Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Dr. Wole Oluyede spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on how he intends to solve the problems confronting the state, if elected as governor. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA was there.
What prompted your governorship ambition?
Our great fathers in the past made a lot of achievements during their times, they were able to record great achievements in key areas of human life, and we are benefitting from it now, in terms of education, religion, health and other key aspects of life-building of schools, churches, hospitals. All these were achieved by our grandparents without any allocation from government. Today, people celebrate poverty because of ignorance, our orientation has changed, we have accepted poverty as our way of lives. People erroneously believe development can only be achieved through Federal Allocation, for instance Lagos makes 372 billion Naira monthly through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while Ekiti IGR is 2.1 billion Naira. With that in Ekiti, how can prompt payment of salary be possible? The so-called empowerment in the name of tackling youth employment giving out grinding machines, motorcycles (remember the hazard of bicycles) is a complete deceit. The only way we can get out of poverty is to walk out of it. This is not the time for political deceit and propaganda. Ekiti has natural resources to tap We are the most literate set of people in the world. In the past when there was no federal allocation things were better I want life employment for the youth. They should be self employed. In the developed world people who are self-reliant, are rich. The methods the present leaders put in place has made self employment difficult. I want to create enabling atmosphere for businesses to thrive, through industrial path and accessible loans. On loan accessibility, I have discussed with the Managing Directors of Industrial and Agricultural Banks, and they are ready to cooperate with us in Ekiti. We need to encourage people to think positive about the state. I have personally spent my time and money travelling abroad to countries like Germany, Australia, United Kingdom to talk to Ekiti in Diaspora, to come home and develop Ekiti.
They are ready, if there are connections and contacts to go about it. My concern is to bring factories to Ekiti. It is time to rejuvenate Ekiti. We cannot develop the state through borrowed money. We are only consuming economy, we are not producing. Ekiti requires a productive economy.
What is your agenda for agriculture which used to be the mainstay of Ekiti economy in the past?
Ekiti is an agrarian state. Agriculture is a key area that can contribute to the development of the state. For instance nobody wants to become a farmer because of peoples’ mentalities believing farmers are poor and indigent. The problem is that we have not identified farming as a profession. Farming is a lucrative business in the developed countries. We can only succeed, if we realise that we need to do away with the belief that we can only make money through white collar jobs, we need to change the orientation. Our great fathers in the past lived successfully with laudable achievement that we are all benefiting today, without depending solely on monthly federal packages. Lack of modern farming equipment is a major challenge facing farmers in Nigeria. In Ekiti, we would establish agricultural extension services in the three senatorial districts, we are already discussing with a German-based company that produces farming equipment, we would give them support and conducive atmosphere to operate in Ekiti. This would also provide jobs as people would work in such factories. Problem of storage would also be tackled, because when there is storage, there will be preservation.
How do you intend to encourage Ekiti in the Diaspora to come home and invest?
It would be a priority of my government to facilitate investment both local and foreign in the state, government would be approachable to people to develop ideas and also make atmosphere conducive for businesses through access to loans and Certificates of Occupancies will be obtained promptly, with ease. I will lay the facts straight.
Ekiti needs someone who is not driven by wild acquisition of money.
Money is a means to an end. Never an end in itself. Our government has not come to rip Ekiti of its money …We are determined to work and develop Ekiti. I will serve Ekiti with all my zeal, that the people would pray for me. I will form a government that would benefit all young, old, adult, retirees. We want to utilize our resources to the extent that Abuja allocation would be like a bonus. Salaries would be paid as and when due.
What is your plan for security in the state?
Security problems occur because there is a wide gap between the rich and the poor. We shall focus on how government improves the lives of the poor. Our society would be more secured when everybody would have a sense of belonging. People would have confidence in themselves. There would be mainstay for survival. There would be livelihood to live above water level.
The 35 per cent affirmative action for women on political appontive positions recently generated a lot of controversy. What is your take on this kind of proposal?
Fifty per cent of the world is made up of females, so why not fifty per cent affirmative action? it was no longer tenable for women to be sidelined in the development of any society. In Ekiti I will run an administration where women will be respected and considerations will be given to their applications to work. Women will be opportune to express themselves and rise to their full potentials because they have potentials that can be explored. No discrimination, every body would be given chance to express themselves. It is their inalienable right.
Some people consider traditional festivals like Olosunta (Ikere) and Udiroko (Ado) as idol worshipping. What is your take on that?
The problem is that people extend inferiority complex to religion.
The festivals were used by our forefathers to develop good relationship within themselves, traditional festival has no adverse effect on us as Christians or Muslims, the outcome would rather stimulate our economy. For instance in Liverpool, Britain, there is Festival of the Seas, for people returning from the sea. In the 50s there were soccer tournaments, local wrestling, ayo olopon competitions and the likes. We need to develop potentials for tourism, change our orientations and attitudes. We are not friendly enough culturally. Tourism is expected to be an industry, a good source of generating revenues.
