A retired Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr Ezekiel Oyemomi, is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State. He spoke on his ambition, agenda for the state, his chances at the primary and other partisan issues. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN met him in Lagos.
What prompted you to join politics?
Everybody has politics in him. There is politics even in the family. Since my youth days, I have been playing politics without knowing. There were a lot of things I saw in my community Orile-Owu that didn’t make me happy and I had to come to rescue. There were many challenges facing the people. Whenever I come across students who could not pay school fees, widows and the under privileged in the society that needed help, I tried my best to ameliorate their problems. Wherever I find myself, I go beyond ordinary. In the civil service, I was nick-named Welfare Permanent Secretary because of my passion for welfare of the people. A responsible politician should alleviate people’s problems by ensuring their wards attend school; provide them potable water and other basic things of life that make life worth living.
I have assisted people over and over without being a politician in my place of work, in my community and in the church. In my community, not more than 20 per cent of the people have met me one-on-one but I have touched many lives through provision of bore holes, toilets, solar light, scholarship for indigent students, provide teachers for core subjects lacking in public schools and empowerment programme for women. I am going into politics because I want to improve the life of our people; to enable me to embark on corrective projects that will make things better for the people.
Why do you want to be Osun governor?
As a retired Federal Permanent Secretary, I had interaction with state government officials when I was in service. I know their problems and how to solve them. I had related with members of the National Assembly in the course of discharging my official duties. I had direct opportunity to relate with people at the state level, know their problems and the appropriate solutions required. My 21 years experience at the Federal civil service will enable me serve Osun state in such a way that I will improve their lives and their means of livelihood.
In your view, what are the challenges facing Osun?
The first thing is how to change the public perception of Osun as a civil servant state. It means Osun is not commercialised enough and less industrialised. That is to say the state depends on the Federal Government for its survival. It is a wrong perception. I agree we still have a lot to do towards improving the state economy.
There are a lot of states in this country that are not qualified to be states. Thank God my state (Osun) is not among. Through the pragmatic leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Osun has become a viable state. The governor has been tackling problems of basic infrastructure. Roads are being constructed across the state which is a step towards commercialisation and industrialisation. Before the end of this year, a cargo airport will be commissioned. A Chinese Industrial Park is in the offing. The Park when completed will engender regular supply of electricity and water; many factories and warehouses will spring up, within the park; there will be road net work traversing the length and breadth of the park and of course security will be guaranteed. I will harness all these developmental projects put in place by the Aregbesola administration in order to take Osun to the next level. As regards the trade free zone, I will introduce tax regime that will attract both local and foreign investors. I will modernise agriculture to create jobs for the youths that form the bulk of the state population.
What is your agenda for Osun?
Agriculture will be given priority. Seventy per cent of Osun population are into agriculture. What they practice is subsistence farming which is not enough to feed the farmers let alone the state. The farmers use obsolete equipment. The plan of my government is to stem subsistence farming and introduce commercial farming whereby farmers would produce enough to feed the state and even export.
I will introduce agric cooperatives whereby government will assist farmers to acquire tractors with all implement attached for clearing farmlands. Besides, my government will encourage youths to go into farming by serving as extension officers that will introduce improved seedlings; assist farmers in processing, packaging, marketing their products. Through commercial and mechanised agriculture, many graduates will be employed to add value change.
On integrated rural development, provision of basic amenities will be the focus of my administration. We will embark on construction of roads that will link rural communities with urban centres to facilitate transportation of farm products to the cities. We will provide potable water to stem water borne diseases in the rural communities; build maternity centres to enable the rural dwellers have access to modern healthcare; we shall build functional schools and facilitate internet services to stem rural-urban drift.
On education, my government will consolidate on Aregbesola’s achievements. Before Governor Aregbesola came on board, Osun was number 27 on the West African Examination Council (WAEC) result list. But Aregbe has reversed that trend. Under my administration, teachers’ welfare will be given priority. They need to be further encouraged and motivated; they need to be paid promptly; they need to be trained and re-trained.
On health, my administration will lay emphasis on primary healthcare. We will relate with health personnel, pay them promptly, ensure they deliver according to their capacity. We will take care of them so that they can take care of the people.
Osun is blessed with tourism potentials. If properly developed, Osun can generate 40 per cent of its internally generated revenue (IGR) from tourism. We will bring experts in tourism to serve as consultants in our drive to boost tourism in the state. They will train and re-train the existing staff to enhance their capacity in order to achieve our goal in tourism.
On provision of infrastructure, I like to commend Governor Aregbesola for his laudable achievements in this sector. He has tried a lot; no past government in Osun could match his performance. There can be no industrialisation without basic infrastructure. Part of the social infrastructure I will introduce is micro credit scheme at reasonable rate. The beneficiaries will give proof of what they intend to use the facility for. A particular percentage of the facility will be reserved for the All Progressive Congress (APC) members in the state.
I have plan for women in Osun State. We will engage them. I know the special place of women in the society. Sixty per cent of household responsibilities are taken care of by women either as widow, single mother or married. If you want success in micro credit scheme or cottage industry, give it to women. I will deliberately skew towards women they represent 50 per cent of the population. I know women had been used and dumped by politicians but under my administration, they will find their voice.