Chukwudi Nweje

OTUNBA Benson Bamidele Akingboye, an industrialist, is among the contestants for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State. In this interview, he speaks on his ambition, zoning system, consensus option and the bane of the state since its creation 1976. 

You are contesting at a period when the economy is shrinking. Are you not afraid of the apparent overwhelming task ahead if elected governor? 

I’m not at scared at all. I am not afraid because I love challenges. That is why I have consistently said that we need someone that can think out of the box at this trying moments in the history of the land. The price of crude oil in the international market has tumbled. Therefore, a governor that cannot think clearly to see what to do in order to boost the internally generated revenue of his state is bound to be in a quagmire perpetually. I am propelled by my vision and mission statement already captured in a blueprint, my template designed to buoy the economy of the state, and herald a new dawn. Ideas rule the world and it is the catalyst for huge successes being recorded by genuine investors in business in the real sector of the economy. I live and do a lot of business transactions in Lagos every day. Dealers in that state sell N300million worth of timber in form of planks. Do you see any timber plantation or forest in Lagos? No. so, why can’t we have the finished products in Ondo State and only market them in Lagos? So, we just have to use what we have to get what we need. Malaysians make more than $17 billion now every year from the export of palm oil all over the world. Sadly in Ondo State, we are not doing anything tangible that can bring about value addition to the sector towards achieving a similar feat. The rubber industry; cocoa production, cassava cultivation and other arable crops are all begging for attention. We have no excuse to say Ondo State does not have the capacity to generate more than enough Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to sustain it. We need a governor with business acumen, background and pedigree to harness all these resources. He must be a sound individual that can think outside the box; a governor that is creative and transparent. Right now, I do not think that as an oil-producing state, we are not getting what we deserve because the largest bitumen deposit has not been tapped. Besides, the state is facing serious ecological issues with getting the necessary attention from the Federal Government.

The issue of zoning the governorship ticket is dominating the political space right now in the state. Do you share the sentiment that the office should be zoned?

I believe the best material should be put forward in every election. My party would have won the 2016 governorship election in the state but for some acts of indiscretion on the policy of zoning, especially the way it was handled by those in power then. It cost us a well-deserved victory. I believe we have learnt some useful lessons and will allow the best material to lead us to victory at the poll this year. That is why those of us from the Ondo South senatorial zone are agitating for the ticket now.

Related News

An attempt by you and other aspirants from your area to produce a consensus contestant ended in a controversy. Don’t you think you need such arrangement now to avoid any slip as a zone?

Number one, let me dismiss certain misinformation about the meeting. The truth was that some people were just looking for cheap popularity in the state. I know in politics, a lot of people tend to play pranks in a deliberate attempt to frustrate others with altruistic intention. Their motive was to edge me out of the race because I am the most serious and reliable contestant. Anyway, I think it is too late for us to say we want to negotiate because we once tried it and it didn’t work. Let all of us go to the field and test our strength. You don’t have structures in the state; you want to win an election through the backdoor, it will and can never work.  Politics is about grassroots.

For you to survive in your business, you must be a good politician. I have been in this trade for 17 years in the state and I am the only person that has run primaries twice and the only person that contested election in the state and I am the only person that as at today has 18 advisory committee of leaders in each of the 18 local government areas of the state; 18 local government coordinators and 203 coordinators in the state as a whole. So, I will work with the grassroots being the only contestant that has structure across board.

What do you intend bringing to the table that could make a difference from what Ondo State has never had in terms of governance and other democratic gains? 

If by the grace of God I am elected as the governor, I will be the youngest to serve in that capacity in this state. I am not here to condemn any of our leaders or past governors or even the present governor in the state because they have all done their best. You can only do what you know. From 1976 till date, all our able governors that have served this state have put in their best. I have been an entrepreneur for about 35 years; doing personal business in public and private companies. I have never taken any government contract. I have been doing my own personal business which is Marine Dredging, Oil and Gas and Properties. So, I am going to come with the enormous resources and will take the state to a marvelous height in the scheme of things. I have travelled all around the world and I have seen what it takes for a country to be developed. I have gone through the bad, good and ugly sides of business.

Generally speaking, Ondo is still not what my state should be. It should be a business-oriented state; investors’ destination, commercial hub of the country and the most viable among the 36 states. We are heavily endowed with mineral resources, human capital and capacity, as well as experienced and brilliant people. All we need to do is to tap into them for the overall benefit of the citizens. I will be pragmatic, focused and forward-looking in my policies and programmes. For example, the Olokola project has been there for long. I remember a meeting I had with some Britons, who said they were ready to inject about $18billion in Nigeria. We must revisit it; it is a game changer. Ondo remains the only place in Africa even in the entire universe, with a virgin 1.47km shoreline. What that means is that nobody has ever touched it. I have travelled all over the world for holidays and I know what people make from such shoreline. I will declare an emergency in that sector and bring the best hands and stakeholders; the best town planners to design the 1.47km shoreline to a paradise. I am aware that many investors with deep pockets are willing to come to invest in the state. But they are only waiting for a conducive environment where their money and other forms of investment are not imperiled. Many multibillionaires, within and outside Nigeria, will bring their businesses to Ondo State once I become governor because of my international business connections, coupled with my cordial relationship and partnership with them in business and commerce. I have been to the Philippines. About 20 to 30 million people travel to that country monthly, just to see and feel the beautiful and serene terrain of the islands. We can replicate the trend in Igbokoda, Igbo-nla and Aiyetoro. These places are beauty to behold.  We have natural lakes and islands. We need to open up the tourism/hospitaly sector for the whole world to enjoy. It is when they fully developed that the whole world will come to Ilaje and Ese Odo to savour the richness of our culture, tradition and conviviality.