Morayo Lebi, lawyer and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, is a governorship aspirant in Ondo State. He spoke on his vision, his plans for the state and chances at the primary.
What were you doing before your foray into politics?
I was born about six decades ago, in Akotogbo, Irele local government, (presently, under Ikale East LCDA) of Ondo state. My beloved mother is from Ajagba, the present headquarters of Ikale East LCDA.
I had my secondary education at Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos. I later went to the University of Lagos where I studied law.
I am a lawyer where I have committed over thirty years of practice. Apart from law practice, I also have other business endeavours such as real estate development and properties development among other businesses.
I am a fellow of other professional bodies such as Debt Recovery Institute Of Nigeria and Nigeria Institute of Insolvency..
I am a Christian and I worship in Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos. I am married with children and grand children.
Why do you want to become Governor of Ondo State?
It’s borne out of my desire to contribute towards the growth, welfare and overall development of my state whose vast resources have not been harnessed for the benefits of her citizens. Ondo State is a state graciously loved by God. If we look at the resources available to us, we should be leading and becoming a model state; a shining example to other state in Nigeria.
Also, I want to harness the state’s human and material resources toward making it the best administered state in Nigeria and place of pride where all its citizens shall be proud; where equity, justice and fairness shall be the driving forces of government action. I believe that given the opportunity to be the governor of Ondo State, I can start to re-direct the development of the state. And the starting point will be to interrogate what we have on ground. I already have the fair statistics on what the state has; how do we utilize what we have to solve the problems confronting us is the challenge I wish to undertake with my team.
What is your agenda for the people of Ondo State?
I have taken a judicious study of the activities of the past government, especially from the present Fourth Republic and, I am particularly excited by the efforts of late Dr Olusegun Agagu for his great vision. He had a progressive document, I will rather call it a blueprint which he called: “Ondo State Roadmap to Progress 2003–2007: That the Sun Might Shine Again.’ I must tell you, it encapsulated my vision for the state, of course with some tweaking here and there.
It is my ardent desire to bring to reality and completion those lofty goals like, bitumen exploration, Olokola Free Trade Zone, Omotosho Power Plant, Ondo Seaport, and others, especially massive infrastructural provisions for the state. I want to see an Ondo State where the unemployed youths are employed, teachers are properly trained, and education and healthcare systems are improved upon. A state that will witness development in all ramifications of life. Those are my motivation for embarking on this journey.
How do you intend to bring your experience to bear on reviving economy of the state?
Apart from being a professional, a barrister of several decades, I am equally a businessman with local and international exposure. My team has developed a robust manifesto that will transform the fortune of the state. Lagos State is said to be the fifth largest economy in Africa today because while there was abundance, preparation was made for the future. We didn’t prepare, or harness our resources as it should. I want to make Ore our economic and commercial capital of the country . Ondo State has the geographical advantage and we are going to use that advantage. In the area of tourism, we are going to globalise Ondo state so that it would attract international investment in tourism as it has been successfully done in Dubai. We will make good transportation networks and i will glamorise our agriculture by making it attractive especially to our youth.
Why the choice of APC in realising your ambition, considering the number of aspirants in the race?
I am one of the pioneer members of APC in the state and it is worthy of note that few weeks ago, I was given an award as the “ Ondo State outstanding sponsor of the progressive party of the decade” by Golden Rule magazine. That attested to my commitment and immense contributions to the party. While many of the contestants are merely in the party to fulfil ambition, with every sense of modesty, I am among the few who have been the party’s builder. Having said that, the party is conducive and big enough to accommodate all of us. It shows the vibrancy of the party. The more the merrier, i must add. However, considering my pedigree in the party, commitment, contributions and reach, I am the best and most suitable aspirant to get the ticket.
What stands you out among the contestants, that gives you confidence of picking the ticket at the primary?
My agenda for the overall development of the state stands me out! My passion stands me out….
My vision for the state and our great people revolves around restoring our status in all developmental spheres. It’s a robust vision already encapsulated in our manifesto. It captures in details what the state requires to propel her into development. Such agenda includes:
To re-engineer the resources of Ondo state to full realization of our economic potentials for the benefit of our citizens. To rebuild our government institutions in manners that ensures that democratic dividends and deliverables can be assessed by everyone in the state irrespective of social status. Finally, to galvanising inclusive government for a prosperous Ondo State. To harness the vast potential and talent of our young people through their robust involvement in governance and social welfare activities.
What are your stategic plans in tackling insecurity differently to get maximum results?
To solve a problem, we must look seriously into the root cause(s) of the problem. An idle hand is a devil workshop. The poverty level occasions by joblessness especially among the youth is potent ground for insecurity. Once there is no job, you cannot be talking about security. The first thing is to give jobs to our people, provide them the skills that industries are looking for. Our education will be rejigged towards technology. Once you can give skills to our people, things would be okay. We need to encourage our youths to go into farming, modernised farming.
Also, the late Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, (may God rest his soul), did a good job with the Amotekun. We need to take it further by equipping the outfit together with other security outfits with modern security weapons. Criminals cannot be carrying AK- 47, when our security personnel are still going about with old and empty rifle.
How are you going to revamp the falling standard of education in Ondo State?
Education is one of our heritage that will attract our deliberate attention. Purposeful education that’s tailored to meet the 21st Century challenges is the way forward. We will change the curriculum of our education. We will move about 55% of our educational budget into technology education because that’s where the future lies. ICT is the 21st century crude oil and we must tap into this by revamping our education.
