993, we are on the same
bridge, FRSC to be scrapped. FRSC to be Smerged with the parent body and after
rigorous analysis and conviction, FRSC remain. In 2003, ten years after, we
went through the same process. In 1993, it involved the National Constituent
Assembly and in 2003, the Presidency and the Ministry of Justice.
In fact, they tried to do it and undid it again. Then, ten years after, we are in the same business. It is not only the step which is inappropriate, a step which exposes government as not looking into their records or not learning from the previous ones. It is also a step which shows government as being very insensitive to even the good development within their own system. Incidentally, I was in the engine room of the FRSC about two months ago and I saw the level of development which has gone up there and the level at which other countries of the world were actually emulating and copying all the things that FRSC was doing.
It is not new, it happened when I was there and I remember that New York driver’s license was modeled after Nigeria’s driver’s license and I’m also aware that a couple of African countries modeled theirs too after Nigeria’s. And now, it is even at a higher level where the World Road Safety Organization is modeling a couple of things after the FRSC. This is not the time that one report would say merge it with the parent body. It is a symptom that Nigeria is in a real difficulty.
Many people say Governor Olusegun Mimiko is doing a good job in Ondo State and you want to contest the governorship election with him in 2013. Why do you think we should change a winning team?
In Ondo State, take a ride through the market and you find out that the Mimiko that they know is not the same Mimiko that other people know on AIT, Channels and so on. Some of the indices you can use to measure that are the number of awards that Mimiko has got. Mimiko has got more than 54 awards at a stupendous cost to government over 300 million. So, why do you get the best award as the best gynecologist of the year, the best governor of the year, the best swagger governor of the year when we do not see any impart in the State?
Ask for what Mimiko has done in the state. He can be described as somebody who has done wealth cancellation, wealth annulment instead of wealth creation. He found a purse of N420 billion and found ways and means to spend it not creating any industry, farm settlement, not employing the youth. No stable industry that is there. So, instead of wealth creation, we are faced with wealth cancellation. There is another thing he has done. This ‘eye, eye thing’ (eye pleasing). It can only be ‘Oju Aye project’, to take a road that ex-Governor Olusegun Agagu had tarred and put lamp post and pulled all the divider, asphalt only to be redoing it. It is Oju Aye project to take a round about where one is not required, pulling it down four times. So, it means you pay for its destruction three times and also pay four times reconstructing and four times designing it. When you finish it, all that you now do is put a very beautiful water fountain and, because your state capital has no water, you use tanker to bring water to the place. And because you state capital does not have electricity, you then go and put generator to run the place.
All these are not landmark projects but ways and means to spend the money. The same with mega school, mega hospital, mega this, mega that. You now mentioned the word, winning. I don’t know what you mean by winning. Mimiko himself will not say so because, if he believed he was winning, he would not go about tearing and pulling down billboards and posters of other aspirants and candidates. He would not send his men to be destroying the campaign vehicles of other candidates.
‘Power is epileptic and non-existent not for any other reason but corruption. We know what to do. Uncle Bola Ige and Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu were right on what to do’
When one looks at your political antecedents, it is surprising that, at different times, you were in the Unity Party of Nigeria, Alliance for Democracy and it was a common belief that UPN, AD had the same ideology. Why did you suddenly defect to the PDP and now you want to contest on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria?
It is good that you understood
that you can say is 60 years old having metamorphosed from Action Group to UPN,
UPGA,SDP,AD, AC and now to ACN. It was a struggle for Ondo State. I remember
that the last conversation I had with Uncle Bola Ige before he died on December
23, 2001. I saw him last on the 20th because we went to Jos together
and we had a long conversation.
Then, we parted ways and I went to Akoko. One of the things he told me was that I should not leave AD. He explained that all those issues would be resolved. And we notice that some of those issues were not even resourced even though he made a trip to Akure and spent several hours trying to resolve them. Also General Alani Akinrinade (rtd) tried to resolve those issues but he could not. Crossing to the PDP was as a result of power struggle in Ondo State and Afenifere at that time. What I tried not to do people have spoken to me about it, they use it to colour my image to a certain extent and I have tried to resist giving detail because it may start to open new wounds.
People must know where Ige himself stood at that time, people must know that when Ige wrote his famous letter to the President about what he planned to do, if the contents of that letter could have allowed people like us to struggle on the platform of the PDP. Let that be aside. I’m not ready to open that at this stage because it may open healed wounds. But moving from one party to another, in Nigeria, in this 21st century, does not mean so much.
Like I told you, I go from one place to another changing people from Labour Party and PDP to ACN. Moving from one place to the other is the only way ACN could win in this state and we have been doing that. I am waiting to celebrate my 200th decamping session in winning people from other parties to ACN. The political landscape in Nigeria is so large. People move from place to place. You can also liken that to Mimiko. He has moved more than I have. If movement leads you to a good level, they clap for you and if it does not, they blame you for moving.
Ondo State governorship election is fast approaching. How prepared is ACN?
ACN is poised to win the election
and we are preparing hard. But, in preparation, you can never say you have
finished. We still have a lot to do. I can talk about my own contribution to
the preparedness of ACN. I started working on this project on May 8, 2011. And,
by last Wednesday, which is exactly one year, we commemorated the first
anniversary of the struggle to building a stronger ACN.
The struggle for the ACN in the last one year has now been documented in two booklets. We also strengthened the structure under the structure, Omoluabi, and making sure that those who comes to the party are properly registered. As at now, we have about 52 offices that are running and also have Omoluabi offices in about 203 ward and 18 local governments. Now, we have a database of 157,000 people who have filled the Omoluabi Platform forms.
Then since the beginning of the year, we have embarked on outreach meetings with the elders and elite in the state who are not necessarily resident in Ondo State. If you look at the recent harvest of people who moved from the LP and PDP, you would know that the steam is gathering.
What do you think gives you an edge over all these aspirants?
One, by nature, I am moderate and I have also lost a couple of things being moderate. I would modestly say what gives me an edge over others are very straight forward and simple. I have spoken to some governors and some elders and I have penned down that there are four major things at stake about who becomes the candidate. One is the issue of pedigree. If you look at that, I would have a very good mark. Second is how competent is the person, I have my CV, I am eminently qualified. Third is what experience does he have in managing people and resources or even political experience. As the head of the FRSC many years ago, people could not believe that I was managing about 105 formations. Then the FRSC was rated very high even outside Nigeria.
In the political terrain, I’m not new in this business. I have always been in the background for long. In 1986, when some people who are contesting now were not know in the political scene, were it not for me, Papa Adekunle Ajasin would not have had a second term. I set up the first electronic digital collation center which I did first in Ondo State for Papa Obafemi Awolowo election. I set up the ones in Oyo and Ondo which I ran simultaneously.
As for election, in 1998, I put up myself to run for governorship election in Ondo State. Then, I had the backing of some people from Ijebu Igbo and other notable Yoruba leaders. But, I was prevailed upon by some people to step down for Adefarati. Even, at that, I went into the primaries. It was in that primaries that I was asked to step down for Adefarati and wait for my turn and waiting for my turn now has become 14 years. It shows I’m not new in this business.
And, lastly, the candidate must be able to bridge the gap between the old people and young ones. The candidate must also be on ground and I want to tell you that Olu Agunloye is on the ground in and outside the state more than any other aspirant. If the issue of loyalty is to be considered, don’t ask anybody if he would be loyal. He would tell you, even swear that he would be loyal. But, try to measure that by checking his past. I have held two or three positions in the past. I headed the FRSC and it is only people who would say whether I was loyal or not and I was at a time the Minister of Power and Steel.
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