Adegboyega Oyetola

Alhaji Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola, current Chief of Staff in the State of Osun, a native of Iragbiji of Boripe local government area, an accomplished insurance expert and businessman, who holds a Master Degree of the University of Lagos spoke with Gbenro Adesina about his welfare programme for his people and other relevant issues.

At what point were you convinced to contest for the governorship of Osun?

It was when God said I should join the race that I did. There had been a lot of encouragements by our people, of various hues, talking to me to join the race; more so that some people actually commenced their aspirations the day Governor Aregbesola was inaugurated. To be honest, I was not fazed because it was not my agenda to be governor. I have my business which had been thriving well but had been suffering some setbacks since I took this assignment which I do not regret. You can’t eat your cake and have it. I found it more rewarding serving the people than making money as an individual. I found the need to give a thought to those calling on me to contest when the regular refrain in justifying their call was to preserve and further the good job already commenced by Governor Aregbesola. I got persuaded that it is worth throwing my hat into the ring on that score. It is important that what the governor has done should not be brought into ruins by some flippant characters while building on it is imperative for the sake of the people of Osun. As a child brought up in a Godly environment, I took the matter to God in my daily supplication and when I heard clearly from God to go ahead, I moved in to the ring.

 It is rumoured that you were imposed on the party and that the primary that produced you was staged managed to your advantage. What is your reaction to this?

How could I have been imposed? Who imposed me? At the risk of sounding immodest, no aspirant, including those who jumped the gun by setting their eyes on the contest rather than the success of our government, worked as hard as I did within the short time I joined the race. I was the only aspirant that toured our local governments, 30 plus the area office thrice before the primary, convincing our members why I should be their choice to fly our party’s flag in the elections. I was the only one who was present in all the local governments and wards, 332 of them and the polling units. I have structures that I built within that time and I appreciably made them mobile to be able to carry out the mobilisation of delegates and members for the sake of the project. I have Coordinators in all the local governments and the wards. I have ten canvassers in all the 3010 polling units. One unique thing that was part of building structure for Ilerioluwa project was that I and our steering committee ab initio went for delegates in constituting our structure. We indeed have a sizeable number of them already working on our project. With ten canvassers in each unit, we were primed for success in whichever mode of choice that will be used in choosing the candidate. All of these we did quietly without much noise. Let me quickly acknowledge the labour of love of all members of our party and the steering committee for their focus and steadfastness in ensuring that we achieve success. They were tireless in their efforts. They worked round the clock. While many aspirants’ campaign offices are empty, Ilerioluwa house is always bubbling with party members and people. So whosoever think of me been imposed should examine himself. I got victory because I worked for it.

How are you managing the post primary crisis which has divided the party and led to some stalwarts and party members defecting to other political parties?

As you must have observed if you have been following events in Osun, I noted in my acceptance speech for all of us to work together for a successful electioneering. I stretched my hands of fellowship to all and begged them to join forces with me for the sake of our party. I followed this up by going round other aspirants’ abodes to physically encourage them to join the party’s desire to ensure victory at the polls. Some really responded with reciprocatory visits to Ilerioluwa house and we treated them with respect and decency. We spoke to agree that it is our onerous task to ensure success for APC. I wish to acknowledge and thank the fourteen, out of seventeen aspirants who turned up to join forces with us and share the vision that winning on September 22 is a task that we all have to see to. Well, for those who defected, how I wish they did not. But it is practically impossible to have people with set minds change their opinions. It looks to me like they were set to decamp because they did not do what is required to succeed in the primary. Or that they got overwhelmed with the imposing structure which sprang up at our instance so suddenly they have taken it for granted that they could roughshod their way into the primary and win without stress. All in all, I expect them to be able to see clearly now and be convinced that we got the result we worked for and that what they claimed wasn’t real. It was a miscalculation of steps they took that boomeranged.

What are your programmes for the people of Osun State? What do you want to do when you get to power?

You would have observed that our campaign is hinged on Continuity and Consolidation of good governance. It is an incontrovertible fact that the Aregbesola government had tremendously done well in terms of delivering good governance to the people of the state of Osun. The current administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, part of which I am, has done much in terms of social and physical development of the state. He worked assiduously for the interest of the people through his manifesto, the 6 point Integral Action Plan with which he got the people’s mandate in the 2007 election. The all encompassing programme, encapsulated in Banish Hunger, Banish Unemployment, provide functional education, ensure healthy living and ensure Communal peace, has been faithfully executed by Ogbeni administration and to the joy and satisfaction of the people of the state. You will remember I told you that I got prompted to contest and win by virtue of people’s anxiety for the preservation of the cogent legacies of this administration and indeed take it further to higher notch. That is exactly what we are going to do in style. First, we will ensure that all relevant steps aimed at preserving achievements of the current administration are taken. Second, we have mapped out ways by which we will move the state forward. Having had a quantum leap in infrastructural development, we are poised to give attention to building the economic base further, to make it stronger and provide the basis for future all inclusive wealth for all. Already, the IGR has moved from the pedestrian level it was. We are going to improve on it by expanding the tax net and plugging loopholes of leakage. We shall continue to monitor and guide those the present administration has empowered in commerce, agriculture etc to ensure they grow according to the aspiration of making everybody self-sufficient, happy and able. Aside working the economy to complement the infrastructural growth, we shall do more to attract investors to our tourism industry which we hope will be a money spinner for Osun in future. Thorough spade work had been done in terms of foundation laying for the tourism industry and which shall do all that is necessary to ensure its growth and development. Fundamentally, availability of fund will determine our pace in great march to the rosy future that we hope for Osun and shall do everything to attain this.

What is your take on restructuring? Do you believe in regionalism?

We hope to be part of every progressive steps that will engender life more abundant for our people not by sloganeering it is common place these days. Not many people actually know the meaning of the terms they freely use while some who knows it do not mean to execute the actual content. For us in Osun, we have created the pathway to productivity, work, wealth and happiness for our people. We are resolute to pursuing it to a logical conclusion. Whatever that will make the people of Osun comfortable, happy and in good living is what will be our focus and priority.

 Is it true that the state is indebted to the tune of N413billion and with this debt, how do you intend to survive and do something meaningful?

Osun’s debt profile is a public knowledge. The debt management office had put it at N172billion in 2016. Payment has been consistent on monthly basis. Thus, it would have reduced greatly by now. I should recollect that the Accountant General of the state in May this year at a public event put it at about N142billion. Governor Aregbesola at one time or the other has said that government will complete payment of the two loans by 2019 and 2020. Fortunately, the loans were used purposefully. The infrastructure for which the loans were spent are the basis by which rapid development and growth of the state is hinged and subsequently, it is prosperity for all the people. The IGR, like I noted is been grown to lead the state to the path of economic prosperity. And Nigeria is out of the PDP induced economic woes and recession. Our crude oil sales is getting better which means more money for the federation. We are confident that everything will stabilise since we do not hope to have PDP in power again. I am confident that God who in the initiator of Ilerioluwa project will ensure that we will have all that is required to make a success of the government we will run.

 It is rumoured that you and APC have budgeted several billions for this election,
intending to induce the electorates with money, food stuffs like rice. How true is this?

While are not in lack like some people who goes about cap in hand to beg for money from questionable sources. We are very moderate and reasonable with all that we do and we are realistic that all the needful are attended to. Even, we are very mindful of the electoral law which guides our steps. Whatever other stories you heard are the products of mischief makers and haters who mud rake in other to badmouth us.

 It is insinuated that your administration will be a continuation of Aregbesola’s administration in terms of taking the state’s money to Lagos, taking the state money to the party godfather in Lagos. How true is this?

Alleging that Osun’s money is been taken to Lagos is cheeky. People should get it right. Nobody has been taking Osun’s money anywhere.

Aregbesola’s government is alleged of scams. For instance, Opon Imo and other projects executed under his administration are said to have been used to siphon money. What is your reaction to this allegation?

It is painful that some sections of the media are helping few unscrupulous empty headed people and agents of underdevelopment to push these irresponsible assumptions. Opon Imo has won accolades all over including UNESCO declaring it as the most useful tool of attaining higher educational goal. Did those who tell you this state the actual amount spent on it? If they did, where did they get it from because part of submissions by other bodies acknowledging the essence of Opon Imo was that it has reduced the high cost of book purchase by parents. For the government who is aware of our limitation in fund availability, we can’t be frivolous with little money we have, hence we maximise our gain with whatever we want to achieve. Indeed, added advantage has always been part and parcel of all decisions we make. That submission is unfair and frivolous.

 Why you think the people of Osun should vote for you and APC?

The spate of development wrought on all parts of Osun and cherished by genuine people of the state is sufficient to earn us victory. There is no town, village, hamlet, person, family or individual who does not have one benefit or the other from the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola in the past eight years. You pass on roads special built by Aregbesola, your children will attend model schools built to provide good environment for teaching and learning, teachers do enjoy better welfare packages, children are provided with lunch, youths are engaged through OYES schemes, they are also part of the multifarious empowerment through loans, interest free mostly in agriculture and commerce, provision of ambulance services which has reduced fatality of accidents, rehabilitation of mentally challenged people, provisions for the elderly and helpless in the society, rehabilitation of hospitals and provisions of consumables and drugs, etching for the wellbeing of our people. Aregbesola has raised the bar of good governance in Osun and it is irreversible. We have record and antecedents to beat by anybody.