Olusegun Folorunso is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos. In this interview with GBOYEGA ALAKA, he speaks on his ambition to represent the constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly
You seem to be doing well in business. Why are you venturing into politics?
My biggest calling is to impact humanity. It is not about personal achievement or self-actualisation. It is about building society and a system that works for all. Imagine having a functional company in a dysfunctional society and system. I want to make a mark on a larger scale, and politics is just one of the engines to achieve that.
What are your chances of securing your party’s ticket to contest next year’s election?
I am eminently qualified to represent the good people of Amuwo Odofin Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly. I have lived and spent the most part of my life here in Amuwo-Odofin; growing through the social ranks as a street boy up to where God has taken me today. I am that quintessential grassroots man who knows his people, who feel their pulses and who deeply understands the various challenges they face. I have been doing the little I can within my personal capacity to impact their lives and I have also been contributing my quota to the development of this community and generally impacting humanity. Beyond that, I have developed my human capacity as a trained accountant and business administrator. At present, I am advancing my knowledge in civil engineering to rightly position me for the task. I have close to two decades of experience in the organised private sector, effectively managing men and material resources to achieve target goals. What do you hope to do differently?
I will be providing optimal representation and accountable leadership. The people a leader represents should form the crux of all policies. They should be the ones whose ideas, demands, needs, and yearnings should be represented in government. Anything short of this is not acceptable. Holding their mandate, I intend to make my people the decision-makers and carry their positions to the floor of the house. That is the surest way to economic prosperity and societal development.
How do you hope to achieve the above as a lawmaker?
I intend to establish participatory governance where everyone is a stakeholder; to establish a two-way communication process and open-door policy. I will also embark on youth empowerment through capacity building and inclusiveness. I intend to use the instrumentality of legislation, policy formation, facilitation, and advocacy to achieve youth inclusiveness in governance. Women empowerment and gender equality will be properly defined to situate the enviable role of women in modern society. This will be achieved through empowerment, inclusiveness and creating a level-playing ground for both genders. The widows and their plight in our society will also be a point of focus. My concept of poverty alleviation will focus on the critically poor and downtrodden, and those with physical disabilities. I will pursue policies that make the product of our education system solution-providers and not social liabilities. The focus at the moment is on youth unemployment, but the biggest challenge is that our youths are not employable. Our education system must start producing youth with full capacity development to face the challenges of the 21st century.
As the chairman of the Tinubu Support Group in Amuwo Odofin, what are the unique selling points of Tinubu’s presidential bid?
All my life I have always been confident about any mission I undertake. I am confident in the capacity of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to change the Nigerian narrative. This political colossus has done it before, experimenting with a smaller Nigeria; Lagos State. His achievements are recorded in history and resonate globally. As governor, most of his ideas are novel in our clime. He is also a consistent man; a democrat who fought to entrench democracy in Nigeria; a progressive who places patriotism over self. Who would not believe in the course and mission of such a man?
What informed your venture from accounting to civil engineering? How would this affect your role as a lawmaker?
I have always loved creativity and building things with my hands. So, let’s say it’s innate and I find civil engineering as the platform to express myself. I personally don’t think one’s field of study should affect his or her flare. So, I intend to bring my creative abilities into representative governance and to achieve new things that impact positively on my people. I have long been in the business of touching lives and impacting humanity. My diverse field of knowledge will be very helpful here.
What are some of the things you have done for the people that make you believe they will support your aspiration?
I don’t subscribe to blowing my trumpet. The mark I have made is already recorded in the sands of time and the minds of men. Whether through employment opportunities, education advancement, social amenities, financial support, project support, infrastructural development, or economic empowerment; I have been there for my people. It will interest you to know that I have been paying the house rents of countless residents of our community. Last December, given the harsh economic situation of the country, I was moved by compassion to feed 500 homes in Amuwo-Odofin. At the turn of this year, I was at the Mother and Child Hospital to pay the bills of indigent patients and to give them cash gifts, and food items to celebrate the New Year. I also supported the New Year’s Baby in Amuwo-Odofin with medical supplies, baby items, and cash gifts. I have lived my life touching the lives of others.