A medical doctor and former Secretary General of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, in this interview with newsmen, bares his mind on salient political issues and explained why he insisted that the Yoruba people will support General Ibrahim Babangida for the 2011 presidency. REMI KOLEOSO was there. Excerpts:

You were known to have associated with the progressives in the past. Where are you?

When I was the Secretary-General of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), the umbrella body of all the Yoruba irrespective of whatever political party they belong, those of us who were leaders of the organisation had to divorce ourselves from partisan politics. That was why I resigned my membership of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2000 when we founded the organisation. And I kept out of politics till about 2006 after I had exited the office of YCE. I was brought back to politics by my very good friend, the former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili. At the end of the 2007 election, I thought I had better gone back into my shell and stay out of politics. But I watched the Nigerian scene and discovered that I wasn’t particularly impressed by the role prominent Yoruba people were playing in national politics. So, a few months back, I decided to come back into politics fully and I pitched my tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Perhaps, you might want to ask me why I did that. If you observe very closely, you will find out that the contests for governorship that were very fair in the South-West zone were few. Only some people who vied for legislative seats were very active on the field. And I thought there was a vacuum. At the level of presidential politics, I did not see prominent Yoruba citizens pitching their tent one way or the other. So, I decided I would take part, not in local politics, but presidential politics. And that was why I joined the PDP because it is the biggest party in Nigeria and Africa. Since time is not very much on my side, I had to weigh those who are in politics before I pitched my tent with a candidate.

Are you seeking any elective position?

I am not seeking an elective position. When I was the secretary-general of the YCE, the brief I was given by the late Pa Emmanuel Alayande, who was the president, was to mobilise all Yoruba top elites in all parties in Nigeria and ensure that they took very strong positions in those political parties for the purpose of canvassing the Yoruba agenda of true federalism in whatever party they belonged. But in recent time, I discovered that there are not too many strong Yoruba citizens in the presidential train. So, I decided I was going to join the PDP and canvass the Yoruba agenda. I joined a presidential train to canvass that agenda. So, I had to look at those angling to contest for the presidency on the ticket of the PDP, look at their programmes and I am afraid there are only two people who have declared their intentions. Those are General Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. No other person, till date, has declared his or her presidential intention. Of course, we hear rumours that President Goodluck Jonathan wants to contest. And daily, we see crowds, mostly of political jokers, going to urge him to contest. In my opinion, at this time, Nigeria does not need a reluctant president. We need somebody who is prepared for the task, who knows Nigeria on the palm of his hands and who has granted interviews to the media to give us a glimpse of his programmes, which includes true federalism, which the Yoruba nation is angling for. That is why I pitched my tent with General Babangida.

Have you seen the programmes of these two and if you have, do these programmes contain the agenda you are talking about?

Yes, I have listened to Babangida and Atiku. As a true leader of my people, who has been for years, I know that leaders are supposed to see above and far beyond those they lead. General Babangida takes true federalism very seriously. Although it cannot be an executive agenda, it is a legislative agenda, he can use his executive authority to initiate and lobby the National Assembly to set in motion necessary legislation to have true federalism where you devolve powers to the federating units and where you have a reasonable measure of resource control. I have seen that in his programme and it tallies with what the Yoruba want. That is why I pitched my tent with him. In any case, I believe that having ruled this country before, I have a lot of confidence in his ability to steer the ship of this country at this critical time in our history.

You are coming into the PDP at this time that there is furore about zoning. What would you expect from the party’s leadership and if the position taken by the leadership restricts the president from contesting, what do you tell those urging the man to contest?

On zoning, I had never initially liked the idea. I believed that we should allow the best candidate to emerge. But when you look at the complexity of the Nigerian state, I think one should give kudos to the wisdom of the founding fathers of the PDP who entrenched zoning in their arrangement. It is a PDP arrangement absolutely and, to me, the verdict of my people is that when you have an agreement, you must keep to it until all the parties benefit from the arrangement. Then, you can sit down again and reconsider it to reverse it, if all of you agree. But what is the situation now? Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on the basis of zoning, was president for eight years and that was at the time it was zoned to the South. And when he was about to leave office, Dr. Odili, from the South, was about the leading aspirant for the presidency in the PDP then. But on the advice of the former president that there was a binding agreement that the presidency had to move back to the North, Dr. Odili withdrew from the race to pave the way for the emergence of late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Now midstream, by divine providence, Yar’Adua passed on resulting in Jonathan, a Southerner, becoming the president according to the constitution of Nigeria. There is no problem with that. But the honourable thing for Jonathan to have done would be to ease himself out of office at the expiration of that one term and then allow the North to complete its own two terms. And then, they can now sit down, all Nigerian leadership elite in the PDP, and say, ‘look, let’s look at this zoning issue again.’ But it is wrong, immoral and unjust for the South to have benefitted from zoning and then truncate the tenure of the Northern region of Nigeria, based on the same agreement. I mean, I think that is unfair. And my Yoruba culture abhors such a thing. That is why as far as I am concerned, presidency in 2011 belongs to the North and that should be the position of the party.

You talked about the motley crowd inviting Jonathan to run. Are you saying such calls are not genuine?

Let me tell you, there is a lot of unemployment in Nigeria today and poverty has never been this pervasive. So, most of those you see on the television clamouring for Jonathan don’t know his programme. He hasn’t even enunciated any programme. He is reluctant. He doesn’t have the confidence to come out because I think he is a man of conscience. The little I have seen of Jonathan in public life, I think he is a man with conscience. And that explain his dragging attitude towards the issue. But because these people know that he holds the aces as the incumbent president as far as patronage is concerned, everybody wants to have a piece of the cake. That is why they are going to him. Ask them why, they would say, God put him there and he has to remain there. God does not breach agreements. My own God, my religion teaches me, is a God of covenant. He is faithful to His promises and never breaches them. So, if all of us sat down and decided that we should go this way, until all parties have enjoyed their terms, we cannot review it. This is my own position and I think what the party should do is to tell Jonathan and any other Southerner to stay off the presidency. Because of this pressure on Jonathan to come out, there has been near total absence of governance in Nigeria. Government has come to a standstill. I thought providence brought Jonathan to come and play a crucial role in the history of this nation. I mean this man never contested an election. He never filled any form. He became deputy governor. From deputy governor, he became governor. Then, he became vice-president and now, he is president. God has helped him thus far. Anything he wants to do now, he wants to use his own canal knowledge and advantage, which may be very heavily against divine provision. My advice to him is to stay out of the race, concentrate on giving us credible polls in 2011, improve on our standard of life, work on our infrastructure as much as he can and then bow out. I can’t see him giving us credible elections where he is a participant. I don’t want him to end up tragically, haven had a robust political career. He has spoken in the United States, promised President Barack Obama, the European Union and others of free and fair elections. His true friends, who are very few, now should tell him this.

What is the place of the Niger Delta question in all this?

Number one, I see a threat to our democracy. Statements emanating from the Niger Delta in the past few months have been very frightening to me. We are operating a democracy. Democracy is a free market of ideas, where everybody should pick whoever pleases him. There is a subsisting agreement. This question of the Niger Delta being the treasure base of the nation, to me, is balderdash. It is balderdash in the sense that the greatest of the resources of any nation is human resources. Japan has nothing in terms of resources. But it is one of the leading economies of the world. Human resources is the greatest asset Nigeria has. It is not crude oil. Before crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity in 1956, Nigeria was surviving on some other resources produced by other regions of the country. If there were no foundation to the Nigerian nation, there could not be the roof. Crude oil has come as the roof. But the groundnut pyramids and hides and skin of the North, the cocoa of the West and the palm oil of the East were the foundation of the resources of this country. For anybody to come now and ignore those cardinal resources and even the human resources is not enough to go against a gentleman’s agreement. Jonathan can go and come back in 2015 and have international acceptability. Nigerians would respect him as a man of honour.

How do you think it will be easy for anybody, even Babangida, to unseat an incumbent president?

I am taking him on his words that there is going to be fair, credible polls. If he does that, I can assure you that IBB will get the ticket of the PDP and this is why I feel awful that some people are urging him into the ring. He ought to be outside the ring and muster enough courage to give us credible polls. Now, talking about incumbency, the PDP has been shouting it on the roof tops that they want to entrench internal democracy in the party. In fact, when my friend, Okwesiliezi Nwodo, came in, what he said was that there must be internal democracy. And they must show example. So, we are going to the primaries and party members who are delegates will be free to express their views through secret ballot. The president, I can tell you, will be Babangida. He is the man to beat by antecedents and current political terrain. Jonathan was on the national terrain by accident. He was never in national politics. He was in local politics. Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha brought him out. IBB has been in national politics for over 30 years. You can’t compare that.

Recently, Obasanjo led leaders of the PDP in the South-West to a meeting where Jonathan was endorsed. Are you not rattled by this? Also, the South-West is believed to be an enemy region for Babangida. Do you think you can sell his candidacy in the South-West?

Let me tell you, I think the South-West is where Babangida is loved the most. Although there was this unfortunate incident of the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, I tell you today, that was the only decision Babangida regrets in his life. It was a painful decision his administration had to take. But he was courageous to have accepted responsibility for it. It was the administration that took the decision. And there was nothing he could do. He was under tremendous pressure. He has apologised for this and atoned for it. He atoned for it by singularly spearheading the release from the gulag of former President Obasanjo, making him the presidential candidate of his party and ensuring that the two major presidential candidates in 2008 were Westerners. It was IBB’s handwork as atonement for hurting the Yoruba nation and Nigeria with the June 12 annulment. You don’t cash a cheque twice. He made our own son president for eight years. And if I know my people very well, they forgive. There is a Yoruba adage that says if you don’t forget yesteryears incidents, you won’t have anybody to associate with. June 12 happened about 18 years ago. Nigeria has moved forward. June 12 was regrettable. But my religion teaches me that there is no sin that cannot be forgiven. Remember, South-Westerners are the most sophisticated in politics. I can assure you IBB has been forgiven. I threw my hat in the presidential ring because the region must not lose out at the end of the day.




http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67538:2011-yoruba-race-will-support-babangida-olajide-&catid=672:top-stories&Itemid=794

bla bla bla. .

yada yada yada. .

Dr Kunle Olajide should go and hang, this vote of mine, isn't for IBB. . . period!

This dude is delusional! he thinks because IBB's running mate is yoruba, then the entire yoruba people will fall in line, he is so wrong, he won't even win his village. Shameless slowpoke!

Dr Kunle Olajide[b][/b]

Another hungry slowpoke!

@ Stallion

This dude is delusional! he thinks because IBB's running mate is yoruba, then the entire yoruba people will fall in line, he is so wrong, he won't even win his village. Shameless slowpoke!

Please tell me Im missing something. Has IBB picked his running mate?

Some of our leaders especially those from the south west ought to cover their faces in shame. With Babangidas pedigree I don't think any right thinking yoruba man would even consider having anything to do with him in his quest of becoming Nigerias next president.

koolhunk:

Some of our leaders especially those from the south west ought to cover their faces in shame. With Babangidas pedigree I don't think any right thinking yoruba man would even consider having anything to do with him in his quest of becoming Nigerias next president.

Never mind, there will always be black sheep, renegades, and outright sell-outs who feed from betrayal and treachery. However, they should ask the likes of Abimbola Davies (of ABN fame), Abiola Ogundokun, etc what became of them.

ferari90 and the interviewee are both retarded, delusional morons.

Bloody cretins!

Who is this olajide ? who knows him ? wat is he ?

another clown yapping to be relevant politically. . . . All these talks for IBB that will go on exile last last shior

waste of space and ferari

Who wrote this garbage?

"will"? Is that a command? Have we not made it clear that we don't want him? Must we assassinate him to make it clearer?

ferari90, stop posting garbage, plz

Ileke-IdI:

Who wrote this garbage?

"will"? Is that a command? Have we not made it clear that we don't want him? Must we assassinate him to make it clearer?

ferari90, stop posting garbage, plz

Garbage that is unmatched and unparalleled in its stinking foulness and odium stench!

Mr Babangida and his agents are hard of hearing - seeing they see not and hearing they hear not!

Remember the folktale wherein Mr Tortoise was asked when he would return from his well-advertised outing and he said 'until I am disgraced'. So shall it be for Mr Babangida and his ilk.

Pukkah:

Garbage that is unmatched and unparalleled in its stinking foulness and odium stench!

Mr Babangida and his agents are hard of hearing - seeing they see not and hearing they hear not!

Remember the folktale wherein Mr Tortoise was asked when he would return from his well-advertised outing and he said 'until I am disgraced'. So shall it be for Mr Babangida and his ilk.

Asheeee!!!

IBB and people like Olajide are MARKET GOAT who never gives up even with their dishonesty , blantant fraudster like and thieves.

I don't know any DECENT Yoruba race that will even recognise let alone vote for IBB. It is all paid per speech political noise making.

We have to continue to flog IBB and his cohort , the MARKET GOAT with whatever we can lay our hands on. YEYE PEOPLE.

IBB a man who is nearly 70 years old but with a brain of 15 years old, shameless buffon.

googles:



Who is this olajide ? who knows him ? wat is he ?

another clown yapping to be relevant politically. . . . All these talks for IBB that will go on exile last last shior

waste of space and ferari

. . . . Abi ooo. . . Who even sabi d st.upid man sef

luff in egbado,
.
come again.
babangida ko mai guard ni.

Ileke-IdI:

Who wrote this garbage?

"will"? Is that a command? Have we not made it clear that we don't want him? Must we assassinate him to make it clearer?

ferari90, stop posting garbage, plz

ferari90 has to eat!

When hunger wire you, dignity na second place to belle.

vigasimple:

IBB and people like Olajide are MARKET GOAT who never gives up even with their dishonesty , blantant fraudster like and thieves.

I don't know any DECENT Yoruba race that will even recognise let alone vote for IBB. It is all paid per speech political noise making.

We have to continue to flog IBB and his cohort , the MARKET GOAT with whatever we can lay our hands on. YEYE PEOPLE.

IBB a man who is nearly 70 years old but with a brain of 15 years old, shameless buffon.

The metaphor of a 'market goat' is perfect for describing this man. The aim of the market goat is to pilfer the edibles of heedless and unsuspecting traders. There is no other pilferer, plunderer, or meddler that can rival the goat in the market place and this is why every trader that does not want to incur a loss invests in a long whip or cane to put the ultra-stubborn goat at bay.

We must remain alert like wise market traders because the proverbial goat will not go away until it becomes clear to it that its famed stubbornness is no match for the vigilance-induced strokes of our canes.

'tis the season for endorsements


instead of getting all worked up,

y'all should be promising to deliver nairaland, your state, your village, your hamlet to politicians - berra get ya share of the national cake before jan 11

RUBBISH TALK He needs money from the evil man to examines his health status.He was alledged to have been sufferring from mental disorder.All ye enemies of better Nigeria,receive your death IJN .

Small small Jonathan don dey lose support from his previous back ups.Had he declared on time,all these wouldn't come up in the first place.

Abagworo:

Small small Jonathan don dey lose support from his previous back ups.Had he declared on time,all these wouldn't come up in the first place.

Where did you see him lose support? And what made you conclude it is the lack of declaration that led to it?

Some people are from evil kingdom when you read or heard their comunique you just ought to ignore. The comment by bigest fool is a sign of madness and criminal escapist to be retraced and apprehended for life, such person doesn't deserve to walking free to avoid society peace disruption.

Sagamite:

Where did you see him lose support? And what made you conclude it is the lack of declaration that led to it?

Two months ago,IBB was not an issue but right now he has grabbed many supporters.

Abagworo:

Two months ago,IBB was not an issue but right now he has grabbed many supporters.

Which supporters has IBB grabbed?

What increased relevance has IBB had compared to the day he declared?

Abagworo:

Two months ago,IBB was not an issue but right now he has grabbed many supporters.

. . . Are u serious. . . Or u referring to Dokpesi?

Abagworo:

Two months ago,IBB was not an issue but right now he has grabbed many supporters.

. . . Are u serious. . . Or u referring to Dokpesi?

If this stupid kunle Olajide was my relative ,i would have blown his head off with sawed off shotgun. All these agbayas self with no self respect. I trust my Ekiti peeps will sort him out. IBB has already failed and he knows it. No amount of shamelees corrupt elders will make Yoruba youths vote for him.

I have dedicated my time and money to destroy all Babangida-related threads on NL

Babangida will lose sorely ehn. . . he wont know wat hit him

this Ferari will so starve after the elections . . . wo your ferari90 ID will turn to 190 

Only a dunce will expect IBB not to have supporters in all parts of Nigeria. Those who benefited from him in the past will always pay him back. In doing so, they will drag their families, friends, relations and other associates to vote for IBB. Even whole communities will be persuaded. This race is not over for GEJ.