Yewa people are backing Amosun for second term –Anisulowo POSTED ON TUESDAY, JULY 9TH, 2013 Senator Iyabode Veronica Anisulowo is a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). She was Minister of State for Education under General Sani Abacha, having risen through the political ranks of secretary to the local government in Yewa South and later Commissioner for Agriculture in Ogun State. In this interview with select journalists, including our Reporter, SEGUN ADELEYE, the Ilaro-born political Amazon bared her mind on sundry issues in the polity. Excerpts: Would the early endorsement of Senator Ibikunle Amosun for second term not jeopardise the chances of Yewa/Awori people who have been clamouring to occupy the number one seat in the state? It will not jeopardise our ambition because we have always tried to fill the seat of the helmsman of Ogun State, but we have always been missing it. This is because we didn’t let our intention known on time and we didn’t follow the right path. That is why I think it is not too early, the only thing is that INEC does not allow campaign now; it is 90 days before the elections. I think it is just to encourage him and tell him that we are with him in all the infrastructural development he is doing and also to tell him that the rural people, especially those of us that have been in the thick and thin of politics are with him. People will challenge him, but we won’t encourage anyone that challenges him because we want to develop. What you are saying now is that YEWA people are in support of Senator Ibikunle Amosun if he chooses to run for second term? Yes, that is what I have been saying. If he doesn’t want to run, nobody can force him. But I believe that with all the things he has started the first four years is not enough for him to finish. I believe any progressive minded person will encourage him to run for and finish what he has started. Especially, I know that any governor that would have taken over from the Otunba Gbenga Daniel led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration will know that there was nothing in the purse. It is an additional task for anyone who takes over because that is why he wanted to take the loan of N50 billion he wanted to take at that time because the state was broke. Even the pension fund in the state’s purse had been spent. Although I am not in government to see the purse, but I know that he has improved the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and I have information that is not too accurate, that he had to cope with N700 million when he came in, to something above a billion now. About eight months ago when I was talking to him, he was aiming at N3 billion and there are still more sources of revenue in the state, especially in this our own Senatorial district, there are so much areas where he could tap and make more money, and that is why we are encouraged by what he has done and his projections. You said he has done well, what exactly has he done? For me it is the infrastructural development; he is building roads, Schools. Before all we had was private schools springing up without much control and we were not getting much from these private schools and then we were eliminating the children of the poor who could not go to school because of the fees. There is nothing bad for someone whom has graduated from school to learn a trade, but you found out that most children of the poor went and learnt trade instead of going to school and at the end of the day, they didn’t have enough knowledge to establish anything. They were always appendages and they were continuously poor. In Yoruba language that states that three generations should not be poor. I went to a public primary school; in fact, I did not benefit from the free primary education programme of Chief Obafemi Awolowo because I escaped it by one year. But even then, everybody had the opportunity to go to school and that is why today in the South West, you find out that everyone strives to send their children to school. So, he is tackling infrastructural development like roads, education, health and agriculture, but in agriculture most of our children have left the farm for riding motorcycles. This is too bad and we must do something about this. For me as a colleague; remember we were both in the National Assembly as Senators representing Ogun West and Ogun Central respectively, I am proud of him. Even if am not in his party, any progressive minded person will know that the first thing you do is infrastructural development. He needs to be encouraged to do more and that’s why we are appealing to him to go for a second term if he so wishes. As for when a Yewa or Awori person would be become the governor, I know it will happen during our own time; very soon and very soon, but we must exercise patience, so that we don’t get it wrong again and again. We have been clamouring for a cement factory for over 50 years because we have deposit of limestone and everyone has been tapping from it and now we have it, but the factory also brought infrastructure development. We cried and clamour for it, now look at Dangote, he is doing the best road I have ever seen in any place even beyond Julius Berger. I thank God that I was one of those who facilitated its location. I am happy because I was one of those people that were agitating and sending text messages to the governor that he speak to this man (Dangote) and the governor took offence that what we clamoured for is now killing young people that would have gotten married because they died at Ibese one weekend. Today I thank God for the prompt reaction of the governor. Won’t your endorsement jeopardise the chances of any candidate of Yewa/Awori origin that may want to contest? They can come out; there is freedom of expression and association, but any right thinking Yewa man would rather collaborate with him (Amosun). Even if you look at the proximity of Egba to this place (Yewa), why should we alienate ourselves? He still has about two years to go and if by God’s grace he has the four years, let us see what a Yewa man would do when it is our turn after his eight years. You have been known over the years to be an ambassador of justice and equity; on that premise, would you dwell on the divine time for the Yewas? For instance, even if it is a Yewa person, this is democracy, and democracy is a science of community living and sharing. Even the local governments that we have was because of the activities of people like me. Many years ago, Ifo was in this senatorial district and we had only three local governments, it was because we were in government and we were so forceful that the two additional local governments were created at that time and we were still waiting for the helmsman to help us to create two more but it never happened. I created Imeko/Afon local government on my knees, but today you can see the level of development. Right from time we did not plan for this kind of thing in Yewa and that is why it has been eluding us because by the time they would take delegates, I was the first person to get a party ticket to run for Yewa in 1999. Those who are agitating; it is their pedigree that we should look. If someone has been in the House of Representatives for ten years now, and you can’t see anything he has done, what has he been doing? What impact or influence do they have in the positions they are holding. These are the things that we should care to know; it is not just becoming a governor. You can be a governor from Yewa and not be effective; no group will allow you to take more than your fair share. It is just the executive fiat that you use as governor to do more in one area than the other, if not, you will be impeached. People go to the House of Assembly to represent their area, so when you are now talking about it, the people should be able to pick from what you have done. Amosun is working, and we can only encourage him to do more by supporting him now and also asking him to go for second term. Are you not afraid that your people may see you as working against their interest? They cannot because I always have the interest of my people at heart. If not that I joined them during the last bit of the Amosun governorship bid in 2011, by now I would have been the kingmaker. Those who joined him towards the end and are kingmakers now were not with him right from the beginning, they shifted gears and because of this it worked. I was with Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI) because we were looking for a youthful person who has some experience that we could nurture and make impact. But the rest of what happened is now history. But I know that we were discussing it with him that he would have had a very hard tenure because of lack of funds. It is funding that can make a government perform well. Even though you said that Amosun is trying in the area of infrastructure, there is an avalanche of complaints by members of ACN that he is not empowering them? Yes, I am aware that people are saying that there is no money in town. Is it Amosun that holds back money in circulation? I will be deceiving you if I say I don’t know what you mean, but let me assure you that all will be well in the next few months. Nkanti o to ma se ku (It would be in abundance) because all those avenues that usually take resources away from people, Amosun does not involve himself in such things. But let all of us encourage and support him so that he can achieve huge success in his mission to rebuild Ogun State which he had successfully started and, by the grace of God, he will land safely. We should continue praying for him as I am sure he had a vision of how he wants the state to be, long before he became the governor. I also want to appeal to my people in Yewa, particularly those holding one political office or the other to reach out to their constituency because there are complaints that they don’t ‘’reach’’ out to them. The Bible tells me that when a righteous person rules, the people enjoy; I know that very soon, the people of Ogun State will enjoy more through provision of more amenities which will impact directly on their lives. What is your comment on the allegation that there is no internal democracy in the ACN? For now, it helps the party and it is the best at least, but I think it will change in future. Such a practice in ACN gives room for that kind of hierarchy in the party. I believe that with time things will change, but for now it is the best for us because it does not encourage crisis and disharmony. What is your reaction to the rancour within the Nigerian Governors’ Forum? It is nothing but a shame for the group as well as for the country. It also portends danger for Nigeria’s democracy. If it is not handled well, you will realise that the much talked about revolution will happen and nobody will survive it, even me. Even those on the streets will not be saved if it happens. So I appeal to them to handle their affairs with caution that will not endanger the country and the people. How can Nigeria get out of this dilemma in which people in the National Assembly find it difficult to reduce the salaries and allowances of lawmakers? It is a little bit difficult to do that. The National Assembly has nothing to do with the fiscal and mobilisation committee; they allocate the money that would be spent. During the second term of the Obasanjo tenure that I was in the Senate, we found that the members of the Senate did not have full control of what was going out because he tried to rule like a Military person. With time when our democracy continued to grow, even lawmakers themselves will revolt because what he (Obasanjo) did that time was that he monetized everything. I did not use any driver from the government or any house help which were automatic. So, the government is spending so much on officials. So, what he did for the people in the National Assembly was that he merged the entire package together, if you like don’t pay your driver or keep your constituency offices. We also have the national constituency projects which Obasanjo was very strict about – I didn’t know the contractors; the only thing I knew was the sight of the projects.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 12:27:23 +0000