Olufemi Adegoke, is a medical doctor who is passionate about issues that would enhance public good, policy and socio-economic developments in the country. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, he reminisces on the good old days, why the country needs to revert to the better system of yore and the role his organisation, the Voice of Reason, is playing.
WHAT is the mission of Voice of Reason?
The mission of VOR is to see good governance and accountability in the running of the affairs of this country in general, but particularly in Yoruba land, such that we would have the greatest benefits for the greatest number of people, using their God-given talents and resources.
Who are your targets and what are some of the changes you want to make?
Our targets are the general public, with emphasis on the youths who are the majority of the population and the real losers in the present scheme of things.
What inspired the initiative?
Most of us in Voice of Reason are old enough to know when this country held a great hope for the future, when the regions were run with the resources within the regions and agreed taxes paid to the Federal Government. There was healthy competition among the regions, which led to the establishment of University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University in the Western Region, University of Nsukka in the East and Ahmadu Bello University in the North. Those universities commanded respect even outside the country and many African countries sent their students to Nigeria to acquire university education.
The emphasis then was on how to maximise the revenues generated within the regions, as against the present monthly ritual of states going to Abuja to share the cake which disappears into private pockets on account of corruption. The incursion of the military in 1966, progressively brought about the inversion. The Federal Government, through the instrument of decrees, appropriated everything belonging to the regions and tried to make them uniform. They thereby stopped the progress which would have been. The decline in all facets of our society is the incontrovertible evidence of this.
The real motivation for us is how we can bring about a change in the government structure from the overbearing unitary system, to the more diverse method of old which is better suited to the composition of the country.
What are some of the things that you have done since you came together?
The Colloquium on Restructuring: A Panacea for Peace and Justice that took place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) was our first public event. We did not just organise a talk shop, we came up with a proposed constitution which is suitable for a multi-ethnic society like ours. This was the reference point of the Colloquium which the various speakers addressed.
Before this, we were a part of the conglomeration of Yoruba groups that came together under The Yoruba Summit that organised the September 7, 2017 Adamasingba Declaration on Restructuring. Apart from this, we meet regularly to generate ideas. We have issued a number of advertorials in newspapers, espousing our views on contemporary events going on in the polity.
What’s your position on the ‘not too young to run’ law?
The bill was just a needless distraction in my view. You cannot keep legislating everything under the sun. The impression I get is, the youth want the old to give way or to hand over things to them on a platter. Even today, we have many people who would qualify as youths in the public space, how are they different from the old they want to replace other than ‘it is our turn to chop’? The demographics is in favour of the youths. All they need to do is come up with programmes and convince us they can deliver. That is the way to go.
What is your take on the Plateau killings ?
The Plateau killing is the sign of a tragedy unfolding before our eyes. We may be in a civil war situation already without many people knowing the extent of the danger staring us in the face. The widespread killings is a glaring failure of leadership and security. The main reason for having a government is security of lives and property; and if this government were to be judged solely on that, then it is a spectacular failure and a big disappointment.
Who are the people that you admire/role models?
I admire people who are selfless in spite of the ups and downs in their lives, they still stayed the course. Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Mallam Aminu Kano are the ones that come to mind.