Interviews
2019: Akala, Folarin, Arapaja, others’ defection ’ll further strengthen Oyo APC – Ajimobi’s Aide
THE game is continuity, as the political class in the pacesetter state scheme and manoeuvre amidst suspicion and skin deep intrigues. Politics of preservation manifests in Oyo State, as political gladiators realign to protect and further hiding interests.
Political barriers were broken; politicians were united. Very recently, the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi held a meeting with his predecessor, Adebayo Alao Akala and the former senate leader, Teslim Folarin at Alao Akala’s residence in London.
No doubt, the meeting which served as a political realignment ahead of 2019 election in the state has yielded positive fruit.
Also, the Executive Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Political Matters, Dr. Morohunkola Thomas has described the arrival of these bigwigs from other political parties as part of the governor’s overhaul strategy, a strategy of accommodation and ability to headhunt skillful strikers.
With the array of political bigwigs that have joined APC, Dr. Thomas, in a chat with Mega Icon Magazine while analysing political permutations asserted that the party (APC) has been repositioned to win future elections. Excerpts
With the influx of some political bigwigs into the APC in Oyo state, of what importance do you think this will have on the party especially as 2019 election beckons?
Well, 2019 is quite far because we are still in 2017 and I do know that electoral contest is a short distance race. We are very busy with governance. Although, on a daily basis we are strategizing with regards, not just to the general elections but to the coming local government elections that will certainly take place in Oyo state.
Regards arrival of some bigwigs from other political parties, I think its part of our overhaul strategy, a strategy of accommodation, a strategy of enlarging our scope, a strategy of our being broadminded and our ability to headhunt skillful strikers and people that are also good in defence. We are bringing them on board and these are people that have done very well in terms of electoral contests in the past. They are not people who came into office on the basis of sentiments or some spiritual helps so to say.
They are people that have demonstrated their worth in the political space in recent past in the state. For us, it shows that we are team like Manchester United or Manchester City that is ever looking forward to winning. Our goal is to develop Oyo State and at the same time looking for allies who believe in our philosophy, who believe in our principles, and who can work with us to make sure that we are the dominant force in Oyo state.
We are very conscious of the existence of an ultrawin conservative elements in group in Oyo state as represented by the leader of Accord. They don’t look at anything positively, very negative in their approaches, very deceitful and they have never undertaken policies in favour of the people in the past when you x-ray their performances in government. The people that are coming on board now are people that people speak well of their glorious days. So, we cleverly search for people that can buy into our philosophy so that we can remain the dominant political force in the state.
If you look at it now, in the last elections in Ibadan less city, we won only in two local governments – Oluyole and Ido. We are now bringing in Teslim Folarin who is from that area so that we can do better in that place. And Teslim Folarin has followers in many of the local governments in Oyo state. If you look at Ogbomoso, we have never done too well in all our electoral appearances, so former governor Akala has come on board very strongly.
If Ogbomoso is secured and we can still have our strong hold in Oke -Ogun, Ibadan votes, we will split it. That means that we will carry the day. We don’t run our elections based on sentiments but purely scientific and we are constantly doing our studies. We know where we are weak, we know where we are strong. Where we are weak, we are trying to get people to come on board and be with us.
But, these people are coming with various ambitions.
Every politician is ambitious and the major ambition of any politician is to seize power, to get hold of power so that he can use that power to execute his programmes. So, every politician has a reason for being in politics. You just don’t get into politics for nothing. If they are coming with ambitions, may be they want to be governor, senators, strong members, executive members of the party, it is legitimate.
In the old ACN, people like us joined and because of our backgrounds we got our ways. So, it is also legitimate for people to come. A number of ex-PDP elements joined in forming the APC, people like Kwankwaso, Rotimi Ameachi, Bukola Saraki. They all came with ambitions and some people scaled through with their ambitions and some didn’t. The ambition of the founding fathers of the APC is to form a coalition between the North and the Southwest for the purpose of getting to power because we found out that no single region of the country can get power on its own. So, if these people come into the APC in Oyo State with ambitions, they are free to pursue it legitimately, if they get through, fine, if they don’t get through there are machineries in the party that is organized not in the same way with the PDP.
If you don’t get it, you don’t get it, you wait for another time . Here we have some people who didn’t scaled through with their ambitions, they are accommodated elsewhere.
Some of these celebrated politicians were elements that led to the destruction of PDP in Oyo state. Are you sure their coming would not also contaminate the APC?
In the case of destruction of PDP, the PDP has a different history. The PDP was unfortunate to have a man whose intellectual credibility is questioned as its national leader at that time. When Obasanjo was the leader of the PDP, the then PDP didn’t suffered this destruction in spite of the third term agenda. As soon as Jonathan came, we see what happened. Any organization that is run on the basis of laissez-faire leadership will go into extinction like PDP, they are just gathering the pieces.
I can tell you, even among them, those of them that have not shown their faces now are still coming on board.
It would be recalled that scarcity of cards hits Oyo PDP one day after membership registration began. Are you not threatened with the encouraging registration enjoyed by the PDP?
How can we be threatened? We have about close to 700,000 members of APC in Oyo State, so what can 200,000 do? In Ibadan Northwest/Southwest alone APC is looking about over 70,000 members in the two local governments. Now with the coming of Alao Akala, Teslim Folarin, coming of Taofeek Arapaja and their members, I can tell you that we are going to have over 1million members of the APC.
Ife Grand Resort & Leisure, one of the best hospitality-care centers in Africa, located on an expansive hilltop, adjacent to the Ife-Ibadan Expressway at about 4 km from the heart of the ancient and culturally important city of Ile-Ife, in Osun State, Southwest Nigeria, is the right place to be not only for tourists, fun-seekers, holidaymakers, travellers; but also for government institutions and individuals seeking exciting and memorable experience.
Reuben Abib, the General Manager, of Ife Grand Resort & Leisure, in a chat with Idowu Ayodele, reveals the intrinsic values that set the hospitality center apart from others.
Excerpts:
Why is Ife Grand Resort & Leisure described as the people’s palace?
It is, indeed; the people’s palace! You know not everyone can enter the Enuwa palace of the Ooni of Ife, but Ife Grand Resort & Leisure is the extension of that same palace. Here, at the People’s Palace, everyone can feel and be treated like royalty. We set up on over 328 acres of land, over a hundred rooms with chalets of different categories.
We actually have tree houses as well, very interestingly, they are all air-conditioned, we have Eclipse nightclub, a zoo, African Village, which hosts a Bamboo Restaurant and a local kitchen where guests can visit to witness how local food menus are prepared and served to them in local pots, the Adire Oodua Textile Hub where they make traditional adire clothes (tie-and-dye).
The resort also houses a 200-capacity cinema hall nearing completion and would be commissioned soon, an event centre, a conference hall, an indoor spa centre for manicures and pedicures, swimming pools, restaurants and bar, barbecue, where you can get your catfish, bush meat, palm wine among other facilities. Honestly, there is so much to do here, this is a place to be.
Considering the huge staff strength, both permanent and casual workers, how have you been able to manage and coordinate them for optimal productivity?
We are very much like a family here. So, I see myself like a father figure to all my staff, even a father figure to my customers. We may not always agree on some issues, but the fact is that if you realise you have a relationship that you want it to be extended beyond this present moment, then you have to manage yourself to protect such relationships. There is one Yoruba proverb I owe dearly to my heart is that when a child knows how to wash his hands well, he eats with the elders.
Interestingly, it is something the Yoruba culture has taught me which is the way we treat each other, the respect we give each other, we love each other so much that we bow to each other, in simple greetings, you must adopt humility to succeed. The secret I am trying to bring to the table is that you must love your children even if you must discipline them, binding it together, I think things are working fine here with us.
I am able to manage a diverse group of individuals with unique talents, skills, and abilities.
There are many resorts and hotels in Nigeria, what exactly sets Ife Grand Resort & Leisure apart from others?
We are the source, the cradle of the Yoruba race. The resort itself exemplifies everything that is housed within the Yoruba culture. One of our unique advantages is the pristine rain forest which is just a three-minute walk, and a tropical utopia for leisure seekers and discerning guests who cherish tranquility and communion with nature amid personalised hospitality services.
We are surrounded by nature , both flora and fauna.
We have more than enough facilities, stable security and fantastic personnel that will make your visit to this destination an exciting and memorable experience. In addition to everything you can do here, we are just a few minutes away from the 401 historical and religious sites in Ile Ife, so if you want to see culture first hand, this is the best place to be. There is so much to do here, so much to learn, there is no way even once in a lifetime you can take everything away. We are just a few weeks to Olojo festival, literally there is always a festival in Ile-Ife.
If you really want to get in touch with yourself and your culture, Ile-Ife is the only place to do that, this is the source.
How affordable is Ife Grand Resort & Leisure?
We are the most affordable four-star resort in Nigeria, I can assure you of that. This is the people’s palace, we want it accessible and affordable for all, the reason we deliberately splashed the prices by half. Can you imagine a standard room for N10,000 in a four-star resort?
Having spent some quality and eventful years in Africa, particularly Southwest Nigeria, how would you describe the Yoruba culture?
I am an African American. Growing up in Canada and the US, they will be telling us that our culture is dead. In 2017, when I met the Ooni of Ife and I saw living culture, I saw the culture of the Emeses, the culture of the cult, I saw the culture of the Yoruba people, prostrating before this amazing King, and I was touched to the soul. I am actually a born orphan, and one thing about orphans is that not only that people adopt us, we also adopt people. I must say that I have adopted Yoruba because it resonates with me – the history, the culture, proverbs, and wisdom of the Yoruba people, is something that I feel it is within my soul and it is wonderful.
Likewise, I spent 11 years in the Gambian and I already spent over 5 years in Nigeria, I can always see that for we the repatriated Africans, it is actually easy to find our home here and this is very welcoming. Thank you for sharing your culture with me.
Alhaji Muritadha Adeyemi Adeniji is a leading player in the Cocoa and cashew business in Nigeria. Therefore his insight into the challenges and prospects of the agro-industrial sector cannot be faulted. His company, Starlink Global & Ideal Limited, provides a wide spectrum of marketing and financial services for the procurement and export of Agricultural Produce and Commodities to both local and international markets.
SGI agricultural produce also includes raw cocoa beans, raw cashew nuts, shea nuts, and natural sesame seeds. SGI today has grown tremendously and is well represented in all cocoa-producing zones of Nigeria.
In this interview with online news editors, he bares his mind, among other issues, on the status of cocoa production in Nigeria, even as he expressed his fear about the future of the crop. Excepts
Sir, Nigerians are concerned about the dwindling production of cocoa in Nigeria, because the crop used to be a major contributor to the economic development of the country most especially in the western region in the 60, and 70s. Do you share their fear?
I appreciate your concern about the future of Cocoa in Nigeria. Unfortunately, we used to be number 2 between the period 1968 and 1975. Up to 1992, Nigeria still struggled to be between number 3 and 4 but we are now number 7. Ivory Coast as of 2013, the country was producing 1,000,000 tonnes. Today, Ivory Coast produces 2000400 tonnes. They have doubled their production and have even added more within that period. Looking at the same time, Ghana used to produce 750000 tonnes but they are now producing 950000 tonnes. Cameroon used to produce 350000 tonnes they are still on the 350000 tonnes. Indonesia used to produce 450000 tonnes, they are now producing 280000 tonnes.
They have had a reduction in their production. Nigeria used to produce 250000 tonnes, they are now on 300000 tonnes. Brazil produces 320000 tonnes. All other countries of the world produce the rest of the tonnes.
The total need for Cocoa in the world is 4million tonnes in a year. 75% of the production is done by Ivory Coast and Ghana, which is why they went into a collaboration to ask for Liquid Income Preferential from the chocolate makers. I am the first Nigerian and African to be a member of the Federation of Cocoa and Commerce (FCC), which is responsible for regulating the Cocoa economy in the world. This gives me insight into the problems and solutions to Cocoa production.
When we talk about Nigeria, it’s not only about Cocoa but the quality of leadership has been the problem. When we have leaders that only think about 4 or 8 years in office and do not have a long term plan. This is criminal and injustice to the people they are leading. We must have a well structured country, that has immediate, short and long-term plans. Developed countries of the world have all these plans with strong institutions that Nigeria is lacking.
Unfortunately, corruption has killed almost everything in Nigeria. I don’t like politics and I won’t be one of them. Take a look at the time of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was an Ijebu man, what was Cocoa production like in Ijebu then? He institutionalized Cocoa production across the Southwest. He had a big Cocoa farm, not for himself but for the country in the present-day Edo State. Things need to change. The law of diminishing return is taking effect on the Cocoa trees as some are now 100 years while some are 75 years. If they are cut down how many years would it take for us to have the new ones? What incentives are being given to the youths as motivation to engage in farming?
What have they been doing in Ivory Coast that Nigerian government has not been doing?
In Ivory Coast, the government allocates 2.5 hectares of land to the youth to engage in farm production. Nigeria’s government needs to create a medium for large farm sites and put necessary social infrastructures to make life bearable for the people. West Africa produces almost 75% of Cocoa in the world, all other countries cannot. We are blessed in this part of the world. For instance, in Indonesia, natural disasters destroy the farms. The government should start to have long-term plans. This is one of the reasons we are faced with the challenge of insecurity such as banditry, kidnapping, and others. We need to face the reality of how to navigate the perennial problems. Unemployment is directly proportional to poverty, banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.
So how can we get it right?
For Nigeria to get it right in Cocoa production, the government needs to remove what is known as Land Use Act. The people should be allowed to have access to land. This is one of the major problems of agriculture in Nigeria. Physical planning is very key. We are very lucky, Nigeria has the largest arable land in the whole of Africa. You can see the incursion of foreigners into the country, Chinese, Indians, and others are buying lands in large quantities and they are collecting documents from the government, we need to be careful about that. We are talking about colonization, what is going to happen would be worse than colonization. We should learn from the apartheid in South Africa and Palestine because the major cause of what is happening in Palestine, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is land. This is also evident in Kaduna and Jos.
No government agency or parastatal in Nigeria is working, corruption has destroyed all of them. We are not investing in technologies that will improve our agricultural system. We need huge investment in technologies in our institutes for us to have alternatives. The kind our fertilizers we use on our farms are the ones killing our soil.
The government should create an enabling environment supported by reasonable laws that wouldn’t be broken. So many people are interested in agriculture but they are being discouraged by the lack of enabling environment.
I want to call on the government to have a well-structured system, long term plans and be proactive in the needs of the citizens, especially the youths. We don’t have accurate data in Nigeria, we only have estimates.
The Nigerian government has been talking about diversification of the economy, especially in agro-industrial sector, in your own opinion do you think they are walking the talk?
As a stakeholder, I have constructively criticized the government to challenge them on the necessary things to be done. Nigeria is retrogressing at a fast pace, something needs to be done. The chocolate factory needs 24 hours electricity, are we having this in Nigeria? A factory cannot be successfully run in an unpredictable place like Nigeria. Look at the price of diesel which used to be N350 which is now N800. So many companies are folding up in Nigeria not because they are fraudulent, it is because they operate in a very harsh economic environment.
How did you get into this business?
I was a biochemistry lecturer at the University for 11 months. Religion discrimination and politics in the institution made me leave lecturing job. There was a terrible gang-up as I was the only Muslim, I didn’t see myself developing quickly in such an environment. When I left, I secured another job in Union Trust before the death of my Managing Director which made me leave there after 11 months.
I never wanted to do this business because I have experienced different things in this business. I had so many crises in the Cocoa business. Although, it is my father’s business. Hunger and desperation forced me to stay in the Cocoa business.
How long did it take you to build Starlink Global & Ideal Limited?
We started in 1999. Today, we are the largest exporter of Cocoa, Cashew, and palm oil in Nigeria. In the last 10 years, the growth has been wonderful. We are now into processing, we have just bought the largest and multi-million processing plant in Nigeria.
At SGI, we have 452 direct workers and about 900 appendages. We see the human being as the most important asset. We have warehouses in about 16 states. I motivate my staff for maximum production with sustainable empowerment. Most of them are now self-independent
Chief Mutalubi Adebayo Ojo read Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, he later proceeded to the University of Ibadan to study Law. He equally served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under late Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.
Last Tuesday, he appeared on Ayekooto On Radio, a magazine programme anchored by Olayinka Agboola live on a private radio station in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State. Read some of his submissions:
On one of your Social Media profile pages, you wrote that laws must be used as tools of social engineering, for economic development and poverty eradication. Why did you think along this line sir?
Lawyers are called legal luminaries all over the world especially in a democracy to lighten paths and ways of their fellow citizens so that they can see through and will not fall or slip from their ways. Law is an object to develop the country and engineer development and tackle poverty.
Today, as we are speaking, do you consider yourself to be a full fledge politician?
I must not pretend about that. I am a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I formally joined the party very recently during the revalidation exercise. When I was in government under our late leader, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, I was not a card-carrying member of the party.
What was it like when you were the Chief Lawmaker in Oyo State?
It was all about service to humanity, contributing your quotas to your community, state and society at large. All of us cannot be satisfied to remain in our comfort zones because if it is something we are going to eat together with our family and how to educate our children, we do not have such problems. Let us think of others who are less privileged and who do not have the same opportunity like us. In life there are basic amenities of life such as food, shelter and education and health. Let us strive to make life more meaningful to people, I believe that any aspiration to be in government and public service should be geared towards service. As a commissioner, I served to the best of my ability.
States are at war with Government on the issue of the Value Added Tax collection (VAT). What is your opinion?
I have a very different view and I have expressed it at different fora before. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not listed specifically in the exclusive list. We have already had in place a VAT act – since the era of the military. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has been collecting it from individuals, company without any level of protest from any level of government. It will be wrong for any state now to enact another VAT law like Lagos and Rivers have done. We already have a federal act which has covered the field and that will be inconsistent with any law that is happening now.
During the second republic, we had a similar case between Attorney General of Ogun State and Aberuaba which was litigated up to the Supreme court that it was stated that Ogun State could not enact sales tax.
Also, during Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Governor of Lagos State, there was this law that was enacted by Lagos state government on hospitality and consumption tax. It happened that Eko Hotel took the state government to court that they could not be paying the same tax when they were already paying same to the federal government and they won the case.
Now, as a lawyer and politician, you know the way things are in Nigeria today – insecurity and economic woes, where did we get it wrong?
Leadership is the major problem facing Nigeria. Our current president, Muhammadu Buhari has failed and has disappointed many people. He has failed woefully and the party, APC has lost its goodwill that brought it to power in 2015.
But some observers said Jugdes/Lawyers, Policemen and Journalists are mainly responsible for the situation Nigeria has found itself..
I do not agree with that assumptions that Lawyers, Judges, Police and Journalists are responsible for Nigeria’s problems today. We have all failed. We cannot have a better country if we do not have a good family unit. A good community cannot exist if there is a bad local government and state. We have lost it all and all sectors are affected. We are the problems and if people in the country agree to change and do the right things then Nigeria will be better.
What do you think is the difference between APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
There is no difference between the two parties. Our political parties are not ideology-based. They are just platforms through which one can get elected to serve. There is nothing like progressives’ party in my understanding. Both parties are bereft of ideologies.
So, what is the way forward sir?
We cannot keep complaining that because politics is a dirty game. It is dirty because majority of the people participating in it presently are dirty. We must not leave it to charlatans, we must all participate in it to improve the system.
What is your stake on the ongoing agitation for Yoruba nation?
Looking at the rate at which we are going in this country, unless Nigeria is restructured, we may disintegrate. Things are not at ease and we have never been divided like this before. The Hausas are seeing themselves as different from the Fulanis. There is nothing like one north again, even the Hausas and the Fulanis are even more divided than the south. We need to sit down and find solutions to the myriad of problems we are facing.
Independence of Yoruba Nation is just one of the valid options to be used to solve Nigeria’s problems.
Before you go, do you wish to send a message to fellow politicians?
Let us all resolve to do the right thing at the right time. Let us be selfless and put the interest of the country at heart first and let us love Nigeria above our personal interest.
I will also counsel Nigerians not to cut corners and to do the right things always.
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