Ibrahim Babatunde Olorogun-Etti, chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in this interview with Assistant Editor CHUKWUDI NWEJE, insists that the party has performed well and will win the 2019 general elections on its record of excellence. He also talks on the inevitability of restricting the country for purposes of ensuring equity.
Dumping Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Congress (APC).
I am tired of failure and personally I don’t like the leadership of PDP in Lagos State. I don’t like the way the Lagos State chapter of the PDP does things. The party is fond of bending the rules and would not allow the members have their say on how it is run. They also do not field the best candidates. When you are a team manager, during a match the expectation is that you will field your best players. But this is not the case in the PDP. They bench their strikers.
Not defecting to the APC to belong to the winning team
No I did not. If you ask people who know me they will tell you that I am politically disciplined. I do not change party that way. If I am for you, I am for and if I am against you I am against you.
Difference between PDP and APC
The major difference is that it costs me less being a member of APC. People in APC do not seek as much help as those in the PDP. While in the PDP, I was always running around to strengthen the party and the little I had was shared with the party.
APC yet to deliver than one year in office and Nigerians are groaning in hardship
I think Nigerians are making a big mistake. In the history of this country, no government has ever probed the financial history of the country more than the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. President Buhari has recovered a lot of loot and that is a big achievement. For the first time in the history of this country, somebody with a good mind knows what money is legal and which is not. That is part of the promise of financial discipline the APC promised and it has been delivered.
Recovered loot as only rhetoric. How long should Nigerians wait?
It is a gradual process. The change and improved standard of living will definitely come. After the recovery of the loot, it will enter another phase and Nigerians will smile.
Buhari medically fit to continue as President?
I am not a medical expert and therefore cannot comment on the health of the President. But if he said he is not feeling fine, he needs time to recuperate. His absence does not stop governance. The government is working and the system is working.
The acting Chief Justice of Nigeria not confirmed even after the three months in acting capacity.
The Vice President transmitted his name to the Senate for confirmation. In the order of hierarchy, if the President is not around, the Vice President is in charge. It would depend on when the file of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria was handed to him.
Some schools of thought believe that the APC in Lagos State is anti-people, demolishing shops and traders sent away.
I will not agree with the word demolition. You see, what the state government is doing is to upgrade infrastructure in these places. Unfortunately, the only language Nigerians understand is when you force them to leave those squalid places. Government must come out boldly to force them out and upgrade those places. Moreover, most of these places were not built by the state government. It was a concession to contractors to build, upgrade and transfer.
The problem is the massive influx of people into Lagos. Sometimes, when the state government conducts a census of a local area and comes up with 200 people for example and the state government makes provision for these 200 people, if all of a sudden 500 people move into the area, what do you expect? The infrastructure would be overstretched and it will be back to square one again.
Original shop owners in these markets not accommodated after the upgrade of facilities
They were not accommodated because they couldn’t meet up with the new cost of these places. Everybody knows that the cost of things and doing business has increased. I am also affected. I used to operate from Victoria Island but when I couldn’t keep up with the cost I had to relocate to Lagos Island where I can find my level.
Rise in poverty in the pursuit of the mega city project
If we are talking about Lagos state, the State Government has a wealth creation ministry which is charged with training people in various trade like carpentry and so on for free. They have done it in several local government areas and it is working. That is one way Lagos state government is tackling the issue of poverty.
Clamour for a democratically elected local government to replace the current caretaker system in the state
I support democratically elected councils for Lagos state because the state government cannot do everything alone. The local government areas are closer to the grassroots and the people. So, it would be a good thing to conduct local government elections. I also support autonomy for the local government areas. They should be getting their allocations directly from the federation account and not through the state governments. The state government can supervise but not control local government funds.
Agitations for restructuring of Nigeria.
I totally support restructuring of Nigeria. For a start, the eastern part of the country needs one more state. It is only the East that has five states every other region has six states. Where is the equality there?
Some states are not economically viable yet you call for creation of more?
How many states are viable in the North? You see the problem is that in the East, people are selfish and do not think of their people. They only know of their families. Easterners are very hard-working and industrious but there is this bad spirit among them. There is a crown for one person and 20 of them want to wear it. They will all fight for it until they lose it. If you zone the presidency to the East now you will see how many people will come out and no one will step down for the other. Easterners need to do something and work together.
Missed opportunities in the country
We should leave politics out of everything and put the right people in the right places to work. Look at the ministers, although they are all eminently qualified, we have round pegs in square holes. You take a lawyer to be in-charge of power? Although it is administrative, for me if you put me where I cannot contribute, I will resign. Fashola did very well when he was Lagos state governor but that does not mean he can handle three ministries. Fashola was very popular but his rating now has gone low.
APC winning elections in 2019?
The APC will certainly win elections, free and fair in 2019.
Nigerians regretting voting APC
Nigerians complained about former President Goodluck Jonathan before he left. They can never be satisfied. The only reason why they seem uncomfortable is because President Buhari insists on recovering all looted funds.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
