Social Democratic Party (SDP) chieftain and House of Representatives member-elect Tajudeen Adefisoye (Idanre/Ifedore Constituency) spoke with reporters on his victory and how the House can elect a competent Speaker.
You are no doubt a very successful business man, even at a relatively young age; why do you still choose to take a plunge into the murky waters of politics?
I must thank God and my parents for the attained height of success in life thus far. Nevertheless, my desires for the emancipation and development of our youths and people in general were the overriding forces that propelled me to join politics. It is a known fact that there’s always a restrictive limits to whatever anyone that desires to help his or her people can do in individual capacity. I have been lending helping hands to our people right from my days in the university as an undergraduate. I would give seed capital to some youths to set up businesses and also foot the bills of those that chose to travel abroad. Till date, some indigent students are still benefitting from my scholarship scheme and I always ensure this sponsorship until they complete their secondary school education. At a point, it became clear to me that my individual support cannot give the desired impacts in the face of numerous challenges being faced by our people. I therefore resolved to be part of the decision makers, if I truly want to touch more lives. It was for this reason that I decided to join politics. The decision was selflessly taken in a bid to better the lot of my people. I remember while going round during my campaign, many people couldn’t fathom why I would want to leave my affluence and comfort in addition to that of my parents who were at one time the richest family in Idanre and go into the trenches of politics. I call it trenches because most of rural communities in my constituency can best be described as trenches. I visited over 200 camps in Idanre and Ifedore which are predominantly farm settlements with no access road, potable water and electricity. Living conditions of our people in these camps are quite pathetic. There were days that I wept when I saw the kind of water they drink in some of the villages. Although, I immediately attended to some of the situations by sinking boreholes and purchased power generators for them. Despite the modest support rendered to my people, I still feel the that much more could still be done through an elective platform; hence my sojourn into politics.
Did your victory at the polls come as a surprise, considering the fact that you contested against formidable opposition?
Well, without being immodest, I can confidently say that my victory did not come as a surprise. It was actually expected, considering a lot of hard work, dedication and diligence that my team and I put into the campaign. And of course, I have a good and large support base. Truth is that my years of political experience also contributed to the victory. Certainly, I’m not a newbie in politics so to say. I’ve been actively involved in politics in the last nine years.
In 2010, I aspired to be a member of Ondo State House of Assembly on the platform of Labour Party, but politics of imposition put paid to the ambition. I left the Labour Party as a result to join the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). I did work tirelessly for the gubernatorial candidate of ACN then as well as the National Assembly candidates in year 2011 and 2012. I contested once again for a seat in Ondo State House of Assembly on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), but
lost the primary election with 8 votes to the party’s candidate in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State. Even though I lost my own election, I was made the Director General of APC Campaign Organization in Ondo Central where I worked tirelessly with my team to ensure the victory of Buhari/Osinbanjo as president and vice president respectively. I was highly instrumental to the victory of incumbent House of Reps member for Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency. It gladdens my heart that I was the only APC member that resisted and prevented hired thugs of PDP from burning INEC office in Idanre after the 2015 general election. Despite my visible impacts and record of achievements in the APC, there were deliberate attempts by the ‘powers that be’ to stop me from going into the general election. I had no other choice than to leave for the SDP with my supporters.
Well, I must admit that many people were skeptical because they assumed that SDP has no structure. While some supporters were wallowing in palpable scepticism, the strength of my vision to see a greater and better Idanre/Ifedore spurred me on and the rest is history today. We did not only had a good outing at the polls, but won the two local government areas and also defeated a former Commissioner who vied on the platform of PDP and the incumbent MHR who contested on the banner of APC. My victory only symbolizes and affirms the strength of the masses. The people actually enjoy the power to reject any leader that fails to perform. So in the real sense, leaders are only in office on express approval of the people because the power to do so lies with them. The people voted massively for me because they could see beyond my physical attributes of youthful age and frail stature; but clearly saw my burning desire and patriotic zeal to drive developmental programmes that will ultimately impact their lives positively.
How rewarding is the recently concluded orientation programme that was organised for elected National Assembly members?
Highly rewarding could only be an understatement. Honestly, I’m most impressed with the orientation programme. It is a worthwhile event that has been quite revealing, educative and informative. It has exposed us to the workings of the National Assembly. It is a new world here entirely and it is the right step for legislator that desires to make positive legislative impacts. I must seize this opportunity to appreciate the Senate President, Deputy Senate president, the Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Clerk of the National Assembly, Chief of Defence Staff and all othe persons that presented papers at different sessions of the orientation. My profound appreciation also goes to all staff of National Assembly that provided ground services and contributed in no small measure to the overall success of the programme. The event was quite interesting I must confess. The effects on me as a person will last a life time.
You appear to belong to a strong circle of influence amongst elected members of the House that appear positioned to play key roles in who becomes the next Speaker, what’s your take on this?
Circle of influence? Well, you may not be far from the truth. You will observe that close to 65 per cent of the elected Honourables in this 9th Assembly are in their mid 30s and early 40s and we are undeniably intelligent young men and women that share similar ideology of ensuring the birthing of Nigeria of our collective dreams. We obviously have youthful zeal, energy and strength; so it is only natural for us to flock together. For me, I’m passionate about developments and once I see anyone that shares same vision with me, we are sure to become friends instantly. For instance, in the just concluded orientation, the ‘Small Alhaji’ brand turned out to be very popular that it even preceded my arrival at the event. There were talks like, “So you are the Small Alhaji?, Are you Small Alhaji? And so on”. ‘Small Alhaji’ is not only a sobriquet, but has now become a brand. It is a symbol of youth emancipation not only in Idanre/Ifedore of Ondo State but in Nigeria as a whole. I have made friends with many elected Honourables from all geopolitical zones in Nigeria and we are strong enough to determine the course of events in the National Assembly. Majority of us, if not all, are people that place premium value on patriotism, far and above tribal sentiments. We are going to form a formidable foundation for the next generation of leaders not only at the National Assembly, but in the country as a whole.
Don’t you feel constrained to vote and rally support for a fellow Yoruba man to become speaker of the 9th House?
Constrained? I don’t think that’s appropriate. If nothing at all, my emergence is a proof that I’m not someone that can be constrained without my free consent. Yes, it’s normal to assume all elected southern Reps should support one of their own, but it must be understood that politics is far beyond that. As at today, most of the leading contenders for office of speaker are my friends. Although, I have utmost respect for Hon. Gbajabiamila, not because we share the same religious or tribal peculiarities, but I have always admired him as a 5th term Honourable who has proven and distinguished himself as an outstanding legislator. This said, l want to reiterate that we should respect the fact of heterogenous nature of our country and we should therefore not campaign on the strength of tribal or religious sentiments. Whoever gets our supports should do so because he or she has outstanding qualities to provide quality leadership in the 9th House and foster harmonious working relationship with the executive and senate to deliver much needed dividends of democracy to our people.
We honestly desire a speaker who can speak for us and speak our minds. We need a speaker that will be accommodating, principled and
knows when to demonstrate boldness. In a nutshell, we want a fearless speaker. Hon. Gbajabiamila definitely fit into all these criteria and so do a few other contenders. So, let’s keep our fingers crossed and see who will emerge as events gradually unfolds. The next few weeks will definitely be interesting.
Your constituents seem to have high expectation of quality representation, how do you intend to achieve this?
It’s normal for them to have high expectations. It must be noted that they rejected an incumbent MHR and a former Commissioner to support a young man. The expectations will be high since they know what they want and that’s what we will give them, aside ensuring quality representation of our constituency in the National Assembly. We are also going to ensure that basic needs of our people in the rural areas will be well attended to. We are already making strategic efforts to partner with local and international contacts so as to give our people a breath of fresh air. My emergence is unprecedented in Ondo State and the onus lies on me to ensure I did not let down the people that reposed their electoral trust in me. God help me, I can boldly assure that my people will benefit immensely from our developmental programmes which are clearly intended to touch all areas of their lives!