Primate Charles Odugbesi is the former State Secretary of the Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the acting State Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is an aspirant for the Senatorial seat of the Lagos East Senatorial District. He is also into marriage counseling and pastoral works. In this interview with Kunle ADELABU, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the THE IMPACT Newspaper, he bore his mind on his Lagos East Senatorial aspiration, performances of the incumbent, and that of the six council chairmen in Ikorodu division. He also spoke on the crisis rocking the party, his position on the fourth term agenda of Hon. Agunbiade and performances of the elected representatives in Ikorodu division. Excerpts:
IMPACT: You recently declared for the Lagos East Senatorial seat, can you tell us why you are aspiring for the seat?
Odugbesi, First and foremost, I have the right to aspire to the position as an individual. Secondly, as someone who had worked for the party and had served very well, it’s also my right to aspire for the position. I have served the party with all dedication and commitment and the Bible says that those who served with tears must reap with sounds of joy. Since I still have so much years to offer, I thought that I should offer myself to my party once again if I may be given another opportunity to serve my people. More so, I heard that some who came from the same zone with the Governor is also aspiring for the third term but since Ikorodu division is a major part of the district with more qualified men, I felt strongly that I should be the division’s voice. Other zones in the East Senatorial District are Somolu/Kosofe and Epe/Ibeju Lekki. It will also interest you to know that we also have three divisions of the state making up the Lagos East Senatorial District: Epe, Ikeja and Ikorodu divisions. We occupied the position in 1999 with Senator Seye Ogunlewe who only spent one term. After that, it was Mamora from the Somolu/Kosofe which are part of the Ikeja division.Mamora served two terms and presently, we have the incumbent from Epe/Ibeju Lekki who will is currently serving his second term and still aspiring for the third. If the incumbent, whose zone provided the governor of the state, is also aspiring for third term, are they saying that we are not part of the state? Aside aspiring to get what is due for Ikorodu, I also do not like the Joseph Stalin ways of doing things. You neglect them immediately they give you their mandate to represent them and you only come back to them when you need their votes again. It’s like throwing maize at chickens when you like. We are not benefitting from the incumbent’s representation and I think that I can offer better representation. I have written on the social media that I’m standing by my division and that more of our people should aspire for the position. He had the second term position on the platter of gold and he thought it could be like that all the time. I know he was not preparing for the third and only changed his mind because people in the Lagos Central East District are clamouring for third term for Senator Remi Tinubu base on her performance. The incumbent Senator representing Lagos East had at a time told one of our leaders who went to him that he will not be contesting (cuts in).
IMPACT: Asiwaju Basorun, in an interview recently, stated that APC Lagos East Senatorial leaders, sometime ago, had adopted Sen. Ashafa for the third term based on his performance, but here you are saying that he (Senator Ashafa) has not performed to expectations.How do you mean sir?
Odugbesi: It’s possible that the incumbent Senator has been doing very well to them, but not to the generality of the people. Somebody represented us for eight years and we cannot see or feel the impact of his representation. I saw on the IMPACT Whatssap Chat platform where his aides and others are pointing to ICT Centre and some projects and I felt that that is below par for a Senator who has been there for eight years. We are talking about Senate and not Chairmanship position here. Their adoption would not stop us from going forward.
IMPACT: Since you said that you are aspiring to give people better representation, on what campaign trust are you aspiring and what are the programmes you are planing to execute when you get the mandate?
Odugbesi: My party and then, the generality of the people would be my primary constituency. Sponsoring of bills and motions and other legislative work would be decided by the circumstances around me when the time comes. One major thing I’m going to pursue vigorously is marriage counseling which is in tandem with what I’m doing presently. I’m going to fight for the abrogation of Section 55 of the Penal Code that allows a man to beat his wife. People are hiding under the law to commit barbarism. It should be removed. I will also be looking in the direction of upgrading Lagos State Polytechnic to a University and also there is nothing stopping me from clamouring for another Federal University in Lagos State. I also strongly think that we should sustain the constituency projects as against the clamour against it by a section of the people. Ikorodu/Epe axis have fertile lands for agriculture but unfortunately, how many agricultural projects have been facilitated for us? As a Senator, this would be my focus because people need it in this area. My constituency projects would be aimed towards what can benefit and sustain the people. I learnt that the Senator are receiving about N13million monthly. Why would a representative of the people will be getting that and yet, we have many people suffering? This was what touched me last December when I couldn’t get the governor and I had to write on the social media platforms on the imperative of letting the people to enjoy the dividends of democracy. When I was the State Secretary of our party, I knew what the people were enjoying, that was why I wrote the piece, “ACME, ACME, ACME In those days”, on the social media platforms and the governor acted swiftly on it when he saw it. That was hallmark of a good leader. He has shown that he is a listening leader and I love the way he acted quickly. I’m planning to write him again on another issue and I believe that using your platform,I will get my message across to the governor. It’s about the holiday jobs introduced by the administration of Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN. The sheme helped a lot and I think the governor should reintroduce it because it provides holiday job opportunities for secondary school and tertiary institution students and if a student spend two months collecting N20,000, that is something for his parents in preparing him or her for the next session. Money realized can be used in buying necessary school materials when they are going back to school and also take care of the children’s other needs. I want to talk to him about this but I have not been opportuned to do that. Students in higher institutions also benefitted from the initiative because it provided them with money they can use to take care of themselves and also engaged them while on holidays. Money realized by students through the scheme would helps parents in procuring sandals, books, bags,socks etc, for their wards. The scheme will also helps in providing those in the tertiary institutions with working experience. People are not happy that the scheme was stopped. This is one of those things that we expect our Senator to raise and discuss with the Governor. Likewise, our senator too can provide holiday jobs for these students. I have people in Ikorodu who are involved in Back-to-School projects but what is our Senator doing in this respect? Our Senator should be able to save at least N2million monthly out of what he’s getting for back-to-school project.
IMPACT: How do you think Ikorodu division should go about the pursuit of the Lagos East Senatorial seat in 2019?
Odugbesi: I have been encouraging more people that are credible and qualified to show interest and declare for the senatorial seat. The more we make noise and show seriousness, the better for us. But we have to pursue our ambition with caution and decency. I have told people and my supporters not to get involved in politics of bitterness or abusing anybody. We should be able to support whoever that is picked at the end of the day and rally round such person because such person would be our party member and not from the opposition parties. When I failed in my pursuit of the House of Representatives ticket, I invited Jimi Benson to lend my support to him and also gathered my supporters, who are mainly youths, and asked them to work for him. He was very impressed when he came to meet them.
IMPACT: It seems there are still problems relating to the recently concluded congresses in your party (APC), especially in Ikorodu division, as there was a pocket of violent engagements between the two major caucuses of the party in Ikorodu sometimes ago at the state party secretariat at ACME.As a major stakeholder of the party, what is the situation regarding APC Congresses in Ikorodu division?
Odugbesi: The only place the problem still persists is Ikorodu North LGA where I come from. I stood up as one of the leaders in those days to fight against some people writing results when there was no congress in Ikorodu North and despite the fact that during the last local government elections, the candidate I supported did not emerge, I did not support any protest or petition against the candidate from the other camp. What I did was to calm my people down and made them see that the favoured candidate was anointed by God. It’s not possible for you to win at all time in politics and we all accepted the outcome. Now, the outcome is the other way round and those that emerged victorious at the last local government elections are now the ones protesting. My message to them too is that everything cannot favour them all the time, because God has placed everything according to His wish. Whoever that is in position of authority is through the people’s efforts and God’s authority. I’m sure that the State APC Chairman will be wise enough to know how best to handle the situation. If he goes ahead to treat any council in isolation because of any pressure, Lagos will burn. Many people are not happy across the state but they just have to accept the outcome of the congresses because of the party’s intervention. Why should Ikorodu North be different? If for whatever reason you resolved to settle one, then, you must be ready to listen to and resolve all other cases across the state. If the resolution is good for those protesting in Victoria Island, you should expect the protesters in Ajegunle to come up with theirs and others like that. To me, I strongly think that we should sheathe our swords and allow peace to reign. Four years is just around the corner and it would be over. It has been like that. Let us come back home and rally round whoever that is in the position pesently. That is the way it should be.
IMPACT: It’s now a year since the six council chairmen in Ikorodu division, like their counterparts across the state, were elected into office, how will you rate their respective performances and will you say they have lived up to expectations?
Odugbesi: The chairmen at the helms of affairs of the six councils across Ikorodu division are young and they have been doing their best based on what they receive as allocation and the fund they manage to generate internally. Lets give them two years before we start judging them. My advise for them is that they should open their eyes to what are important. They should prioritize their projects and programmes by letting immediate challenges in their respective councils determine their projects and programmes. So far, I think they are doing well. Though, I don’t really have much knowledge about their performances because, these days, I don’t go around or go to people, people come to me. Between Mondays and Thursdays, I’m always in Lagos doing marriage counseling. Generally, my advice to those in positions of authority is that they should always look back at the people and do what would be of great benefit to them. God put some people in positions of authority because of thousands of others. For instance, Ikorodu North is predominantly rural area with Baales as the head of the traditional institution,as a result, the focus of the Chairman in that council should be in these areas and other important aspects of the council. Recently, he was nominated for an award and some people were saying that he is from a camp and not from ours and I had to call them to order. Either we like it or not, he is a member of our party and the award is for Ikorodu as a division. Agreed that we don’t want him but now he’s the one at the helms of the affairs, hence it’s now our duty to rally round him and give him the necessary supports. We have to start learning how to support our own people to success. Ikorodu division is where it is today because we failed to support our own. When our apex leader, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, came out for the governorship position, his main opposition was from here in Ikorodu. Some people were saying that it was not yet the turn of Ikorodu, when will it be our turn? Unfortunately, he’s not the one suffering the consequences of that failure now. By dint of his hard work and commitment,he was made a deputy governor,though for a short time. It was God that repaid his efforts because of his love for the State and Ikorodu. Can we all see what Epe is enjoying and turning into within a short space of time? Again, we are pursuing the senatorial seat and some people are saying that it’s not yet our turn.
IMPACT: It has been three years since the three representatives (Hon. Babajimi Benson, representative of Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. S.O.B Agunbiade, representative of Ikorodu Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly and Hon. Nurudeen Solaja, representative of Ikorodu Constituency II at the Lagos State House of Assembly), from Ikorodu division have been elected into their respective positions.Taking a critical look at their respective performances so far, how would you rate them. Also, what is your take on their individual ambition for re-election, especially Hon. Agunbiade who is aspiring for a fourth term?
Odugbesi: When you asked me about my aspiration for the Senatorial seat, I told you that I have the right to aspire and I want to add that I have the right to aspire as many times as possible, especially when my party and people still want me to represent them. Let us go back to where we copied this system, the United States of America and other advanced democracies, some of the senators have been representing their people for over twenty-five years because they are satisfying their people. The more you are in a place, the less you become a stranger. Ikorodu has never had it so good before because our previous representatives at the House of Assembly didn’t do more than one term. It’s not possible for you to enter an Assembly, either Federal or State, and become an authority in your first term, in actual fact, a second termer is still a learner. If some people in other parts of the state are clamouring for their representatives, who are currently doing their fourth term, to go for the fifth term because they want to retain the positions they are holding at the Assembly, why do we want to lose ours? See the developments going on at Pen Cinema in Agege where an overhead bridge is being construted. The same development is taking place somewhere around Fagba in Iju and other projects like that. We equally need an overhead bridge at Ikorodu Garage Roundabout and Agric Bus Stop. It’s not about an individual but our collective interest. Agreed that it’s not a family title, but if it’s something that would benefit our collective interest like this present situation, we must all be involved and support it. If we put a new person there, we are going to start all over again and this will be in favour of other parts of the state and at the detriment of Ikorodu division’s interest. Let us consider Ikorodu interest first before individual. So far, the three representatives are all trying, especially for coming back home to give periodic report of their respective representations and getting closer to the electorate. In the case of Hon. Babjimi Benson, I iniatially thought he would not be conversant with Ikorodu and that he would just get the mandate and stay back in Abuja and his house in Lagos, but since his election, he has always been coming to town almost every weekend. I don’t even know if he has a house in Lagos because he has been more visible in Ikorodu than Lagos. I have been following him and I am aware of what he has just done with his empowerment programme, though, I didn’t attend the event, I’m impressed by what he did. They are all closer to their people and are always trying their best to improve. Don’t judge them based on their empowerment efforts and other programmes that you are seeing in the news, they are solving more problems underneath and unannounced (laughter). I can confirm that because people don’t allow them to sleep. They have been attending to many demands and requests regarding school fees, burials, childbirth and naming ceremonies, house rents, employment and many more.
IMPACT: We also need to take a critical look at the administration of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode. How will you rate his performance, particularly in relation to the several promises he made to the people of Ikorodu division like construction of stadium, roads, governor’s lodge among many others. Work is yet to commence on the proposed stadium and the rehabilitation of the existing sporting facilities. On road construction and rehabilitation, people are complaining about the slow pace of work on the two major roads ( Igbogbo-Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Igbe and Agri-Owutu=Arepo ) currently under construction in the division. How will you rate the Governor in view of these and other achievements of his government in Ikorodu division and other parts of Lagos State?
Odugbesi: In the first place, Governor Ambode is lucky because he has hard working and pacesetting predecessors. That keeps him on his toes to surpass them. His ability to do more than his predecessors has put him in the hearts of Lagosians. Imagining what could have been the case if we had not been blessed with the types of governors we had before him in the State. The way he responded to issues raised after my article made me respect him the more. The speed at which he responded is very commendable. He even did it better than the way we have been doing it. He is a listening person and always ready to take to correction. When Fashola started, what did he do for Ikorodu division in his first four years despite our outcry? I once confronted Fashola on this and he explained that they are doing their developmental programmes from the central and spreading to other parts of the state. He added that they were still coming to the rural parts of the state and at the end of his tenure, he gave us Ikorodu-Lagos road, Awolowo and Ebute-Ibeshe roads which are very important roads. Ambode is continuing on that path and four years is never enough to do everything in a State like Lagos. He has tried a great deal. While thinking about ourselves in Ikorodu division, we must also be mindful of what he is doing in other parts of the state. I thank God that he has started the two major roads in Ikorodu. The stadium and other projects he promised will come. Don’t forget that Lagos is second to Nigeria and it’s a very complex State to govern. Whoever that can rule Lagos State successfully can rule the country and that was why Fashola was given three portfolios by President Muhammadu Buhari. So, let us continue to support him to expand the scope and do more and more importantly, let us support him for the second term.
