Moshood Adebayo
For Taiwo Oludotun, the defeated All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Abeokuta North Constituency, Ogun State, the governor-elect, Prince Dapo Abiodun must learn from the mistakes of the out-going governor in the state by being a listening governor and leave strategy to elders of the party.
How will you react to your defeat by the Allied Peoples Movement’s candidate in the House of Assembly Election?
It was a surprise to me and the entire people of the constituency. I am very sure the outcome of the election was not the will of the people and the majority of the voters. There were a lot of abnormalities on the part of the incumbent governor. And that is obvious because we actually have our facts.
With the development, what will be your next line of action?
I am never desperate; I have never been a desperate person. I believe in destiny. I decided not to go to tribunal not because I am a coward or I didn’t know what is right but sometimes we should look at things spiritually that I actually want to serve and not that I want to line my pockets. We just allow it to go, but my joy and several of my supporters is the comfort and solace we have that we have our governor-elect which is Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun, and that alone, I know I can serve in other bigger capacity. The essence of it all is to serve humanity and to make our state and country better.
Do you think Prince Dapo Abiodun has the political will to rule a state like Ogun?
One thing I want you to know is Prince Dapo Abiodun is an indigene of this state, and a citizen of this country. He has spent better part of his life in this state and moreover, he is a business man and he has done well in his personal business. He has better plans for this state. Sometimes when people don’t talk too much, people tend to see the person as being timid. He believes in performance than mere talking. He is not somebody that talks too much. He wants his performance to speak for him. You can see from his appointment and transitional committee members put in place by him. This is somebody that believes in performance and wants you to criticize anything that he does. He has the state in mind, he has his blueprint. He knows what he wants. He is bringing people of like minds that want to better the lots of the state. He goes beyond building bridges, human capital is part of his projects and this is very key, health sector is there, education is there. Just wait and see the kind of people he is going to bring on board.
Don’t you envisage there will be conflict of interest among political blocs that worked for the emergence of the governor-elect?
I don’t think so. One thing I want you to know is that these are experienced and veteran people. They have seen it all and they have been in governance and they know the dos and don’ts. They know where they have failed in the past. And this experience will come to bear to guide Dapo Abiodun to move the state forward. This government goes beyond family government or what we are seeing now. So you need to bring experienced hands. So those people you just mentioned now, they have their good things and have what they have done to this state as their legacies. Take for instance the issue of OGROMA. Why should any sensible government scrap OGROMA? The Chinese we are seeing are for capital flight and not in the interest of the people. What technologies are they passing down to the artisan and profession in the state? Are you telling me the professionals and artisans in the state cannot do better or learn from anybody to do better. Look at what OGROMA did, there was employment and the resource and revenue still remain within the hands of the people yet to do the supply and build the road. Can you talk about rural roads in the state without referring to Osoba, can you talk about human development without talking about OGD. Can you talk about health sector without referring to people like Osoba and OGD? Compare those times of OGD and Osoba in terms of education and health and human capital development to what we have now. How is the civil servant faring now, what is happening to pensioners? Is water running in your house now? So these are the things you need to put together. The essence of these people coming together is for the betterment of all the citizenry of the state; not for their own individual or personal gains. We need to put our hands together. Look , gone are the days that the winners take all, if you know you want the development of the state, you need to bring likes mind together and let look at how we can better the lives of our people. Look at the civil servants, most of them are living with half salaries and even less, and people even refer to this state as civil servant state. We need to go beyond that and leverage on what is happening to Lagos and the congestion in the state and our proximity to it should be an advantage to bring in business companies and factories. So it goes beyond what people are insinuating.
I know you are very close to the governor-elect, what will be your candid piece of advice to him?
My candid advice to him is to get closer to the people and for him to take the interest of the people above any business around him. He is the governor of the state and not any group or individual. The welfare of the state should be his paramount interest. When you have the people by your side, you can always come back that you want their support; people are not gullible. My candid advice to him is to do what the people want and listen to them and leave strategy to the elders. That is why you see people like Osoba and the likes that he (Dapo) is bringing onboard, because these are experienced people that he needs their advice.
What will become of your blue print for the Abeokuta north state constituency now that you have been defeated at the poll?
I am not going to abandon anything, if I am not a member of the House of Assembly, it does not mean it is the end of my good intention for my people. I can push in bills in my own capacity as a citizen. Also wherever I find myself, I will still do my best.