Date: 2012-08-25

Chief Gbenga Awoyale is the President, Orisun Igbomina, a socio-cultural group of the people from Kwara South Senatorial district. In an interview with AROWONA ABDULAZEEZ, he spoke on the political situation in the state and other issues of national importance. Excerpts:

Recently, a re-run election was conducted into the House of Assembly where the opposition vowed to win the election but the reverse was the case. How vibrant are opposition parties in Kwara state?

There is no future for opposition politics or parties in the state because the opposition groups are not serious and are very lazy. Lazy because it is when there is election you will see them on the eve of election. Is that how opposition should be? Look if you see some of the leading light of opposition in the state; Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Mohammed Dele Belgore, they are far from the people. I once challenged them to mention one or two instances they spent seven days in Kwara! None; is that how they do opposition politics? Secondly, they are busy fighting themselves now because of who will be governorship candidate in 2015. The last re run election was a clear pointer that they were not on ground at all.

So, opposition is dead in Kwara State as far as those who called themselves leaders distance themselves from the people. Ramadan is here we saw them distributing sugar, milk and rice after this!  Lai Mohammed organised Ramadan lecture at Oro his town on Wednesday July 25, 2012 do you know that shortly after the lecture and sharing of rice and milk he left for Lagos that night. Is that what opposition leader should do? It is left for them to wake up or the party may go into extinction in the state.

If the opposition really want to win elections in the state; they must be consistent and persistent and carry their followers along. Staying in Abuja or Lagos and you think you can fight a sitting government is a day dream. The last re-run election was a test case for those who called themselves leading light of opposition in the state that you don’t abandon your troupe in the middle of battle. Some of them left Ilorin before noon on the day of election is that how to do opposition. They have to learn a lot of things from our neighbouring states on how to be in opposition party.

The National Assembly is been asked to change the tenure of President, Governors to single term of six years, what is your reaction to this?

As far as I’m concern, the suggestion is good at least it will remove the rush for second term and save us from spending huge sum of money organising elections every four years. The people’s power to vote out bad leaders will be enhanced. This our system of government is too costly to run maybe it will reduce the number of political appointees as those who are not appointed this time may be appointed in the next regime but either six years single term or four years two terms what Nigerians want is good government that will take care of their needs it is when a government is not performing that there will be clamour for the tenure of such government to end quick.

But i will advice President Jonathan not to try  second term in 2015 or PDP should look for a better candidate if they want to win in the next general elections as people are tired of this government who promised to transform life but is transforming hardship on the people. If PDP fails to yield the clarion call it will be on record that a sitting president loose election he organise because a change must surely come and not through Jonathan as Nigerians are tired of his lackluster administration.

What is your position on the terrorist attack in some parts of the country and how best can it be curbed?

It is bad and I want to appeal to those behind these killings to have a rethink. What you cannot create and you are destroying. Let them spare this country another war because nobody is sure of why they are fighting for everything is speculation. This is where I want to call on the federal government to put in place measures to dialogue with this group it is only when you sit at a roundtable that issues can be ironed out. But these killings are terrible signal to our leaders that if not solved this might be the end of this country.

One of the ways to solve this problem is through good governance. People are yet to see the dividends of democracy at the grassroots. Let those in government rule with the fear of God. There should be equity, fairness in the distribution of our commonwealth.  The nation’s wealth is in few people’s hands. Poverty pervades the land and until some of this is solved, kidnapping, armed robbery and other vices will continue. The way our leaders acquire property at the expenses of the masses is massive and they need to put a stop to this lets be our brothers keeper. Let there be shared prosperity in doing this there will be peace in the country.

Do you think Jonathan can solve the problems of corruption in the country?

Just as I have said earlier the fight is not for President Jonathan alone, it is a fight in which everybody must be involved. Though this government looks timid in fighting corruption because of obvious reasons; most of those high brow cases of corruption are those who are close to the government some of them bankrolled their campaign in the last election. How the do you expect them to be jailed and that is why I said no matter how highly placed a person is in the society once an allegation is made the government must see that they are prosecuted. You can see those that were arraigned by EFFC: they are children of highly place PDP members. Ahmadu Ali was former chairman of the party and now Bamanga Tukur whose is the current chairman of PDP. How do you expect Jonathan to jail any of these thieve? But under an ideal situation Tukur would have resigned because his son has sinned against the state. There is no integrity in Nigeria. America will not tolerate this type of happening. The world is mocking us because this government is paying lip service to fight corruption. I am not thrilled by dragging them to court because after the court what next? Nothing. So I won’t join those who think something positive will come out from the trial unless the government disappoints me this time around and what can make them disappoint some of us is to jail and confiscate the properties of those who swindle this country so it would serve as a lesson for others.

Therefore, unless those people charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption, stand up with the will to fight corruption, things will continue to go wrong. The answer to it is that Nigerians need to speak out. Journalists will have to speak out. If Journalists hear any case of corruption they must not keep quiet, they must stand up and fight until those offended are brought to book. They could always ask; what about the case of so, so and so and do a write up on corrupt cases. Then government itself must establish a strong political will to fight corruption to the hit, unless we do that we are in for it. At times I pause to ask myself and shock was my belief that people who steal in billions do it with impunity while masses wallow in pain of underserved abject poverty. I think it was yesterday I was discussing with some body that each time I open pages of newspapers and I read the rate at which it is billions that are being stolen and no longer millions. One wonders where the money is in Nigeria. The most painful aspect is the recent revelations about subsidy fraud; money belonging to all of us few individuals is cutting corners with it. To me those who committed such atrocities deserve maximum penalty and I hope our judiciary would be alive to their responsibilities this time around. It should not be like Ibori’s case. Let whosoever steal our commonwealth be given maximum sentence of jail term. 

On Hon. Faruq Lawan and Femi Otedola bribery scandal, kindly give an insight on this.

Well, like every Nigerian I have been following with close and abiding interest the development over the issue of Lawan Faruk who was the chairman of the investigation panel of the scam and Otedola, the business man who was also involved. On the information available on what the two men involved said, Otedola gave the impression that Faruk Lawan demanded bribe and that the money he gave out was part of agreed sum. On the other hand, Lawan is contending that he received the money to be used as an exhibit. He did not say he did not receive the money. He said he took the money because Otedola had been pressurising him. But whatever is the case is a sad affair in the history of this country. More so, because of the personalities involved.

Lawan Faruk had always been seen as a man of integrity. That is the image he had created in minds of most Nigerians and for him to be involved in this kind of deal is most unfortunate. I cannot pass judgment on him but I would have thought that the law enforcement agencies especially the EFCC to whom a report had been made should have made sure by now that if as a matter of fact Lawan received bribe should have come out with a statement to say this is the outcome of their investigation. By this we will all know whether what Lawan is saying is true or what Otedola is saying is true. I find it difficult to believe that somebody who collected money to be saying I collected it to be used as an exhibit and kept it in the house for that length of time needs more explanation to make.

Also one other problem I find difficult to understand or appreciate is that they said the money given to Lawan is marked money and that it was a ‘sting’ operation. In a normal sting operation, by time you give the money, the people who are to arrest the chap they are already located in strategic positions where they could get him arrested, that also is another issue.

Other issue which borders me is that, these are criminal cases, is either Lawan or Otedola whichever of them, the giver and the taker of bribe they have all committed a crime now, the House of Representatives whose member is Lawan as a member of the House, the house has nothing to do with investigation. What are they investigating because this is a criminal case and the law enforcement agencies should be allowed to do their job? I was not surprised when Otedola said everything should be done in the open. One of the members of the House is involved in the issue, and then what oversight are they carrying out to say they will do it in camera. That is worst. The matter is already in the public domain. It should have done in the open. Since it is in public domain let us know what is happening. It is not the matter of security.

If it is a matter of security you may say because of the security of the nation you don’t want to have an open affair but it is pure criminal case whatever one looks at it, it is a criminal case. I hope these areas will be looked into.

What are the implications of this on Nigeria in her relationship with countries in the international community?

It is very disheartening that we have come this far. We are trying to fight corruption, everybody is accusing Nigeria of corruption, government agents are saying we should say good thing about our country but when the people who are in government are involved, you begin to ask yourself  is it a way of drawing a red-herring across the table so as to confuse the mind of the average Nigeria? My hope is that this matter should not be swept under the carpet. Anybody who is involved should be dealt with according to law and the earlier the EFCC act the better because this is going to give us a bad image in the outside world. Already many of us are now saying where lies the hope if this kind of thing can happen?

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