A senior advocate and former speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly between 1991 and 1992, Dr Akin Onigbinde, is contesting the 2019 governorship election in the state.
The Ogbomoso-born politician, Insideoyo.com gathered from his interview in Sunday Tribune, would be contesting under the platform of Alliance for Democracy.
Onigbinde, who was the founder/pioneer chairman of the National Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, said the state is not hopeless.
According to him, Oyo is not always a debtor state that is incapable of paying salaries. He said it was certain steps or missteps of government over the years that brought the state to this present state, adding that “it can be reversed if we have the government that understands the processes and we have the population that is ready to make the required sacrifice.”
Why asked why he wants to discomfort himself by seeking to be the governor of Oyo State at a time like this, he explained that “Well, one of the key mantras of my personal life is contentment and service to the society. I have learnt that for true happiness and fulfillment in life, contentment is a key factor and therefore, whether as teacher, or as corporate worker in the bank or a corporate worker in the telecommunications industry or as a lawyer, what underpins what I do is not the volume of money I get but a settled determination to be satisfied with what God has given me. But the reality around me is that there are too many people that are finding it difficult to get by in life; some of these people are my relations, my colleagues, my former classmates. They are people I cannot discountenance. I understand that many times, that is how it is in every society, so it depends on the structure of governance to assist these people.
“When I was growing up, I also missed going to secondary school. It was the policy of Kwara State where my parents were living that time that made it possible for me to go to school. If the education policy in that state was not what it was then, I probably would not have gone to secondary school. That is what makes governance and who governs very critical. Governance is about ensuring that the resources of the state are used in such a way that people who otherwise would not have had the opportunity are brought into the opportunity net.
“So, it is not about whether or not I am comfortable as an individual, some people were comfortable when I was to go to secondary school and I could not, but they were makers of the policies that ensured that though I was from a family that was not comfortable, I was brought into the opportunity net. That is the challenge. That is what I see, which drives my desire to be governor,” he stated.
He, however, said that he was not pushed by anybody to join the race or desire to add “His Excellency” to his already fat CV.
He revealed that ”the whole idea of the experiences that I have garnered over the time must tell people certain things about the kind of mental cultivation that I have. I have worked in a bank where I have seen organisations that were deep in debts, almost hopeless and because some people worked hard and got some parametres right, because some people did a proper risk management analysis, those organisations became vibrant all over again.
“The state of Oyo State is not hopeless. We were not always insolvent or always a debtor state that is incapable of paying salaries; it was certain steps or missteps of government over the years that brought us to this state and it can be reversed if we have the government that understands the processes and we have the population that is ready to make the required sacrifice. We are by no means no more a viable state; Oyo State is still very viable and it is not about having a magic wand.”
” One of the countries that excite me in modern political history is Rwanda. A couple of years ago, its situation was hopeless; it was rated a failed state as a result of genocide and all that. It had no economy until Kigame came in and by sheer dedication, by sheer example of his character and sheer illustration that you can govern without accumulating everything belonging to the state for yourself, Rwanda has become one of the most vibrant countries in Africa. Investments are flowing into Rwanda; its people are a proud people again and happy to carry its passport. So, our situation in Oyo State is not irreversible, provided that we have the quality of leadership that has the understanding, the dedication and is ready to make the sacrifices that are required to lead the people. That does not mean it depends only on the leader, the people must decide in their minds that they want a change,” he added.
He said that AD is not dead in the state but noted that “AD is dead to indiscipline. AD is a party that does not allow the kind of indiscipline in the other parties. It is dead to bribery and the selling of tickets to candidates; it is dead to using thuggery as an instrument of the political process. It is dead to all the vices that characterise the so-called big parties. Their problem is that they are unable to manage their successes; they became too big for their boots and that is why we think that the AD, which does not carry the baggage, the indiscipline that characterise the other parties, will be a better alternative and option to the people.
“Today, people cannot make a difference between the APC and the PDP; it is like trying to make a distinction between six and half a dozen. APC today is populated today by people who migrated from PDP. But we are presenting the AD, a party where young people who have no political liabilities, where people who have no EFCC cases to answer to can come to make their contributions to national development. We are talking about a political party where it is not a moneybag that owns it; it is a party that is co-owned by the people,” he stressed.
