Dr Abideen Olaitan Olaiya, in this interview explains why he wants to govern Oyo State. The gubernatorial aspirants in Oyo State says he has all it takes to fight corruption and make the state survive on agriculture.
Q:- Who is Abideen Olaiya…
Dr Olaiya: My name is Abideen Olaitan, born and raised at Oke-Olookun, Ibadan. Our father’s name use to be Sanusi, but Olaiya is our primary name. My òrikì is Alao.
Q:- When did you join Politics? 1995, when I contested for the chairmanship position of Ibadan S/E (Mapo), which a friend of mine (Taofeeq Arapaja) won the election.
Q:- Have you ever been in charge of any political office?
No, I haven’t. But ever since 1995, I have been coming up up till date. However, if we have not held a political office before, God has made us to be holding various leadership positions such as religious leadership positions, senior civil servant,…etc.
Q:- You’re a lecturer in which university?
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Q:- What gives you the impression that you can be governor of Oyo State and that if you’re privileged to be, you’ll deliver good governance?
What ascertain me that I can govern the state is the gift God has bestowed upon me, which is intelligence. Ever since I was in Primary school at IMG, down to Olubi Memorial Grammar School Molete, my teachers and colleagues then, of which many of them are very much alive, could speak of my gift.
The primary objective I do have in mind is to supervise and ensure that things are good & well placed for the overall benefit of mankind.
Q:- Mention 3 Problems in Oyo State.
1. Leadership: The majority of whom God has blessed to be our leaders are far removed from the people they govern. And that’s why they enact policies that have no usefulness to the people. For Example: Can you imagine watering flowers in a state where a good numbers of human beings have no access to drinkable water?
It’s simply because they don’t know what the masses lack. Majority of them have never entered public transport or relate with their people deeply.
2. Lack of Intelligence: The main component of government is sharing resources and coordination in human lives. Provision of security, justice and distribution of human and natural resources. Most of them does not have the required intelligence. For example: among the agreed benefits of citizens in Nigeria is that free education will be provided from primary schools to basic.
Look at what is going on in our public schools today.
3. Corruption, Selfishness and Greed are big problems we are facing.
Q:- The impression is that all politicians are corrupt, are you?
NO! I am not. Cocoa Research Institute, Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan was my workplace, go and do research about me there.
Q:- You’re in which political party?
I’ll answer that question in two ways.
1. I’m a civil servant, and according to the laws of our land which as not been amended, I will say I belong to no party.
2. But I have a favourite party and right now I am in the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Q:- What do you want to do in Oyo State that Ajimobi hasn’t done?
Our current governor is trying but it seems the the three aforementioned problems are not making his good work come to reality.
Q:- So you agree there’s corruption in the system?
Yes. I do.
Q:- Starting from corruption, do you think some people ought to have been fired? And which areas do you think some abnormalities are still occurring?
When we are talking about corruption, the important aspect is transparency in governance. There’s no transparency in the Oyo State Government.
The majority of the information that the employees of the government ought to have such that when any citizen ask them about it they should be able to produce the answer are being withheld.
They will say “Mr Constituted Authority must not hear”.
Secondly, those that ought to supervise the government’s job like contracts, etc are not allowed to do so. As interfering with those matters might cost them their job.
So, there’s no transparency.
Also, look at our IGR, some said it’s small but either it’s small or minute, no one knows the exact amount!
Q:- But you’re in APC, why haven’t you tried to reach out to the governor?
The only reason I am in APC now is the anti-Corruption stand of Buhari. I was formerly at Accord until the conclusion of 2015 election when I joined the APC to support the Buhari’s cause.
Q:- Are you telling us that you can fight corruption like the Buhari-led government?
Yes! I can. Because I have no cockroach in my cupboard. Anyone with stain of corruption or with cockroaches in his/her cupboard can’t fight corruption.
I do tell people that ever since I joined politics in 1995, anyone that have been duped or cheated by me should show up or should be produced.
I have been here in Ibadan, you can’t meet any discrepancy in me.
I have been chairman of cooperative society, chairman of union, chairman of section, HOD, etc you can’t meet any bad act in my actions.
I have a clean record, and I want all that will govern us to have a clean records like mine.
Q:- You’re an agriculturist, do you think the Oyo State Government is doing well in that sector?
No! They are not. All they are doing is talk.
Not quite long ago, the Oyo State government sponsored some people to Shongai at Benin republic to go and observe how a farmer developed his farm promising to us that they will transform Fashola into something similar in three months.
I then called one of my friends among them, I said the government is not serious about this, that there’s no way Shongai can be achieved in 3months that it is only a Political statement.
I then told him that I give them 6months. I was still at Oke Ogun recently to do some farm work.
I still do plant cocoa, cashew, etc.
It is my job and has become part and parcel of me.
Someone was surprised when he met me at one of the farms I was planting cashew at Oke Ogun about last month, working together with my boys like a labourer.
He then asked (surprisingly): But you said you want to be governor of Oyo State, why are you working on the farm like a labourer? But farm activities is my job and it’s part and parcel of me.
Q:- But has that Shongai project been achieved now?
No! Nothing has been achieved.
Q:- But you’re in APC, what have you done to see the governor?
(Laughs) before I left for accord, we are together in ACN, but ever since Aare Arisekola (May God bless him) made a joke that I am more learned than him, he does not want to see me.
Q:- Do you know Ajimobi is one of those that will endorse your ticket, are you not scared?
I’m not scared of anything because I know God is in control of who the next governor will be, its not them.
Q:- On education in Oyo State, do you think this government has done enough?
No No No. Among the worst sectors of this administration is the educational sector under their watch.
Let me give you three examples, when this administration was coming on board, they said they will give us free education, repair schools, etc.
When we got there, there wasn’t nothing, at a point in time, they ashed us to start paying but with that, nothing changed.
2. Secondly, the higher institutions which is under the control of Oyo State Government, among them we have some that have been closed down for almost a year, which the government said: “And so what? “, “Séni niwon ti n ti skul ni”.
Oyo State is currently holding the 29th position in WAEC, a rank which we were always among the 1st to 10th.
Q:- When you’re talking about intelligence, what exactly are you saying?
Leadership position is a very great job. I have worked with all the “big” politicians in oyo state. From Oyelese to Adeojo to Adedibu to Ladoja to Late Chief Lam to the current Governor.
Many people are psychopathic, they follow Oga to wherever he’s going. The good majority won’t call him to attention even if he’s heading to the soak away. This is main reason that I have not made it to political appointment, most of them know that I’ll speak the absolute truth anywhere and that truth is exactly what they don’t want to hear.
Q: With the way you have been answering the questions asked shows you are well learned and intelligent to govern. But, do you think those that will give you the ticket in APC will work in your favour?
Dr Olaiya: There’s a popular saying that “politicians are prostitute”, but one of beauty of democracy is that there’s always a party. If one reject you others may accept you. Also absolute authority is in the hand of God.
Q:- Is there corruption in the present government?
Dr Olaiya: Haha, Yes of course, I have said that earlier.
Among the corruption in Oyo State is that there’s no transparency in government. For example, there was a time our oga, Sen Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, asked to make public the cost of the single lane Mokola Bridge which has not been produced. But from what has been heard from quarters, the cost is said to have been higher than a double lane bridge constructed in another Nigerian city.
Q:- Hope you’re not saying this because you don’t like yourselves?
Dr Olaiya: This is not a matter of likeness or not, the is a matter of Naira and Kobo. Or is it possible to say N5 is greater than N10 because I don’t like N10?
Q: If you’re crossing from one political party to another, do you see their manifesto to be similar or don’t you think one will look progressive and the other conservative?
Dr Olaiya: You see, about manifesto of party, in 1998 when we are about to start democracy, I was among those that brought Peoples Democratic Party to Oyo State. The manifestoes of the existing parties are adequately similar. Manifestoes can be similar but the key factor is how the leader wants to use it.
Q:- On Local Government, the administration just comes in and allegedly put in their people without conducting any election…
Dr Olaiya: That’s part of the corruption in government. Ever since the emergence of this current administration, they haven’t conducted local government election. In fact they collected money from party members telling them they’ll conduct local government election since almost a year ago now. They do use cunning methodologies to divert the local government funds entrusted with them.
Q:- How do you want to eliminate the corruption in government? The agricultural activities are existing just on paper, how do you want to bring it to reality, how do you want to tackle the hunger in the land and that of power sector?
Dr Olaiya: Let me start with agric, there’s something called farm settlement, Awolowo government did it last.
I have done a lot of researches all over Southwest states, Nigeria and all over the world concerning cocoa. When we ask them about how they established their beautiful farm, they mention the government of Awolowo, etc.
I will start with farm settlement all over the local governments which the government will provide adequate resources such as machineries, inputs, enabling environment, etc.
Q:- On corruption, what do you want to do?
Dr Olaiya: I have something that the majority of other politicians don’t have. I am a God-fearing person, I have held so many positions in my workplace that is enough to make one corrupt.
Even on education, I will return the situation of education to how it was when I was in secondary school where the government provided for all school’s needs like notebooks, textbooks, stationeries, standard classrooms and well motivated teachers etc.
Q:- How do you aim to do that judging from the fact that oil price has crashed?
Dr Olaiya: With the intelligence God has blessed me with in human and resources management, we’ll work it out by God’s grace.
