Hon. Babajimi Benson is a member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency. He has worked in private, public and public-international settings before he was elected by the people of Ikorodu division to represent them as their representative in the National Assembly. In an exclusive interview with Kunle ADELABU, the Publisher/Reporter-in-Chief, THE IMPACT Newspaper, he bore his mind on his representation, how his experiences in the private, public and public-international sectors have helped him in delivering on his promises to his constituents, place of Ikorodu division in 2019, recently awarded rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu road, Ikorodu Constituency I ticket in 2019 and the ongoing saga in the National Assembly. Excerpts:
IMPACT: It’s been three years since you have been representing the people of Ikorodu division at the Federal House of Representatives. The thinking, when you first resumed office and was coming back to Ikorodu virtually every weekend, was that you’ll not be able to sustain that but you have not only sustained that, you have also been able to effectively focused on your primary assignments. Can you please tell us where you derive your motivation from?
Hon. Benson: Firstly, I’ll like to thank the people of Ikorodu for deeming me worthy to be their representative. I’m not the most brilliant, handsome, credible and most available, but they still deemed me fit to elect me as their representative. The supports that I have been getting are tremendous, mind boggling and I really appreciate all that. They have supported me with prayers and intellectual input because some people do call me from time-to-time to suggest and assist with ways I can improve on my representation. To me, the job of a lawmaker is categorized into two: micro and macro. Micro is what I do as a representative and Macro is what I do in Abuja. Making laws and oversights are what I do in Abuja and my representation is what I like to with my people. I get a lot of invites to attend to parties and other functions and I have realized that attending my people’s functions and been with them give them joy. I’m also very much at home with them whenever l’m with them, especially when the young people invite me to their functions. Since they see me as a mentor, I always like to live up to the billing. The fact is that I like the micro aspect of my representation rather than the oversight and lawmaking. I have seen candidates who do one at the expense of the other but with my people’s prayers and supports, I have been able to combined the two successfully.
IMPACT: With your success and unprecedented record as a representative so far and your acceptance level among your people, one, will you say that you have achieved the purpose of coming into politics,and two, has there been any regret joining politics after leaving your lucrative private and public engagements for the murky water of politics?
Hon. Benson: I will like to thank God for the exposure I have garnered in many facet of life because I have worked in private, public and public-international sectors. I defined myself as tri-sector athlete. That is, somebody who tranverses different sectors and that always helps in my decision making process. The background gives me three dimensional approaches to issues. Coming into government, I realized that I needed to set up a foundation to care for the hungry youths and aged. It’s also a way of attracting federal constituency projects to my area. It has not been easy but I have been able to live on my goodwill. A lot of people don’t know that federal lawmaker from Lagos earns far below their counterparts from other state. My constituency project allocation is less than N50 million and it makes it worst that the federal government does not fund the projects 100%. What we have been having is between 50% and 70%. Don’t also forget that I have two constituencies to take care of with 6 councils and to satisfy these councils , I have manage whatever is allocated to me as constituency project, improvise and make use of my goodwill to make sure that dividends of democracy get to them. Also, I have been able to use my good name, network and connections to attract other projects to develop and add value to my federal constituency, otherwise, I would have been struggling. I have made use of lobbying too. I say, with every sense of humility, that the federal projects that I have been able to attract to my constituency have not been done by anybody else apart from Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who is a principal member of the House of Representatives.
On the other question relating to my regrets, I regret when I see people sit at a corner and malign character. They say that politics is dirty, now, I’m seeing the dirty side of the game. And most of the lots that seat at a corner do not have the patience to listen to the other side before pronouncing judgment. This is what my background where I was thought to always listen to all sides of the story abhors. Our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, always says that God gave you two ears so that you can hear a lot of things and one mouth to speak less. The dirtiness and wrong interpretations of motives are some of my regrets of coming into politics. I also wish that I could do more because the request I gets daily from each of the six councils are more than N50,000 , but let’s use that as benchmark. To meet these requests daily in the six councils will require N300,000 and in a month that would amount to N9,000,000. These requests are genuine and not frivolous. They are from people that are truly in need but have nowhere to go to. If you go to an hospital in each of the six councils under my constituency, you will find six people that are in need of that money. We really need to put in place a welfare system that would cater for the teeming populace in needs. Credible demands from the populace are too high and I wish I came into politics with more resources to be able to deal with the situation.
THE IMPACT: Sir, what course of action or programmes are you going to be pursuing in the next one year remaining in your first term tenure?
Hon. Benson: Although, I have presented many bills and motions but still have couple of bills that I wanted to present but it’s a pity that, because of politics, National Assembly is on recess till September. These are germane bills and I wish that we could resume earlier to put those bills into the system and as I always say, my motions are Ikorodu-centric. For bills, I have two other that I would be presenting as soon as we resumed and motion is determine by situation. Regarding motions, I’m always on the look out for problems that are needing attention and bring them to the floor for immediate actions. I also need to empower my people more and my recent empowerment programme was very successful and I’m happy that I could impact and put smiles on the faces of many people. I want to do more in my last lap.
THE IMPACT: Let’s take a critical look at Ikorodu politics. Although, people agreed that they have competent representatives but for about two years now, there has been issues relating to the elected and appointed representatives, especially you and Hon. Agunbiade, the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which, according to some people, are preventing harmonious working relationship and which is also heating up the polity. What do you have to say to this sir?
Hon. Benson: I don’t know how people define heating up of the polity. The Majority Leader is my good friend and we do exchange pleasantries whenever we see, though, we might disagree on certain issues which is normal. Politics is all about conflict resolutions and management. Yoruba would say, “A le joo sun ka kori si bi kan naa” (It’s not possible for everyone of us to go in the same direction). Also, considering our background, he is an activist, lawyer and legislator, in my own case, I’m not an activist but a progressive, a manager, lawyer and legislator. It’s all about differences in philosophy but nothing person or enemity about it, at least from my side.
THE IMPACT: There is also this rumour that you have been sponsoring the aspiration of one of the aspirants for the Ikorodu Constituency I seat at the Lagos State House of Assembly in the person of Mr Toyin Gafaar Bolowotan against the return of Hon.Agunbiade who is presently occupying that seat. What is your reaction to this sir?
Hon. Benson: The first rumour I had couple of years back was that I was sponsoring Prince Lanre Sanusi for the Senate and that touched me so badly that I had to go to our national leader (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu) to denounce the rumor. This made him got into a prolonged laughter and after that, he told me that it was a good sign that my presence is being felt in Ikorodu. His own interpretation is that I must be doing a good job and backed with good capital for people to have that impression about me. That got me too laughing.
The Bolowotan issue is very laughable. The implication is that if I’m sponsoring somebody, I would have to spend money but on my honour and with every sense of responsibility, I have not spent a single naira on him and that is not because I do not have the right to support anybody. Democracy is all about participation and I have the right to support anyone, but because of the fact that there are other people in the race and most of whom have done one thing or the other for me and are also deserving of my support. My belief is that it would be out of place if there is no level playing field for them. I might offend others if I give support to one. Sincerely, all the aspirants come with potentials and different cocktails. Although, the Majority Leader has not told me that he’s seeking re-election but I heard the rumor that he’s going back to the House and he has lots of experiences on his side. Hon. Adeola Jokomba is a two-term chairman in Ikorodu North LCDA which speaks of his experience too. I have seen Saheed Ibikunle’s excellent profile. He was a former Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor, former Secretary to the Ikorodu Local Government and a school owner. Bolowotan owns a football club and has been involved in community development. He comes with freshness and other qualities. There is Ijelu who is a lawyer and he had worked passionately to get the ticket for the position on four occasions. The youngest of them all is Majekodunmi Yinka, who I’m really proud of. He is also fresh and coming from tax background which I believe would come handy if he eventually clinch the ticket. There are also Nurudeen Yekinni and Lateef Anifowoshe who are with strong public sector experience. We have a choice to make and for me, that is democracy. That is what Ikorodu
residents should be looking at. It enhances the quality of our representation and competition fosters good governance. But the problem I have is the preferences of the people that work for and with me. I also think that it would be unwise and undemocratic of me to restrict them from expressing who they have preferences for. I tried to restrict them, but I had a rethink over the consequence of such action if they go behind my back and engage in clandestine meetings? Democracy is all about freedom. I also have a right to have a preference among the aspirants but it’s not what I’m prepared to do because we all belong to the same party and I’m sure that the party would eventually make good judgment among them all. For now, I will enjoin that we allow all the aspirants to showcase what they have for us to enable us make our own decision and in the fullest of time, I will use my emotional intelligence to look at what the community wants on one hand and what is best for the community on the other before taking my own decision. Also, the party has a very big role to play, especially the leadership of the party, both in Ikorodu and outside. Their decision may point to the necessary direction. Like I said, it’s all about democracy which is about freedom and consensus building.
THE IMPACT: Let’s take a good look at the Ikorodu-Shagamu road which you played a very prominent role in its award for rehabilitation. Although, the contract has been awarded and the flag-off programme done by the Minister for Works, Power and Housing, but since then, nothing seems to be happening. What is your take on this sir?
Hon. Benson: The Ikorodu-Shagamu road, like I said, is a work done by everybody, both within and outside Ikorodu. I like to give kudos to the Kabiyesis, Baales, lawmakers, including past and present at both state and federal levels and the community development associations in that axis. On my part, I raised a motion on that road and brought back the government attention to the state of the roiad. I’m also a member of the Works Committee which is a committee that oversees the construction of roads as well as funding and prioritization of roads. We were able to prioritize the road and set aside funding for the project. Right now, we have the Arab Contractors on site and provision made for the first phase of the project. I think that they are waiting for the rain to stop so that they can start work fully. The significant of that road is that prior to the creation of Lagos-Ibadan express road, the road was the link between Western Nigeria and the rest of the country. That particular road also houses the Odogunyan Industrial Estate which is the biggest in West Africa, Nutricima, PZ, Steel companies , Lagos State Polytechnic and others. In the fullest of time, I see the GDP of Ikorodu appreciating once the road is completed. It would also makes Ikorodu the heartbeat and commercial nerve centre of the state.
THE IMPACT: Where do you see Ikorodu in 2019, especially within the Lagos State arrangement?
Hon. Benson: Ikorodu in 2019 depends on all of us. It can remain what it is now or we can move to be the heartbeat of Lagos State. It depends on how well we pick up our PVC and votes. Voting nowadays have to do with numbers. If we move from our 4th position in the last elections to the second position, we would be able to bargain, make demands and be able to beat our chest and request for developmental projects and political capital. I pray we will all come out enmase to pick our PVC and vote enmase for all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) so that we can further enjoy the dividends of democracy.
THE IMPACT: With the ongoing saga in the National Assembly, how do you think it would end. Don’t you think it would have lots of negative effects on 2019 elections?
Hon. Benson. You remember the saying of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, about Consevatives coming together and others too engaging in political re-alignment. Water is gradually finding its level. What is happening now is not unusual. Our politics is not yet based on ideology, that is why we are witnessing people going hunting every for years. I will give you an instance, for example, if Hon. Nurudeen Solaja completes his second term and he wants to go for the third which is impossible due to the turn-by-turn political arrangement among the three councils in Ikorodu Constituency II which he represents and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) offers him the ticket, such ticket is called ‘Korofo’ (empty). That is what is happening in many federal constituencies now. One constituency has fulfilled its term and the seat is suppose to go to another part of the constituency but the occupant is still interested in going for another term against the arrangement on ground which such person rebuffs. Then, PDP offers such person its ticket. The rule with PDP is that if you are a sitting member of the Federal House of Representatives or Senator, you will get an automatic ticket, so those currently decamping from APC are going to PDP for automatic ticket without knowing that there is no value in the party and the tickets it is offering them. In other areas, you will find out that governors are not in good term with the Abuja-based lawmakers and after the congress, the governors were favoured and this would make it difficult for the sitting lawmakers to get the party’s ticket. That is why most of them have gone on ticket hunting in other parties. I have it on good authority, and I know that we are still in the majority in the House of Reps and in the Senate, that they are about to do two bye-elections and I know that those two guys who are going to come, they are my colleagues who had won their Senate tickets on the platform of APC and I’m sure that our party is going to have two additional Senators to make APC have six more senators above the PDP. I also have it on good authority that some PDP Senators are about to port to APC. Hopefully, when we resume in September, we are going to see the gap widening more in our favour
