Posted by By Jide Ajani, Political Editor on
How does it feel being rated as the third best state in the country in terms of good governance?
How does it feel being rated as the third best state in the country in terms of good governance?
I was elected by the good people of Osun State and the good part of it is that we have been able to fulfill our promises to the people of the state. And with such this type of rating, one is encouraged to work harder so that at the end of the day, we would have accomplished our goals for the people of this state.
On two occasions you'd said the members of the house of assembly, when they first brought the issue of constituency projects, you were not particularly kin about it but at a point you changed your mind. And later when you started commissioning the projects you said you became so impressed. Would you want to agree that this method may have contributed to service delivery impact you made in the rating.
Yes it has.
You promised that you still intend giving more.
Yes I did. I think I have decided to increase it to N20 million. because when they brought the idea at first, I was a bit skeptical I must confess that to you. I looked at it from the point of view that similar things had occurred at the national level and there was nothing to show for the allocation.
My speaker requested for N10 million but I agreed to N5 million so that it wont look as if I didn't respond to his request. And by the time I saw what N5 million was being used for, I was really impressed so I decided to give them the extra N5 million, making N10 million. The following year, I decided to increase it to 20 million and I think I'm not disappointed.
Before now, Osun State has always been seen as a civil service state. How far have you gone in making sure that the private sector participates in building the economy of the state?
Up till now, the greater percentage of our IGR is from payee - pay as you earn - and that is why the believe is that is a civil servant State. But ever since we came in we have been making efforts to ensure that we diversify the sources of our income . And the only way you can lift up the economy of any state is when you make it a private sector driven economy. That is why we have been shuttling up and down looking for who to invest here, with a lot of incentives and I think you have noticed that we are getting a lot of positive responses from within and outside the country.
It's not a matter of wait and get, I think it will take some time, convictions and some belief before investors will decide to come down. But for as long as we keep talking to each other and by the end of the day we will be able to achieve a good economic plan.
I have sort the approval of the Presidency on the establishment of an export zone for Osun State and I think we will be lucky.
Well, that is based on the existence of the steel rolling mills and machine industry that we have in the state and that will be the basis for getting others to come and participate in the free trade zone which is likely to be established in Osun State. So through that we believe that we will be developing a stronger base for our economic emancipation.
How has the state government planned to follow up on this achievement since the local governments are very crucial to the aspect of service delivery to the people, so that what has been achieved would not be jeopardised?
Well, taking that question, so that the local government can follow up on the developmental trend that the state government is pursuing, we have put in place people to monitor things that go on at the local government level to ensure that what is being approved for development is carried out at the local government level and also make sure that feedback is gotten. And again the issue of constituency project has pushed my chairmen to wake up. Because the law maker is making impact with the little he is getting whereas the councils are getting a big amount of money so they will have no excuse not to do better.
In one way the constituency project has assisted me in waking up my local government chairmen and they are all up and doing. Because the community is saying if somebody is given 20 million naira for constituency project and the person is doing so much, what excuse do you, as a council chairman have for not working well, with all the monthly allocation.
The chairmen of local governments have more resources than the legislators have access to. So that has also woken them up from their slumber.
To your party the PDP. Why is it that it keeps having crisis almost every time?
Now talking of crisis, even where there is only one soul living in an area he will also have crisis in his heart. Yes that is the truth not to talk of three or four people coming together. There will definitely be crisis. We all have crisis in our homes.
A large party like PDP can not but have crisis but credit must be given to the party for the ability to absolve and resolve the crisis. Those other parties never had anything like we have had. So the story is there for you to tell. You can not expect a party as large as PDP not to have crisis; that's impossible. That means you are asking for miracle to happen. But we have been able to come out of crises with the party intact. And I don't see any crisis that we cannot over come. The greater crisis was over come with minimal acrimony. So any one that comes our way we will handle it. The mechanism within the party is working well to ensure that the party remains united irrespective of any crisis that comes our way.
But what some people are saying now is that the crisis within the party today is different. That the battle this time is between interests loyal to President Obasanjo and those loyal to Vice President Atiku's aspiration to succeed his boss?
I don't think the constitution of the party makes it sacrosanct that at the expiration of this presidency this man must take over. There is a procedure for selecting the presidential candidate and everybody is at liberty to go for it until when that procedure is not complied with before we can think of anything of that nature.
The party constitution is there to guide the party in the selection of the presidential candidate.
For as long as that is being pursued I see no reason why anybody would want to say that will lead to the tearing of the party apart. Sorry to say, I'm hearing the final battle for the tenth time now. During the cause of change of leadership in the party it was written in a banner headline ‘The Final Battle'. Later something else happened they again wrote, ‘The Final Battle'. They have been writing about this Final Battle for sometime now, when actually are we going to have this final battle?
Can we have specific instances of how the state has impacted the lives of the people positively, using the rating's criteria of Policy, Service Delivery, Budget and Fiscal; management, and Communication and Transparency, especially in the light of what critics have been saying about your administration?
I think that is one difficult thing that you are pushing to me, the assessment has been done and the areas touched for them to get the states rated were mentioned. As far as I'm concerned my critics can say what they want to say. They can go ahead to say what they want to say. I have published what I did in two years against their four years. And at the end of my four years I will also repeat the same thing.
It's a matter of fact not rhetoric. These are things you all can see on the ground, they did not answer to some of the project they said they did. In the paper, i cannot find them on the ground. nobody is asking that question and nobody is answering. They have published these things in three different papers but I refused, I said they should come and show me on ground. And let them go and talk about what I've published that is not on ground.
So that is the thing it's not a matter of propaganda. Gone are those days when that kind of a thing will work. People are now educated and wiser. So that is the thing.
The politics of the state has gone beyond that and it's gone forever.
The immunity clause in the constitution has been used by some of your colleagues to perpetrate some acts that are unbecoming of their office. What would you say is your position on immunity clause?
Now talking about immunity clause in our constitution, I think it is just in line with the kind of government we run. Now why has Americans not removed the clause in their constitution because we practice the same system of government. The question is why despite the fact that they have been practicing it for over two hundred years?
One thing is certain, you know the level of understanding of our people, the process will unnecessarily be abused because governors and the President will get charged to court on frivolities, on non issues and on concocted stories, how then do you feel he would be able to run a good government when you have to appear in the court every morning. We have to look at it seriously. But if it is the wish of Nigerians to have it removed let them debate it, let them do refrendom, let them also do constitutional amendment and get it removed.
Anybody who wants to serve, only that kind of situation will push him out. But I don't think he will need anything and that is the truth. because, you can imagine I have a running battle with a paper.
An interview was supposed to have been conducted with me. Questions asked, answers rendered and I have never seen this reporter ever in my life and that was where it was alleged that I have set up hit squad and this squad has already taken the life of somebody but this is a journalist I have never seen in my life. I've never seen any reporter that was why I slammed that libel of N500 million. So you can imagine I've not done anything, I've not seen this guy. And if the immunity clause were not there, then every dick and harry will just take you to court. Then you will spend your life in court rather than doing the job you are voted to do.
But if Nigerians want it that way we will take it and what ever we get out of it, is for all of us. Immunity was not inserted in the constitution so that people will begin to misbehave.
Sir, many Nigerian politician now they are going for bulletproof cars and ...
(Cuts in) Having spent 30 years in the army, having taken part in five bloody operations, I've never used any bulletproof and if you use a bulletproof what about the head, do you rap it up or what, once you are in it that is the thing. All you need to do is to serve the people to the best of your ability. And you have nothing to fear and it will happen when it will happen. One thing is certain you go to functions and address a forum, is not just wearing a bulletproof because what if you have to come down and talk to someone, you could still get shot. The only bulletproof I've is the Almighty God.
* says immunity clause is not a licence to misbehave
* speaks on delivery of democracy dividends