[img]http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/thumbnail.php?file=omisore_6__new_888847615.jpg&size=article_medium[/img]

Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation Senator Iyiola Omisore had an interactive session with journalists at his Ile-Ife country home, Osun State on April 21. Correspondent Adesoji Adeniyi was there.

Since your exit from the Senate, not much has been heard from you, why?
I started a Ph.D programme in Belgium University. For the past five years, I have been off and on because of national assignment. Immediately I left the Senate, I have been on full-time. Now, I am on my thesis and I will finish my Thesis end of April by the grace of God. Normally, I should defend it by end of the year.
During my leisure time, I meet people like we are doing now. At the state, local and ward level, I get friendly to be aware of what is happening and of course to watch the ACN government in Osun State and see what they are doing so far.

What is your assessment of the government so far?
I have said in so many newspapers it is just a government of propaganda. That is all. There is nothing on ground. I challenge anybody to show something. Nothing particularly. Over one year now, you want to do welfare project; you want to do this and want to do that. There is nothing to show for it and it is over one year. And he collected over N72 billion from Federal Allocation account. All we hear is mega roads, mega buildings without nothing, busy grinding the state. All they are doing is owo eyo, (cowry) State of Osun, causing trouble, causing crisis everywhere, the governor fighting the Ondo State governor, causing trouble in Kogi State, just across the land generally. This shows his level of incompetence.
When we came in this morning, we noticed that you have some people around you.


It is like you are warming up for the next governorship election?
What you met this morning is just a zonal meeting. We meet regularly here; it is not about any election. We meet regularly at the zone. So, when you come next time, you will meet us again. That has been our practice. It is not about any election. Of course, when election comes we will face election. It is too early for election things now. We are busy building our party, trying to compare the two governments. You have seen PDP for almost seven years. You now see the newly imposed ACN government.

What is your position on the allegation against Governor Aregbesola?
It is not an allegation of such; it is a thing that you can see yourself. I was deputy governor 13 years ago. There are components of security – SSS, police, CIB following them but he decides to go around with thugs. When you see a governor going about with thugs, that means he is harbouring thugs and that he has his killing squad. I was told that he was training 600 people in Egypt, who are going to cause trouble in the next election.
The former election, he used the O-YES to rig the election in the state. I told people we are going to go to court. We must not see any O-YES, any O-anything in the next election. We are going to mark them. We are going to see only the police officers, the INEC officials, not all these crooks, who he calls O-YES, O-GUARD. They are using them for election rigging.
We are going to stop him in that election. He has O-YES and O-GUARD, another O-THUG is coming soon. He maintains a killer squad. That is why he doesn’t want the SSS or police to have anything to do with him. I have been there before, because the, will be writing report daily about you.
In the bid of doing that, he is hiding under the Muslim aegis of TAWUN. A governor must be decent. Why does a governor need a bodyguard or thugs to surround him? It is unethical; I’m ashamed for the state. It is not an allegation; he has not answered the question up till today.

It is now being said that the PDP is behind that security reports.
How can the PDP be behind the report? So you have not seen Aregbesola with his thugs at public functions? It’s an obvious thing now, even at Bola Tinubu’s celebration, he came with them. So, what is PDP in that one? A governor must go to public function with SSS, police or CIB.
He goes with bodyguards. These are obvious things. It is just a way out of it. Let him explain why he keeps thugs. During the last election, he was going around at night, dropping thugs at every local government. We thought it was a government’s movement, putting ammunition and thugs in ambulances, maiming our people, killing our people, causing trouble.
We are going to stop it. Any attempt by ACN to cause crisis or use thug during elections, we are going to stop them. We are just informing the public now that we won’t allow the last mess up to happen again.
Are you not a Nigerian? Is he the only governor? We have 36 governors now. Is he the only ACN governor we have in Nigeria? Bola Tinubu was governor for eight years. What has he done? He is an offshoot of Bola Tinubu. Who is Aregbesola for God sake if not that Salami forced him on the state. Who is Aregbesola? A bloody mechanic somewhere, a radio technician, radio repairer, he is an embarrassment to us in this country. If he doesn’t want to use SSS or police, let him resign. How can you be going around with thugs, putting ammunition inside ambulances and causing problems everywhere under the cover of government? We will stop the convoy. We would attack the convoy and stop him and sack all the thugs he is going about with. We expect to see SSS and the police, that’s all. If he doesn’t want that, let him drop the governor (sic). There are 36 governors in the country, why is it that he is the only one causing problem? Who is Aregbesola?
There are better governors at the Governors’ Forum, who are more intelligent and more experience. Bola Tinubu was governor for eight years; he was guarded by SSS and police, not by thugs and killer squads. Those things are not acceptable to us at all. He is a public officer; he is accountable to all of us. He can’t be using our public money to fund thugs.

It is being alleged that your hand is behind all these allegations?
Quite interestingly, I came back from the US yesterday. So, I read all these things on-line. All these things happened about two weeks ago. So, as to make good news, people would want to tie issues with a prominent person; they will say it is Omisore. It is an escapist excuse. Let the man answer the question before him that is all. I can’t be talking to Aregbesola now. What is my business with Aregbesola? We were all in Alliance for Democracy (AD), we know our levels. He was nowhere to be found when we were in AD; he was one of those boys, who used to shout outside when we were holding meetings. If it is not because of Salami that he became governor.

How best do you think the government can curb the spate of corruption in the country in view of the disclosure by House of Representatives probe?
Honestly, I was surprise because when I was the Appropriation Committee Chairman for more than four years, we were spending between N1.1 to N3 trillion or N4 trillion for four years. So when it becames N2 trillion something, I became confused, I was not sure, but I don’t know the details, I know that there is some hanky-panky along the line but I wouldn’t know the details, I can’t just speak about it because I do not know the details, I am not into it at all. If they want to know, let them go through the normal channel. It’s unfortunate; I don’t want to comment on it at all.

Do you see Governor Aregbesola as a person who is ready for the development of the state?
It’s unfortunate sha, you people will judge with time. It’s not for me to be judging anybody now. I don’t want to condemn anybody; let their work condemn them or praise anybody. But I know that God Almighty, who gives power, gives for a purpose and takes for a purpose. If you are spending people’s money and you are enjoying it today, you will meet your own in the future. Let us compare and contrast the issue of governance on ground basically.

What is your comment on the rationalisation of Federal Government agencies?
It’s the recommendation that was rationalised. What happened was that with my experience in the National Assembly, there are some agencies that do the same job. So, at the end of the day, it increases our personnel and overhead cost. So, I believe that those who will come out of service will appreciate this position as well. That is why I think that it is better to reduce the overhead cost and increase the expenditure and capital project and genuinely to moderate the existing agencies and avoid duplication. Look at NPC, NIPC and EPZ; they all look alike. The only way for us to bring down our overhead cost depends on moderate civil service if we are to meet the yearnings and aspirations of our people. The bulk of the money can now go to the capital projects. But unfortunately, immediately after the capital project, they will not do anything. We want to show a leadership by example.


A[b]s a Yoruba political leader, how would you describe the clamour for South West regional integration being championed by ACN? [/b]
[size=15pt][b] In federalism, everybody looks up to the centre for so many things. Regional integration will not solve our problem here because every month, everybody goes to the national government to collect oil money. I was listening to the TV yesterday I saw Amosun who recently donated armoured vehicles to the state police and he was thanking the Federal Government that they did a waiver for him, over N1 billion. So where did he get that N1 billion from? The agitation for regional government indicates that either the agitators are myopic or selfish. That is it, because by staying out of the national government, we know what we have gone through. I have been in the AD and PDP and I know the difference, I know it is better for us to be in the mainstream of Nigerian politics; than be a sectional sect that will not pay us at the end of the day. Amosun was saying that he spent about N500 million on waivers alone at least, that would have bought four to five armoured vehicles as well. In a regional government, you cannot afford some things. It is lack of exposure of those people championing the regional integration that is the problem. I can’t really understand their problem and I won’t blame them because they lack exposure. I would have reasoned like them 12 years ago, but now I won’t reason that way because I am exposed to the national government. So, I do not blame them because it is lack of exposure. [/b] [/size]

How has your party handled the reconciliation of its members over the outcome of the last congress of the party, given that some chairmanship aspirants who endorsed Kayode Idowu have continue to boycott the party’s activities?
I don’t know what you mean by that, because Kayode Idowu that you mentioned is already working with me. And you can’t be Catholic more than the Pope. Kayode Idowu was here yesterday, but politically on an expansive thought it is possible. It takes time to come around after losing election. It’s a matter of time, we will come together and resolve all these issues and we are talking to ourselves as a family. Election is not an end in itself but a means to an end. The end is winning the government and we are all working together as one.

You seem to support mainstream politics than agitating for regional integration?
[size=18pt][b]What happened was that when we were in AD, as the deputy governor of the state within the confine of our party, it was a good idea. Having been exposed to national politics for more than four years, I discovered that we were all jokers here. There is little we can do as a regional government because there are federal roads and state roads and all these things have to work together. When I was the Chairman Appropriation Committee, in the area of water, electricity, road and power supply, I know we committed more than N250 billion to start work alone and no government has done that much. ACN is a dictatorial party, a one-way party. so, I can’t blame them. Watch the change of government in 2014. It will come gradually, peacefully and democratically but if the ACN wants to cause trouble and use their killer squad, we will match them, but we would not propagate the use of thugs in the state. We are going to court to stop O-YES, O-GUARD, O-THIS, O-THUG that was what caused the damage for us in the last election, and we never suspected that they were agents of fraud and riggers.[/b][/size]

What is your advice on Boko Haram?
When I was abroad, I learnt that the Senate discussed it at length and they came out with a resolution. The government must do something appropriately on this matter. It’s a security issue and the government must take the security report from every state of the world. The government should take a decisive step no matter whose ox is gored and stop this Boko Haram problem for the sake of our fellow Nigerians, particularly in the Northern part of the country because we do not have Boko Haram here.



http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/politics/45674-%E2%80%98regional-integration-will-not-solve-our-problem%E2%80%99.html

Even if ACN is the party controlling the FG, does that mean regional integration is no longer necessary? Does he even know what the hell he's talking about? Even states controlled by different parties can come together to achieve common goals if they so wish. To this man,everything boils down to having access to FG handouts.

What was the achievement of Senator Omisore as a senator?

what is that looser talking abt ?

Not sure I agree with him. Probably best for several states to accomplish objective X (e.g., rail) rather than to do it separately.

Granted, it won't solve all problems. But it can solve at least a few.

Aigbofa: Even if ACN is the party controlling the FG, does that mean regional integration is no longer necessary?

You totally missed his point. His aim was to expose the folly in ACN's relentless clamor for regional integration; that, it is more political than economical. Mere propaganda, nothing more nothing less!

Even states controlled by different parties can come together to achieve common goals if they so wish.

If regional integration is good on paper, then common sense dictates that national integration would be great. Lets put an end to the politics of isolation. He is right if you think about it, if it is all about integration and connection, MORE SHOULD THE BETTER. why limit yourself to 40 milli people when you can reach 160 milla?

To this man, everything man everything boils down to having access to FG handouts.

How much does Aregbe generate in Osun? Amosun? Fayemi? Omo, Without that handout, trust me, nothing will get done in most of the SW states. Now, on top of our lack of creativity and resourcefulness, we ISOLATE ourselves politically, what do you think will be the fate of the people of the SW?

papatosibe:
If regional integration is good on paper, then common sense dictates that national integration would be great. Lets put an end to the politics of isolation. He is right if you think about it, if it is all about integration and connection, MORE SHOULD THE BETTER. why limit yourself to 40 milli people when you can reach 160 milla?

lol

lol

Sigh...I assumed too much I guess.

The point of that picture I posted is that "more should be better" is not always the best strategy. That one can argue for a common region of 40 million (say the point (0,4) on my plot) doesn't mean that 160 million is an improvement (the point (1,3)).

Increasing doesn't necessarily lead to better results...

ekt_bear: Sigh...I assumed too much I guess.

The point of that picture I posted is that "more should be better" is not always the best strategy. That one can argue for a common region of 40 million (say the point (0,4) on my plot) doesn't mean that 160 million is an improvement (the point (1,3)).

Increasing doesn't necessarily lead to better results...

You are right.

@Papatosibe, not having your party at the centre should not mean you are excluded from national politics. What is the point of having political parties then?

ekt_bear: Sigh...I assumed too much I guess.

The point of that picture I posted is that "more should be better" is not always the best strategy. That one can argue for a common region of 40 million (say the point (0,4) on my plot) doesn't mean that 160 million is an improvement (the point (1,3)).

Increasing doesn't necessarily lead to better results...

On point!!!

^^^

I understood your intention with the first graph. I just thought it was childish, irrelevant and, as usual, out-of-point.

I just pity those who are gullible enough to agree with you. SMH

Childish?

Your argument is "160 mil > 40 mil."

That is simply illogical. I've given you a very good example of WHY it isn't true, and why reasoning of that sort is stvpid.

The best strategy is the best strategy. It is m0ronic to conclude a priori that the best strategy is just "go as big as you possibly can."

Clearly the point went over your head..

Omisore really is losing it. I believe he just begins , without thinking at all, from a position of automatically opposing anything to do with the ACN these days. Would be good if Aregbesola begins subliminally adding "Obama is black" in any public speech he makes from now henceforth. Before long Omisore won't be able to help himself. He will come out to announce that Aregbesola is a liar because Obama is caucasian

ekt_bear:



lol

lol. The world does not begin and end in mathematics. Cartesian coordinates constantly bow to the rigmarole of naija politics.

@Topic

This is part of why I hate PDP with a passion. The party of thieves turn every good philosophy upside down just to justify theft and backwardness. So, this man believes that Nigerian states must continue to troop to Abuja for handouts, else they would be losers? I'm not shocked by Omisore's amala politics mindset. His reputation goes before him.

Gbawe: Omisore really is losing it. I believe he just begins , without thinking at all, from a position of automatically opposing anything to do with the ACN these days. Would be good if Aregbesola begins subliminally adding "Obama is black" in any public speech he makes from now henceforth. Before long Omisore won't be able to help himself. He will come out to announce that Aregbesola is a liar because Obama is caucasian

And he would be right because deep down Obama is Caucasian.

If you have nothing better to say to move this thread forward, egbon Gbawe of University of Surrey ( formerly of Oxford) please stay out.

Onlytruth:

Cartesian coordinates constantly bow to the rigmarole of naija politics.

LOL

Onlytruth:

lol. The world does not begin and end in mathematics. Cartesian coordinates constantly bow to the rigmarole of naija politics.

Dont mind him jare. Who uses simple parabola to explain economic growth/market forces? Very childish. I just pity the pseudointellectuals who agree with him. SMH

Can one of you math-heads post the formula for the theory of unified everything? Because I think Omisore is advocating that we should all Join PDP to solve Nigerias problems. Chisore might be on to something

Everybody will belong to one party and happily share allocation till infinity.

BTW on a more serious note, this is another reason why I think ACN should try and work with Mimiko w/o pushing him to join ACN.

papatosibe:

Dont mind him jare. Who uses simple parabola to explain economic growth/market forces? Very childish. I just pity the pseudointellectuals who agree with him. SMH

Onlytruth's statement is funny, but it doesn't support your argument. You still need to convince us that more means better.

I guess it is just a fundamental difference in philosophy.

Some believe that Yorubaland cannot do anything without oil allocations. That the only hope is to align with the PDP government at the center.

I mean, I can sort of see why one would think this...though it seems pretty pessimistic tbh.

For me, I would rather try to go it alone and see what happens. The best thing we can do is to learn to live without the FG, and without oil wealth.

Hell, we aren't even in a situation where our allocations have been cut to zero.

Aregbe thumbs his nose at the FG on a weekly basis, but every month he still gets a check.

This cycle of dependency must be broken.

I believe that the Yoruba are a great people. That they can survive, prosper, and reach heights they've never reached before.

Even with zero oil money.

Can someone even spell out this argument for me?

What do we lose by not joining the PDP and the center?

Someone explain why regionalism and regional integration represent a dire threat to us as a people.

Aigbofa:

Onlytruth's statement is funny, but it doesn't support your argument. You still need to convince us that more means better.

Nah, you are right, LESS IS BETTER. 40 milla is optimal, anything above that is counter productive. I am flabbergasted!

The graph below explains it all:



lol

ekt_bear: I guess it is just a fundamental difference in philosophy.

Some believe that Yorubaland cannot do anything without oil allocations. That the only hope is to align with the PDP government at the center.

I mean, I can sort of see why one would think this...though it seems pretty pessimistic tbh.

For me, I would rather try to go it alone and see what happens. The best thing we can do is to learn to live without the FG, and without oil wealth.

Hell, we aren't even in a situation where our allocations have been cut to zero.

Aregbe thumbs his nose at the FG on a weekly basis, but every month he still gets a check.

This cycle of dependency must be broken.

I believe that the Yoruba are a great people. That they can survive, prosper, and reach heights they've never reached before.

Even with zero oil money.

Most right thinking Nigerians share your view, the only people opposing this are the comedians and the jegudujera's with zero vision and no foresight beyond their Agbada pocket.

. .and even they don't believe what they say most times.

I don't think that the Nigeria FG actually matters.

It isn't the most important thing facing us as a people.

What we need to face is how to provide electricity. Rail. Roads. Those are more important than PDP, ACN, federal government, etc.

The journey from Lagos to Ekiti should not be a 3 hour journey. It should be a 45 minute - 1 hour journey, if there was a good road.

Are we saying that we cannot build such a road without the FG?

How did Awolowo do what he did in the Western Region, with the much smaller funds available to him and his government at the time?

Have we regressed from a people who achieved some of the greatest things in Africa during the 50s and 60s to a people who are helpless, paralyzed, and ineffectual without the monthly oil stipend?

No, we have not.

papatosibe:

And he would be right because deep down Obama is Caucasian.

If you have nothing better to say to move this thread forward, egbon Gbawe of University of Surrey ( formerly of Oxford) please stay out.

A-Zstranger, how far? My brother, which thread do you want to "move forward"? one trying to propagate the vacuous and moronic utterances of a thuggish empty Barrel as legitimate criticism? Omisore can keep bleating from the sideline. He won't be seeing 'playing action' anytime soon.

papatosibe:


Nah, you are right, LESS IS BETTER. 40 milla is optimal, anything above that is counter productive. I am flabbergasted!

Lmao

You are a really dumb guy. My point is, the answer is not "MORE MORE MORE" or "LESS LESS LESS."

Life in general is more complicated than that, lol.

You cannot say stupid things like, "if 40 million is good, than 160 million is better."

You have to supply REASONS, arguments, logic that support your position.

papatosibe:


Nah, you are right, LESS IS BETTER. 40 milla is optimal, anything above that is counter productive. I am flabbergasted!

Don't let us drag this even further. You said it earlier that Omisore was talking politics and not economics, let us leave it at that. Nobody here is advocating that an economic barrier be erected around the SW.

Is papatosibe really my friend, the fstrangler?

Aigbofa:

Don't let us drag this even further. You said it earlier that Omisore was talking politics and not economics, let us leave it at that. Nobody here is advocating that an economic barrier be erected around the SW.

My guy, A-Zstranger is just toying with you all. The chap is the ultimate wind-up merchant. Do you know many serious folks who would quote the inane criticism of Omisore that is bereft of sense and driven completely by frustration?

I somewhat agree to just a few part of what the man is saying but in all, he made little sense at all? How can you reject regional integration when you haven't even tried it? Though he was right about governors going to the center to collect money, and though regional integration won't solve that problem.

papatosibe:

Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation Senator Iyiola Omisore had an interactive session with journalists at his Ile-Ife country home, Osun State on April 21. Correspondent Adesoji Adeniyi was there.

Since your exit from the Senate, not much has been heard from you, why?
I started a Ph.D programme in Belgium University. For the past five years, I have been off and on because of national assignment. Immediately I left the Senate, I have been on full-time. Now, I am on my thesis and I will finish my Thesis end of April by the grace of God. Normally, I should defend it by end of the year.
During my leisure time, I meet people like we are doing now. At the state, local and ward level, I get friendly to be aware of what is happening and of course to watch the ACN government in Osun State and see what they are doing so far.

What is your assessment of the government so far?
I have said in so many newspapers it is just a government of propaganda. That is all. There is nothing on ground. I challenge anybody to show something. Nothing particularly. Over one year now, you want to do welfare project; you want to do this and want to do that. There is nothing to show for it and it is over one year. And he collected over N72 billion from Federal Allocation account. All we hear is mega roads, mega buildings without nothing, busy grinding the state. All they are doing is owo eyo, (cowry) State of Osun, causing trouble, causing crisis everywhere, the governor fighting the Ondo State governor, causing trouble in Kogi State, just across the land generally. This shows his level of incompetence.
When we came in this morning, we noticed that you have some people around you.


It is like you are warming up for the next governorship election?
What you met this morning is just a zonal meeting. We meet regularly here; it is not about any election. We meet regularly at the zone. So, when you come next time, you will meet us again. That has been our practice. It is not about any election. Of course, when election comes we will face election. It is too early for election things now. We are busy building our party, trying to compare the two governments. You have seen PDP for almost seven years. You now see the newly imposed ACN government.

What is your position on the allegation against Governor Aregbesola?
It is not an allegation of such; it is a thing that you can see yourself. I was deputy governor 13 years ago. There are components of security – SSS, police, CIB following them but he decides to go around with thugs. When you see a governor going about with thugs, that means he is harbouring thugs and that he has his killing squad. I was told that he was training 600 people in Egypt, who are going to cause trouble in the next election.
The former election, he used the O-YES to rig the election in the state. I told people we are going to go to court. We must not see any O-YES, any O-anything in the next election. We are going to mark them. We are going to see only the police officers, the INEC officials, not all these crooks, who he calls O-YES, O-GUARD. They are using them for election rigging.
We are going to stop him in that election. He has O-YES and O-GUARD, another O-THUG is coming soon. He maintains a killer squad. That is why he doesn’t want the SSS or police to have anything to do with him. I have been there before, because the, will be writing report daily about you.
In the bid of doing that, he is hiding under the Muslim aegis of TAWUN. A governor must be decent. Why does a governor need a bodyguard or thugs to surround him? It is unethical; I’m ashamed for the state. It is not an allegation; he has not answered the question up till today.

It is now being said that the PDP is behind that security reports.
How can the PDP be behind the report? So you have not seen Aregbesola with his thugs at public functions? It’s an obvious thing now, even at Bola Tinubu’s celebration, he came with them. So, what is PDP in that one? A governor must go to public function with SSS, police or CIB.
He goes with bodyguards. These are obvious things. It is just a way out of it. Let him explain why he keeps thugs. During the last election, he was going around at night, dropping thugs at every local government. We thought it was a government’s movement, putting ammunition and thugs in ambulances, maiming our people, killing our people, causing trouble.
We are going to stop it. Any attempt by ACN to cause crisis or use thug during elections, we are going to stop them. We are just informing the public now that we won’t allow the last mess up to happen again.
Are you not a Nigerian? Is he the only governor? We have 36 governors now. Is he the only ACN governor we have in Nigeria? Bola Tinubu was governor for eight years. What has he done? He is an offshoot of Bola Tinubu. Who is Aregbesola for God sake if not that Salami forced him on the state. Who is Aregbesola? A bloody mechanic somewhere, a radio technician, radio repairer, he is an embarrassment to us in this country. If he doesn’t want to use SSS or police, let him resign. How can you be going around with thugs, putting ammunition inside ambulances and causing problems everywhere under the cover of government? We will stop the convoy. We would attack the convoy and stop him and sack all the thugs he is going about with. We expect to see SSS and the police, that’s all. If he doesn’t want that, let him drop the governor (sic). There are 36 governors in the country, why is it that he is the only one causing problem? Who is Aregbesola?
There are better governors at the Governors’ Forum, who are more intelligent and more experience. Bola Tinubu was governor for eight years; he was guarded by SSS and police, not by thugs and killer squads. Those things are not acceptable to us at all. He is a public officer; he is accountable to all of us. He can’t be using our public money to fund thugs.

It is being alleged that your hand is behind all these allegations?
Quite interestingly, I came back from the US yesterday. So, I read all these things on-line. All these things happened about two weeks ago. So, as to make good news, people would want to tie issues with a prominent person; they will say it is Omisore. It is an escapist excuse. Let the man answer the question before him that is all. I can’t be talking to Aregbesola now. What is my business with Aregbesola? We were all in Alliance for Democracy (AD), we know our levels. He was nowhere to be found when we were in AD; he was one of those boys, who used to shout outside when we were holding meetings. If it is not because of Salami that he became governor.

How best do you think the government can curb the spate of corruption in the country in view of the disclosure by House of Representatives probe?
Honestly, I was surprise because when I was the Appropriation Committee Chairman for more than four years, we were spending between N1.1 to N3 trillion or N4 trillion for four years. So when it becames N2 trillion something, I became confused, I was not sure, but I don’t know the details, I know that there is some hanky-panky along the line but I wouldn’t know the details, I can’t just speak about it because I do not know the details, I am not into it at all. If they want to know, let them go through the normal channel. It’s unfortunate; I don’t want to comment on it at all.

Do you see Governor Aregbesola as a person who is ready for the development of the state?
It’s unfortunate sha, you people will judge with time. It’s not for me to be judging anybody now. I don’t want to condemn anybody; let their work condemn them or praise anybody. But I know that God Almighty, who gives power, gives for a purpose and takes for a purpose. If you are spending people’s money and you are enjoying it today, you will meet your own in the future. Let us compare and contrast the issue of governance on ground basically.

What is your comment on the rationalisation of Federal Government agencies?
It’s the recommendation that was rationalised. What happened was that with my experience in the National Assembly, there are some agencies that do the same job. So, at the end of the day, it increases our personnel and overhead cost. So, I believe that those who will come out of service will appreciate this position as well. That is why I think that it is better to reduce the overhead cost and increase the expenditure and capital project and genuinely to moderate the existing agencies and avoid duplication. Look at NPC, NIPC and EPZ; they all look alike. The only way for us to bring down our overhead cost depends on moderate civil service if we are to meet the yearnings and aspirations of our people. The bulk of the money can now go to the capital projects. But unfortunately, immediately after the capital project, they will not do anything. We want to show a leadership by example.


A[b]s a Yoruba political leader, how would you describe the clamour for South West regional integration being championed by ACN? [/b]
[size=15pt][b] In federalism, everybody looks up to the centre for so many things. Regional integration will not solve our problem here because every month, everybody goes to the national government to collect oil money. I was listening to the TV yesterday I saw Amosun who recently donated armoured vehicles to the state police and he was thanking the Federal Government that they did a waiver for him, over N1 billion. So where did he get that N1 billion from? The agitation for regional government indicates that either the agitators are myopic or selfish. That is it, because by staying out of the national government, we know what we have gone through. I have been in the AD and PDP and I know the difference, I know it is better for us to be in the mainstream of Nigerian politics; than be a sectional sect that will not pay us at the end of the day. Amosun was saying that he spent about N500 million on waivers alone at least, that would have bought four to five armoured vehicles as well. In a regional government, you cannot afford some things. It is lack of exposure of those people championing the regional integration that is the problem. I can’t really understand their problem and I won’t blame them because they lack exposure. I would have reasoned like them 12 years ago, but now I won’t reason that way because I am exposed to the national government. So, I do not blame them because it is lack of exposure. [/b] [/size]

How has your party handled the reconciliation of its members over the outcome of the last congress of the party, given that some chairmanship aspirants who endorsed Kayode Idowu have continue to boycott the party’s activities?
I don’t know what you mean by that, because Kayode Idowu that you mentioned is already working with me. And you can’t be Catholic more than the Pope. Kayode Idowu was here yesterday, but politically on an expansive thought it is possible. It takes time to come around after losing election. It’s a matter of time, we will come together and resolve all these issues and we are talking to ourselves as a family. Election is not an end in itself but a means to an end. The end is winning the government and we are all working together as one.

You seem to support mainstream politics than agitating for regional integration?
[size=18pt][b]What happened was that when we were in AD, as the deputy governor of the state within the confine of our party, it was a good idea. Having been exposed to national politics for more than four years, I discovered that we were all jokers here. There is little we can do as a regional government because there are federal roads and state roads and all these things have to work together. When I was the Chairman Appropriation Committee, in the area of water, electricity, road and power supply, I know we committed more than N250 billion to start work alone and no government has done that much. ACN is a dictatorial party, a one-way party. so, I can’t blame them. Watch the change of government in 2014. It will come gradually, peacefully and democratically but if the ACN wants to cause trouble and use their killer squad, we will match them, but we would not propagate the use of thugs in the state. We are going to court to stop O-YES, O-GUARD, O-THIS, O-THUG that was what caused the damage for us in the last election, and we never suspected that they were agents of fraud and riggers.[/b][/size]

What is your advice on Boko Haram?
When I was abroad, I learnt that the Senate discussed it at length and they came out with a resolution. The government must do something appropriately on this matter. It’s a security issue and the government must take the security report from every state of the world. The government should take a decisive step no matter whose ox is gored and stop this Boko Haram problem for the sake of our fellow Nigerians, particularly in the Northern part of the country because we do not have Boko Haram here.



http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/politics/45674-%E2%80%98regional-integration-will-not-solve-our-problem%E2%80%99.html

What we have here (in the bolded) is a dilemma, a catch-22, if you will.

On one hand, the advice to not self-isolate, is sound. No group should limit itself where political participation and influence is concerned.

On the other hand, in an environment where one party predominates in a larger area, having a wider tent, or BEING PERCEIVED to have a wider tent. . . does hitching your wagon to that party tacitly endorse turning the country into a one-party system?

Which is more dangerous for the masses in the long run?

I see this as a real dilemma. Others may not.

The simplest and most accessible example is the USA. We all know that, at the national, regional, state, and local levels, the USA is a 2-party state. There are exceptions, in minor (Green Party and Libertarian party in MN and some parts) or short-term (Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, Jesse Ventura) cases, but the Republican vs Democrat party apparatus are the predominant and consistent vehicle to any form of political power or activity in the USA. Anyone who wants to partake in politics or even, any regular person who wants his vote to count, knows from childhood that you are either one or the other. Even registered Independents are forced to choose one or the other in almost all elections - at any level - from Sheriff elections to State Representatives to, of course, Governors/President.

So, this 2-party system is already established there over many years. I personally detest this (especially as it is in the USA where the written ideologies of the 2 parties and their foreign policies are practically indistinguishable), but that is the way it is there - the way their electoral system has evolved.

But, going by the contentions of the subject of the opening post, if we decide to follow his advice and start supporting this other party in large numbers, is there not a risk of strengthening an already strong and overly-influential entity?

What happens to the balance of power, what happens to the adversarial system in legislature where the partisan competition and challenges can often serve as a check on the majority party?

There are so many issues one could bring into the discussion. . .

But, overall, Yes, it is a good proposal that no region wants to put all its egg in one political party (again, think of USA Blacks and their 90% enslavement to Democrats), but, there is a risk of creating a stronger dominating, and ultimately, totalitarian one-party system.

The happy medium would be an emergence of more diverse party affiliations in all regions. A good representation of various ideologies and political movement wouldn't hurt and may bring more competition and ensure wider voter participation with better candidates.

I am sure, for many, this debate is not over by a long shot.