Date: 2017-06-21

Mrs. Aminat Folake Yusuf was the only female among the immediate past local government chairmen in Kwara State. In this interview, she speaks on political structure in her home state, which according to her reduces tension when it comes to power struggle by politicians. Excerpts: Many people believe the APC government only succeeded in increasing the myriad of problems in Nigeria, what's your take on this?

The problems that erupted did not start when APC government came into power; they started since when President Goodluck Jonathan was in power. The then Federal Government started borrowing to pay salaries because of dwindling revenue.

Party sentiments apart, I think the people should thank the APC government for coming to the rescue. Put APC one side and put Buhari one side, the Buhari-led government is doing tremendously well. The anti-corruption fight doesn't exempt anyone from top to bottom, APC, PDP, and just any one from whichever party. I don't know anything else, but I believe non-partisan Nigerians will appreciate President Buhari as a person.

Also, we never heard it so good in any Senate; they are doing their best to ensure national stability. The only problem we have is our people. They will criticise whatever the senators are doing because they don't see governance with open heart. An average Nigerian believes in criticising leadership for no just course and this is not good enough. We should appreciate those who are doing well and let criticism be for those who are lagging behind.

The functionality of the Senate lies in how well versed and how well the senate president is standing. I am not saying this because the senate president is from Kwara, but talk of stability; he has allowed for a stable senate ever since he came in and he is also in good rapport with his colleagues. This is democracy; a senate is the engine room of democracy because if we remove the senate, the system will collapse, simple.

You served as a transition chairperson in a local government, what is your next political ambition?

I often told you journalists that politics in Kwara is different. Here we don't aspire; we have a disciplined leadership that manages the affairs of the state. We have a political structure. It is like a ladder that we climb upon. As one political family, when the leaders deem it fit to assign me to another post, I will gladly accept but we don't fight for positions here. There is a divine arrangement and a strong political structure; such is lacking in other states and that is why they will claim that they are doing politics but having crises and all manner of challenges that leadership ought to have addressed before they come out. Some critics say we are following an individual, I heard it severally.

They say we are following Saraki and I say yes we are. He is doing well and we are pleased with his style. See other states where whenever crises erupt, the next thing you hear is hired killing and ritual killing.

Every human being is ambitious; every human being seeks for good things of life but there are steps and there are protocols to follow. Where there is no order, everyone claims leadership, everyone is master and everyone will be kingmaker, such is not our lot in Kwara. We are an organised people; In Kwara, we don't play party politics; we go in the direction of our leaders.