The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Otunba Oladele Ajomale, spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on the Ambode administration, the agitation for special status for Lagos and his projections for the 2019 elections.
What is your assessment of the Ambode administration in the last two and half years?
The public is in a better position to judge what the governor has done. What I say may be misconstrued. They will say I am singing his praise of one of the chieftains of my party. But, as far as I am concerned, I believe Ambode has done tremendously well within a short time. Looking at the financial situation, he has done well in all spheres. He has been able to pay salaries, unlike other state governors. He has been able to pay salaries fully. He has been able to pay pensions fully. Infrastructural development in Lagos in the last two years cannot be compared with any state. He is working on the basis of the development that others have already consolidated. So, he is building on that.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu started the work of development. And Babatunde Fashola also made his own impact in Lagos, in terms of physical development from day one when he took over the leadership of Lagos State. Ambode has done a fantastic job that a lot of people cannot believe. May be, it is because of his background; a chartered accountant, somebody who knows the management of resources, an economist. I think that is why he excels than any other governor. Since 1999, Lagos governors have been ahead. Ambode is on course. We now have standard bus stops all over Laos. Very son, the rail line will be completed and that will be another feat. He has lived up to expectation. The promises we made during the campaigns, people expected him to fulfill them. I think he has even exceeded the target. Honestly, I salute the governor of Lagos for the incredible job he has done. There is no government in any part of the federation that has done half of what he has done. People may say you have resources. People are paying tax. You are getting money from here and there. But, the management of that resources is a key issue. If someone has been diverting the money like the PDP, there will not be any development. The core issue is that the money is being used in the right way. We are feeling the development in all aspects; in health, infrastructure, education, in everything. We have to salute the governor for the courage and the vision he has for Lagos State.
How is your party monitoring his government?
We do that. We have a committee. When we see that something is wrong, we write a letter immediately to them so that they can correct it. We sometimes, invite the commissioners, who will willingly come to us to answer our call because they are members of the party anyway. We ask questions and give them a feedback on what the people expect of them. We are also like the door; we see the front and the back. We always communicate with them. We write reports and send to them. They send a report back. We talk about the way the market is being demolished. We discuss with the Ministry of Physical Planning. We ask them to give people sufficient time before the demolition so that they can prepare. Without doing that, they may lose faith in us. We don’t want anything to affect us during the election. I am satisfied that the people of Lagos State are satisfied with the activities of the government. He is fulfilling his campaign promises. So, he deserves our support.
How accountable are your elected state and federal lawmakers to the party?
The House of Representatives and Senate members are accountable. They come to Lagos to give the account of their stewardship. They hold town hall meetings to brief their constituents on their activities. All our senators have been giving accounts and they have feedback on their activities. They also organise empowerment programmes for their constituencies. All the three senators have done that last year. And the House of Representatives have also done that in their various constituencies. It is a feedback. Senator Oluremi did it more than five times last year. She has been reporting back to her people and empowering some people. The lawmakers answer questions from their constituents. They have been briefing us about what is going on in Abuja. The House of Assembly members also call meetings in their constituencies to brief them about their activities in the House, their resolutions, the bills that have been passed. They also do empowerment programmes.
Is the party reminding the federal lawmakers that they should continue their agitations for a special status for Lagos?
Yes. We have even held a special meeting on that. You will recall that Mrs. Tinubu has been raising the issue in the Senate. Most of us gave her support and encouraged her to go ahead, to represent the bill. The over-zealousness on the part of some of our senators killed the bill. She is representing it on the basis of dialogue. You have to talk to your colleagues and convince them, and whatever insult you get, you just go on because of what you want. But, the opinion of other senators matters. You will use a bit of diplomacy to get things done. We are on top of the situation. We have asked her to represent it. We are supporting her. Anybody in Lagos cannot oppose that laudable thing. The special status ought to have been granted long time ago. In other countries, that is what is done. They don’t abandon their former federal capital. Today, if you go to Abdijan, they have moved the capital to Yamasukoro. But, Abidjan still remains the economic nerve centre of Cote de Voir. Rio is still the most advantageous, and the tourist centre in Brazil. Countries don’t abandon their former federal capitals. But, in Nigeria, they carried their bags and baggage and leave the Lagos State government to manage the liabilities. That is why we want devolution of powers. You must return to the states the powers you took from them. The military took over power and impose the structure of the military. We are still using the same structure of the military. We want true federalism. Anybody who becomes the president will prefer the current structure to have absolute power, which is not supposed to be. And when you devolve power to the states, you don’t stay in Abuja and say those at the state cannot touch the federal roads. Why don’t you leave those roads to the states and allow the states to manage the roads that have been constructed? You are building a road; you should concentrate on the link road between a state and the other. The Federal Government is neglecting federal roads in states. No responsible state government will allow its people to suffer because of the roads. Out of the meagre amount that they have, they have to use some money to repair the federal roads. If they have left it for them, people will know that whether they can maintain them or not, that is their business.
How do you view the agitation for an automatic second term ticket for your governor in some quarters?
Even, if you do more than what the governor has done, nothing is automatic. Let the people review you again on the basis of what you have done. You should not entertain fear about second term. What has to be done has to be done. If we don’t do it correctly now, some people will come tomorrow and bastardise it. We must uphold the institutions of democracy. There is no automatic second term. Once the people prefer you, you may even go unopposed. You may be there at the primary unopposed and nobody objects to it. But, the process must be followed.
How is the party pacifying aggrieved members who are unhappy about the alleged lapses in the selection processes for the local government elections?
Majority of them have been pacified. The major problem is that life has changed. A lot of people now take politics as a full time job. Today, it seems that politics is the only job available now. People have turned it into a do or die affair. They must be there at all cost. You find a chartered accountant wanting to be a councillor, a member of the House. Why? Can’t you use your profession for something better? If you become a councillorship aspirant and you don’t become a candidate, you are annoyed. You have been to the four walls of the university, you should be able to use your brain to work, to diversify and be successful in life. Politics is not the only thing you can do in life. If you come out of the university and you think the first thing you should do is fighting for an elective or appointive position, then, you are not doing yourself any good. Some people will even resign from their job to go and contest. When they fail, they are jobless. What happens? That’s why they create unnecessary problem for the party. The party cannot field everybody. By INEC or LASIEC law, only one person can represent a constituency. It cannot be two. So I appeal to our youths. There are many things outside for them to do, instead of killing themselves over politics and turning it into a do or die affair. You are lawyer. You have acquired certain knowledge. You can use that to better your life. Not everybody will have to be elected or appointed. Some people turn it into violence at the primary. If you are not selected, there is nothing you can do. The PDP caused it. In politics, they are able to steal money. I was in the civil service for 18 years. Honestly, apart from my salary, and possibly estacode, when I went to represent government, as a diplomat, I lived on my salary. We had no contract. We lived according to the amount of money we received as salary. Many of us who had retired and not ready to go into politics are surviving. I decided to resign then to start my legal practice before I joined politics by chance. I would have survived like my friends. You say you want to serve. You are not elected. You want to do it by force. Then, you are not serving. It is the motive behind it that you are looking at.
In the 2015 elections, your part lost some grounds in the House of Assembly and Representatives elections. What are you doing to regain the lost grounds?
We have already regained them. We thank God. The last local government election vindicated us. Some of those places won by the PDP were won because of money. Ifeanyi Ubah was responsible for distributing money and materials. Most of those areas are occupied by Ibos. But, they don’t usually disturb us during elections. You see them playing football during election. But, when you entice them with money, televisions, radios, fans from his warehouse in Amuwo Odofin, they were able to win those areas; Okota, Ajeromi, Ejigbo, Isolo, Osodi. That’s the circle. The PDP cannot play a clean game. The same thing they did at their national convention. They were distributing money openly and distributing papers to delegates. All the money they have stolen, they will continue to use it to create problem.
By the time you leave as the chairman of the party, what are the qualities you expect from your successor?
I think he should be prayerful and he should have a milk of human kindness. If you are prayerful and you have a milk of human kindness, then, half of the battle would have been won. You must have listening ears. Most of the time the members are outside there and I have to see them. I see not less than 35 people every day. At times, they are more than that. They come with all sorts of problems-lack of money, money to pay their landlords. You pity them. When they are going back, some of them will say they don’t even have money to transport themselves. If you have about N100,000, you should be able to distribute about N70,000 and keep N30,000. Most of the times, I go home with about N5,000. So, you must be able to accept them. If everybody rejects them, they should have the feeling that they have a father somewhere.
What are those problems you have in Lagos State which you want the Federal Government to assist the state in solving?
There are so many things. They have started, but I pray they complete it on time. This Apapa/Osodi Expressway. This is the hotbed of commerce in Lagos State. They can complete that. If they give us a special status and commensurate resources to maintain what they left behind, that is one thing. We should be considered as one of the six states of commerce. They are making a loyt of money from Lagos ports. There must be a certain amount that should be given to Lagos State. All our roads are destroyed. People are inconvenienced. In the United States, ports belong to local government. So, whatever they are making out of it, the local government gets its own portion. Not to talk of Benin Republic and Badagry route. They are making money from that too and Lagos is not getting a kobo. All these things are being operated in Lagos State. Rivers State can benefit from it. Warri can benefit from it. They have ports. But, the concentration is in Lagos; Tin Can Island and Apapa Wharff. The money coming from them does not come to Lagos. The trailers go through our roads. If they are getting oil from some states and they are getting 13 per cent derivation. Are they not deriving money from Lagos State? It is also derivation. If they pay the Federal Government, why don’t they pay Lagos? That is the question that deserves urgent answer. Lagos accommodates all ethnic groups. Lagos is where the commerce is. All the banks and institutions are here making money. So, I want to appeal to the Federal Government that these things have to be looked into.
