Why I Joined Politics, Oyo Commissioner Designate, Afonja Explains

One of the newly confirmed Commissioner nominees in Oyo state, Prof. Raphael Afonja has said that his participation in politics was borne out of a desire and commitment to serve his fatherland and the people; and not to gather wealth.

The Ogbomoso-born Professor of Engineering said this on Thursday during an interview with Mega Icon Magazine in Ibadan, the state capital.

According to Afonja, he joined the political sphere of Nigeria having served the people in the United States in different capacities, and saw the need to come home and give back to his people.

He added that the passion to serve and see real changes in the lives of his people inspired him to aspire for Federal House of Representatives (Ogbomoso North/ Ogbomoso South/Orire Federal Constituency) in the last election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“I put in a lot of effort, sacrifices and  I was told to step down, of which I did with no regrets”.

Speaking further, the mitigation specialist, Afonja said, ” I believe I have served the people in the United States in different capacities, although I have gained a lot and the country has afforded me many opportunities. I saw the  need to come back to Nigeria and serve  my father land and give back to my people. I believe in service to humanity.

“When I visited back in 2007 , I saw the struggle that people were going through but at that moment I thought it was not the right time to come back home. I needed time and it should be a gradual process. I want to be very sure that it was  time to leave the States and come back to Nigeria. By the year 2016 after I lost my mother, I came home to bury my mother, and that was a turning point for me. I sensed that some of the people that came for the funeral were struggling, and when I visited our Community in Ogbomosho I got a firsthand of what poverty was like.

“That drew more of my empathy towards the people around me and  I saw the need to come home and give back, but I soon realized that I need a platform to do so. One of the things that came to mind was to partake in politics,  when it comes to  policy making and not just talking about things  but coming up with what I like to call actionable ideas, what can we do to help the people and that was why I started my non-profit organization – ICARE. Our organization focuses on women empowerment, food security, education, and medical outreach. I felt like those four major areas overlap in so many ways. Like I said earlier what motivated me is my empathy for the people”.

He continued, “I believe that government does not only create jobs,  especially when it comes to tackling  unemployment but  create the environment that allows businesses  and investors to thrive. Since I am now part of the system I can engage people effectively by creating avenues that will bring them some kind of relieve.  In the US I have worked at the Federal, State  and Local level, so I feel like with all of the experiences and skills that I have gathered over time, I can add value when given the opportunity to be part of the government.

” I am glad to be part of the executive government of our great state, and this will give me the opportunity to have an impact in line with the vision of our amiable governor, His Excellency, Engineer Oluwaseyi Makinde in taking the people of Oyo state out of poverty.

“I felt the need to serve and I just can sit back and be given people money all the time without looking at other platforms to reach the masses.

“Recently,  I  came up with this plan to build a cashew processing plant in Ogbomoso, and this plant from my business plan will bring about 1000 jobs for our people. One of the things I found out is that people coming from Vietnam and Indian  do come to buy our cashew nuts and the only time when people make money is that period when they harvest cashew, after the season is over, that will be the end of the opportunity for them to make money.

“If you go  to Vietnam or India you will  find their people working  all year round because they are the one processing it and selling it but  in our own case once the harvest is done that is  the end , so there are many things I have been working on even before I was nominated  for commissioner in Oyo  state, I have been thinking about ways through which  we can come with actionable ideas that will create jobs for our people.

“I am not a political jobber, I have my job as a professor, but I want to use my influence and wealth of experience to contribute to the development and growth of my fatherland”, the Commissioner nominee said.

Prof. Afonja, however promised to apply his intellect, expertise, skills, experience and energy towards achieving the vision of the Governor Seyi Makinde led administration.