I’ll reshape Ondo governance – Dr. Olafeso

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national vice-chairman (South-west), who is also an aspirant in the forthcoming Ondo state governorship election, Dr. Eddy Eniola Olafeso, in an interview with journalists, said his in the race to restructure governance in the state. ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU was there for Blueprint Weekend.

Why are you in the race for Ondo state governorship?

Today marks a critical step in the journey to redress the nepotistic and fraudulent kind of governance which has resulted into decayed infrastructure, education, social and human capital and capacity development that have dogged every sphere of Ondo state. The political experience in Ondo state as presently configured is skewed in appointments and infrastructure development abandoning a sizeable chunk of the state in abject disrepair.

Education, which is the focal pillar on which the society rests, has gone comatose as students in tertiary institutions across the state are dropping out of school on daily basis due to government’s insensitivity in an astronomical increase in fees. This is not only limited to the higher institutions of learning as primary and secondary schools have their own share of the increase in fees making education an IGR point. Our roads have become death traps and points of kidnapping, especially in the northern parts of the state where criminals enjoy field days of criminality without let and hindrance. Ten years have passed like a bad dream for those who live in the southern part of the state in their continued stay in an absolute blackout.

All of these call for urgent, drastic and decisive intervention to redeem a once-thriving state of a well-orchestrated blueprint for social and economic reengineering standing on a six-legged agenda for redemption tagged: Economy! Economy!! And economy!!!

Governance is a serious business. It is not a place for learning the ropes particularly, because of the demeaning state of human and capacity development as it operates in our Ondo state of today. This is why we have developed our blueprint to stand on these agenda – human capital development, agriculture infrastructure, security and job creation.

We are not going to pay lip service to these critical aspects of development as our collective existence rests on them. Our resolve is to identify areas of funding to enable us to give life back to our people through serious revenue drive that will not be a burden on our people but will yield responsible finances to the coffers of government through, mostly God-given resources; through tourism and other nature endowed resources. Our very fertile land and forest reserves will help in generating enormous resources for use for the state as we look inwards to better the lot of our people other than waiting for crumbs from the table of the Federal government. We will run an all-inclusive government to access ideas and contributions from within and without the immediate environment. We will partner international agencies of development to enhance the economy of Ondo state. 

Ondo was a stronghold of the PDP before the wrangling that scattered the party. Is the party now speaking with one voice?

We have worked so hard in the last four years and we have done everything possible to build the party, from a party that cannot win an election to a party that can win elections.

Remember that in the February 23 general elections, we won two seats at the   Senate; we won three seats in the House of Representative and two state assembly members; so we are ready. Besides, there are certain things the party did not do well in the past, the issue of this unwritten law about zoning. In Ondo state, it is palpable, it is alive, when you don’t zone, people will zone for you.

What happened in 2016 election was not because we were not popular, but then I think the leadership at that time ran against the current and ensured that each of the districts was given the opportunity to produce the governor.

In the three senatorial districts, the north is doing its 12th year. In the centre, Mimiko did eight years. In the south, where we hail from, Dr. Agagu did four years. So that lopsidedness in the election without listening to the electorate cost us heavily. That is why we are asking the party at this moment to please ensure that they do everything to listen to the people. I think what is far more important is that peoples power is far more important than any other power.

For us, we are strong, we are capable and I can trust because I have been with the party at the National Working Committee here doing Congresses everywhere. The ability to do free, fair and acceptable congresses is what will unite us immediately after the primary and we will continue in our journey of producing the next governor for Ondo state.

I am very confident and I can assure you that we are going to win the governorship election on 10-10-2020 by the grace of God. 

Why should the PDP delegates settle for you instead of other aspirants?

I have been in this party since 1998. I am committed to this party and have worked so hard. Even when the party was down, I remained, I have never wavered for once and I have worked with the best that administered the states. Besides being the secretary of this party, I have worked in various capacities helping to develop the party.

The advantage we run today is that our integrity, honour, humility will all come to pass when we are doing things. I know full well that that is exactly what the people are looking at. We have created a new beginning for our economic pursuit.

The tragedy is that the Ondo state is too blessed. All the resources you can ever imagine in this country are all there. But then why have we come this far and this poor. The reason is about leadership, to be creative, to be innovative, and to be able to develop the economy so that it can serve the people better.

From the southern senatorial district to the central senatorial district to the northern senatorial district, we have all it takes to actually be rich. It is tragic that we are still a state waiting for federal allocation when we should actually be helping the federal government in their own deficit.

So, I believe that having worked in so many capacities in the state, at no time did I betray their confidence, made promises that I have not delivered. I know full well that they will have confidence in me and that they will do better in terms of voting for me than all the other aspirants. Besides, in terms of maturity and longevity, I think that they will have confidence that this man will do the best for our state.

Will you accept to step down if the aspirants root for a consensus candidate?

On what basis will I want to step down for another aspirant? In the first instance, we are going into the primaries. It is the decision of the electorate and delegates on whom they want to pick, if I am not their choice, and then I can understand.

I just bought the form.  I know that you are aware that the cost of form here is N21 million and I didn’t borrow it from anybody. So, why do you think that having come this far, and the quality of people surrounding me, that we are going to step down for people?

We have reasoned out very well before we set out on this matter that it is high time we change the leadership of governance in Ondo state and bring somebody with capacity, with the intellectual gift, somebody with the background of the private sector to drive the public sector with a view of delivering dividends of democracy to our people. It is a long work and the desire is encompassing that I believe that in the next four years, we will witness tremendous growth in Ondo state. We are not stepping down for anybody.

Who are your godfathers and sponsors?

I have God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. That is sufficient for me. Many aspirants have picked forms. Is it not better that all of you come together with a consensus candidate, put resources together to confront the incumbent governor?

With my track record of where I have been and the number of times I have actually run for an election in this party and lost, I can always tell you that I am a team player, I am an Olympian. That we are competing doesn’t tear the party apart. To me, I celebrate the fact that this party is worth something and everybody is coming to say that I am picking form. Let’s leave the people to make their own choices and if you are not their choice, be reasonable enough to step aside for another time and maybe continue to preach your own gospel until they understand what you are saying.

For us, it is an opportunity to tell the world that PDP is popular in our state. As the highest-ranking party officer in that state running, I speak with every one of them; I encourage them for all of us to be united. But can you kill the desire of an individual to want to become something? No. They want to become governor and we must encourage them too. That’s why I encourage them, try and let’s see what happens. Even if we double this number, it is not enough reason why we should not be united immediately after the primary, if it is free and fair and we say that this is the route we are going. I guarantee you, this party is better for it.

What is your plan for the huge deposit of bitumen in the state?

What you can only do with bitumen is to ensure that it is part of your infrastructure development for roads. The environmental impact of the exploration of bitumen is so severe, that is why it has not been money for anybody.

I cannot seat here and begin to lie to my people when I know that a single slug of bitumen, when it interacts with the environment takes 50 years to cure. The environmental impact is massive. Our desire is to turn the bitumen into road construction material which is possible by the time you mix it with other things. We are looking at that because we are going to massively develop our road infrastructure to accommodate what we intended to do in the southern senatorial district.

For you to be able to explore bitumen, a barrel of bitumen will cost you $70-80, so where are you going to sell whatever you produce there. If it is not profitable, nobody will bring in that quantum of money for the exploration. Using it for local infrastructural development, that is what I am going to look at. I am an environmentalist. There is no way I will leave diseased earth for children yet unborn.

Do you have the financial war chest to go into this battle?

There is no financial war chest more than the people, the people that are going to vote for you, the people that you are going to serve are the people that are going to ensure that these resources are made available.

If with the coronavirus pandemic, we can pay N21 million, then we can equally risk a couple of billions to make sure that we take the government to the people. The beauty of it is that we have a track record of integrity and honour. A lot of people will invest in you when they know that you are someone who says what he means and mean what he says.

You too have a role to play; you must begin to engage with the people to ensure that we minimise the role of money in politics. I live 20 years in America. When people are coming, it is individuals that contribute money to the candidate they believe in not the candidate giving money to those people that are going to vote. But you see, it is a gradual process and I know that we shall get to the Eldorado.

When I come back here to address you as the governor of Ondo state, you will all celebrate the fact that God liveth and will continue to do our biddings.

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