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‘Ogun Deserves A Purposeful, Visionary Leader’

By MUYIWA ADEYEMI
20 February 2015   |   11:00 pm
Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, the Ogun State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the state needs a purposeful and visionary leader to lay solid foundation for economic prosperity and challenges ahead. MUYIWA ADEYEMI, Head of Southwest Bureau, was there and reports. POLITICIANS are full of promises when they are canvassing for votes. How…

Isiaka-21-2-15--

Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, the Ogun State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the state needs a purposeful and visionary leader to lay solid foundation for economic prosperity and challenges ahead. MUYIWA ADEYEMI, Head of Southwest Bureau, was there and reports.

POLITICIANS are full of promises when they are canvassing for votes. How would you match your promises with action, if elected?

  We have a vision, and passion to drive that vision. We are going into government with a clear vision taking everything into consideration.

  This election is very important to us because it is about preparing the next generation for the challenges ahead. Our four-point agenda, which we referred to as ‘four-pillar,’ is a robust way of looking at the entire facets of the state, so that at the end of the day, no sector will be left unattended to. 

  The first is on our economy. We hold the view that only a strong economy can give our people what they want by making life more abundant and generating employment for out teeming youths.   

  We have looked at our potentials, as a state, and what we need to grow, as a state, without waiting for allocation from Abuja before we can deliver dividends of democracy to our people. 

  Look at what is happening to the price of oil now at the international market. We must look beyond money from oil to survive future challenges. 

  We shall develop our agriculture. Though everybody talks about this, but for us, we shall give a lot of attention to it to make it attractive to the young and old. 

  We have a lot of land here and we are very close to the biggest market in the continent, which is Lagos. 

  We have bitumen. We are also a littoral state bordering the Atlantic Ocean and have potentials of developing Free Trade Zones. 

  We shall work with private investors to enhance our economy and get job for our people.

  Also in our agenda is to set up what we call Border Town Development Commission (BTDC). Our idea is that Ifo, Arepo, Ibafo, Mowe, Ojodu-Abiodun, Matogun Oke Aro and the likes border Lagos and are populated by a larger number of people working in Lagos.   

  The commission is to basically enhance their living standard and benefit from high revenue of Lagos as a commercial centre of Nigeria. 

  The second pillar is about social services, such as education, health and rural roads. We shall overhaul our education system to give a strong foundation to the next generation, especially in the area of primary education and secondary education. 

  When we talk of investment, it goes beyond spending money to include preparing them for the challenges ahead; hence our determination to promote technical and ICT schools, as this is where the future is going.

  Under health, we shall do more on preventive health. Of course, our hospitals and primary health care centres will be upgraded from mere consulting clinics, which they currently, are while we shall provide enough drugs at highly subsidised rates. 

  We shall ensure our people have access to medicare, wherever they live. 

  On rural roads, what we have now is expansion of urban roads, most of which, in our opinion, are being done at heart-breaking cost. I don’t know anywhere else in Nigeria or sub-Sahara Africa where a kilometre of road costs N1.4 billion. We are not talking of constructing new roads, but expanding the existing one. 

  But majority of our people live in rural communities and have been neglected in the last three and half years.

  The third pillar is about our women and youths, who constitute two-third of our population. When we talk of our women, we are not talking about highbrow, degree-holding women; we are talking about average woman in the streets and villages, who is involved in petty trading. The concern is how they will get basic things.

  That is why we will establish Women Development Centres (WDCs) in all the 20 councils to cater for them.

  In addition, I have pledged to create 500,000 jobs for our youths within four years, and this is not a political statement; it is doable. We have thought about it and we have our plans to make it real. 

  I am an investment banker and some of what I did as the Group Managing Director of the Gateway Holding seems to be the only job creating channels for the government up till now. 

  For instance, we conceived and established Ogun-Guandong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, which started operation four years ago. The General Manager of the place, Mr. Jason Han, recently told the Southwest Zonal Commander of Customs, Mr. Victor Gbemudu, that the place has offered over 4,000 direct employment with 16 companies fully operational and eight being under construction. 

  If not for the unfriendly attitude of this government to private investors, over 70 companies were supposed to be operating in that place by now.    

  We shall revive all these business projects that have potentials of expanding our economy and providing jobs for our people. 

  The abandoned Deep Sea Project, cargo airport and Tongeji oil are there yet to be explored.

  We shall not run a contract-driven and rent-taking government, like what is being experienced now in the state.

  Besides, there are a lot of business opportunities in sports, unknown to this government. Sports is dead in our state at the moment. The state has four FIFA standard stadia that are not been put to use. 

 We have developed a comprehensive income-generating and job-creating sporting activities that will develop our youths and make us stand out.

  The fourth pillar is on the public service. As we all know, civil service is the engine-room of any administration. We must motivate them to give their best to the state.   

  We shall ensure training and re-training to keep them fresh on the job. In fact, we see them as a serious partner, not as an inconsequential partner, as they are currently being treated. 

  Besides, our traditional institutions will be accorded their due respect and be made to contribute to the development of their communities. 

  I believe in accountability, that is why I always emphasise transparency and openness. We must carry people along, so that no matter how lofty our ideas might be, people must be part of it. In everything we shall do, people must be at the centre of our policies.

  But Ogun needs to quickly address some anomalies to prepare a better foundation for the future. Even if the price of oil goes to $120 per barrel, that does not mean we can do everything at the same time, but we have to prioritise our needs and be focused. 

How would you fund all these lofty ideas you mentioned?

  Government cannot single-handedly fund all these projects. Government will do its best and private sector will also play key roles. 

  Even the whole resources accruing to the state in a year cannot fully develop the Olokola project. Even if we did not use a dime to pay salaries and provide social amenities, we cannot on our own develop Olokola, but we shall create a structure that will attract private investors. 

  But we have strategy to get investors all over the world to key into it, generate revenue for the state and provide jobs for our people.

  But for those that require our funding, for instance, social services, like education and health, we shall do that to get desired results for our people. 

  As I said recently, it is not difficult to run tuition-free tertiary institution in Ogun State; we only need to do some re-adjustments and re-alignment and get our priority right.

What stands you out that would make ordinary people vote for you?

  The ordinary people in Ogun State know me. They know that I am the alternative. They know I will do better than Governor Ibikunle Amosun. For all those that have issues with him, they see me as the alternative. 

  I am talking of parents whose children could not write first and second term examinations because the government could not provide examination sheets. I am talking of thousands of teachers and civil servants who are being maltreated. 

  I am talking of students who have not received bursary in the last three years and who he promised 50 per cent reduction in school fees, only to effect 10 per cent reduction just last year when they demonstrated. 

  I am talking of thousands of people whose property and means of livelihood were demolished without compensation, ostensibly for a self-aggrandising road expansion. 

  What about those he promised free health, free anti and post-natal treatment, who go to hospitals and know how much they pay. Instead of the free education he promised, he introduced PTA and insurance levies and other exorbitant fees that sent many children out of school. 

  All the victims of his elitist and contract-driven government see me as the alternative.

  We are confident of winning this election; forget the propaganda and massive use of the media by the APC (All Progressives Congress), nothing is working in Ogun State, apart from building of bridges on dry lands where big roundabouts will solve the problem. 

  Our people know the truth and they shall speak with their PVCs (Permanent Voter Crads) on April 11.

With the seemingly internal crisis in the state PDP, what gives you the conviction that you would win the election, even if Amosun is rejected, considering the strength of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)?

   The truth is that there is no party that is devoid of internal politics, so I won’t call it crisis. But we in the PDP are in the same family and we are on the same page to win the elections. 

  The politics of primaries is over and we are already moving forward to get back what we gave APC in 2011.

Be as it may, the personality of the candidate also play a vital role in this election. I think Nigerians are getting less sacrosanct about parties; they look at individuals.

  I have my track records. I am very consistent about how I think our state can go and I have demonstrated more knowledge about it. 

  On the issue of SDP, we don’t have any problem with them; let the electorate decide.

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