Owolabi Olateju, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, is seeking to represent the Agege II Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly. In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, he explains why he is contesting next year’s election.
Why are you contesting for the House of Assembly in Lagos?
I am quite familiar with the political terrain. My family was involved in the struggle to enthrone democracy after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election by the military. Their participation in the movement to actualize the mandate given to Chief MKO Abiola is a pointer to my interest in politics. I have learnt lots of lesson from it. So, what I am doing at the moment is just like a continuation of the work they did then. My intention is to see how we can actually improve on it through lawmaking for the good people of Lagos State. We are aware that there are limited job opportunities in the country. But, I believe that through empowerment, the people of my constituency can actually be gainfully engaged. We need to put them in the right vocations. We need to organise workshops and seminars for graduates seeking employment. For those who do not possess the prerequisites qualification for high profile jobs, they can acquire vocational skills in carpentry, bricklaying and shoe making. They can also be engaged in hair dressing, decoration training etc. These are some of the things we intend to do for our people. And by that act, when we start it in Agege Constituency 11, we would have empowered many youths roaming the streets in search of jobs. We want to see to how we can reduce unemployment, especially in our constituency. We want to see to how our debate can contribute to power generation, security and prosperity to Nigeria.
Are you convinced that the people will support your ambition?
I have lived in Agege for over 20 years. This is the place where I grew up. But, from my own observation, development is not moving at a desired pace, particularly in the nooks and crannies. At least, it has not permeated the nooks and crannies of Agege. Although, the government is trying, I think we need to do better than we are doing at the moment. So, to the best of my knowledge, they will support our efforts; they will subscribe to our plans because they know that we can make things better for them through good representation at the House. We want to encourage youths in politics, particularly those of the female gender. I know the party is already doing that, but we still have to move a step further than that. I am happy that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is doing everything within its power to ensure that the female folks are not sidelined. Our party has actually done very well in the Southwest and at the national level, we hope to spring surprises during the general election. It can actually take over the central government because the party is very strong. We have not had an opposition party like this before. The APC will create a positive change and I know we can take the country out of the present state doldrums. There are lots of things to do, to make this country great. I have an NGO which is looking at repositioning the middle class. We have to help all the segment of the society to attain their potential and it can come through making good laws. As a trained management consultant, we are throwing our arms open to assist people who are in need of our services. We will guide you and see how we can support you. The poverty in the land is so much, but something has to be done to ameliorate the debilitating situation.
