An interactive session with Hon. Isiaka Olalekan Salami Obe, the former Chairman, Kajola Local Government, Area of Oyo State and Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), while Comrade Khalid Imran, Editor, naijatodaynews.com asked him to air his views on Politics, Economic Development, Regional Progress and Local Government Administration among other issues,
Excerpts
NTN: Khalid Imran is my name, Editor-in-chief, naijatodaynews.com Can I meet you sir ?.
Respondent: You are welcome. I am Alhaji Isiaka Olalekan Salami , I am a Town Planner by profession and a politician as well, as a farmer you know, farming is now a lucrative job that one can be proud of.
NTN: Would you please give us the comprehensive details of your profile?
Respondent: Presently, I want to say just a little bit back. I am a Regional Planner , a registered Town Planner and I have MSc in Housing Development and Management. I have been in the profession for quite a long time practising as a Town Planner but along the way I was into politics. I contested for the post of Kajola Local Government Chairman in 2004 which was keenly contested because it was then a PDP government in Oyo state and I ran on the platform of AD that has now metamorphosed into APC and I won an incumbent Chairman, Barrister Jide Ojolowo. I was in the office for three years though, I went through the legal turbulence, the lower court and the appeal court but Alhamdulillah I won the two. I ran the office for those three years. After that, I was in the government for two years as Zonal Special Assistant that was created during the first term of Ajimobi, at least to help midwifing the stage which we were able to achieve. Unfortunately, after the first regime, the second regime we were unable to get anything from that government again. Though, in 2019 I left for ADC for some months, it was a sojourn and I came back to APC after the first election, we saw we lost woefully in the first election. We had to go back to APC which we still belong to up till today. Today, a full fledged member of All Progressive Congress(APC), a leader of the party at the state and local government levels.
NTN: Ward Congress of APC was conducted recently. What can you say in respect of the exercise?.
Respondent: I can only say specifically about my Local Government. We had a unity list in Kajola Local Government though, we filled two different forms but with the same names. It was a success to the Kajola Local Government but the committee that handled the Oyo State ward Congress said there was never a petition against any of the Congress which means there was never a parallel Congress. We are having the appeal committee on ground until we are able to get result from those people then we will know whether we have a parallel or not but in Kajola Local Government, no parallel ward Congress. We had a unity list and we have a yes vote for all the Local Governments. We have even prepared for the next Local Congress in my Local Government which is Kajola Local Government.
NTN: PDP is in power today at Oyo State and Local Governments’ levels as well, what can you say briefly as regards the governance, compared to the last APC led government?.
Respondent: I wouldn’t say it is too early to criticize His Excellency, Seyi Makinde because he is running into the third year. I only believe he is working but at the same time the way Ajimobi did, He is performing the same tactics now, but at the period of Ajimobi, he forced his local government candidates on us which Seyi Makinde also did, what destroyed APC in the past is now operating in PDP . Presently, we are hearing of Unity group in PDP too which is exactly what we did in APC too. At the levels of development, we have been seeing at least they are touching 2 to 4 maternity centers in Kajola Local Government. Then, while acting as the local government chairman, I put up one at Elewure and another one at Isia Okeho and I could see they are now touching them, repairing them and they are trying to add something to them. But we believe we need more than that. I still want to admonish our PDP members to see at the end of the day,we shall ask them what they were able to bring. We wouldn’t be saying that because they put up with What we did and that is not what our people voted for. We voted for physical development which will be sustaining. We are expecting more and still want to advise them to please do more for us especially, the college of Health Science we are having presently, it’s the community that is footing the bill of putting up with the structure as neither Ajimobi nor Makinde helped in that regard. We expect they should do something. You could see recently, College of Agriculture Lautech was given to Iseyin Local Government, they’ve done a lot of things even within very short time. His Excellency Seyi Makinde should not forget Kajola too. And again the iganna-Iseyin road we believe it is Federal Road. He is trying to rehabilitate Oyo-Iseyin road , He should please add Iganna-Okeho too since Okeh- Iseyin is under rehabilitation of the federal government to improve the economy of our Local Government we want Iganna-Okeho to be rehabilitated.
NTN: The last Local Government election was conducted on 22 May of this year and up to the moment, state government has not sent operational guidelines to the councils, What is your take on that sir?.
Respondent: I wouldn’t say there is a Local Government administration again. Ajimobi nailed the Local government while Seyi Makinde puts additional nail. Local Government is no more functioning, it is just a mere rhetoric. It is not functioning again. What is happening in Local Government is not we budgeted for at least the Local government whereby there is no allocation, How will they perform ? Even before the local government election they were being given 5 million for monthly home taking after the salary, why should the state turn into Federal Revenue Physical Mobilisation?. They are not being given their entitlement how will they operate ? And I doubt whether they have been given anything until now. If you go to Local Government now you will see is mere or less nothing is happening there. Local Governments should be given their appropriate operational guidelines to work and they should be given their normal allocation. The allocation from the federal government is not getting to them , the joint allocation is not working and I doubt if any of the Local government chairman can say authoritatively what they have in the state government. I believe Seyi Makinde has killed completely the Local Government administration in Oyo State if he continues to handle this way, it means he is not looking for development at the local levels. In the last three years, there have never been any better activities in the Local government. They were not given allocation. They were only given token . Maybe they are using the money to work for them, I wouldn’t say. Talk of Local government,.there is nothing in Local government. The local government is just a toothless bull dog that can never do anything. I have gotten an encounter with the local government and I can say what is operating is not proper. That is not how we left it. I believe people who are close to the government should please help tell him. What is in Local Government is not what we budgeted for. There should be a change.
NTN: 2023 is fast approaching sir, and Oyo State is being governed by PDP. As a full fledged member and stakeholder of APC , what are you putting in place to ensure the state is reclaimed by the progressive party?.
Respondent: Well, I can only say the present governor is government of the civil servants, because he pays salary as at when due and I believe what destroyed APC in the past is now operating in PDP. If you see the last three – four elections in Oyo State , elections are won by coalition of parties. truly what destroyed APC is currently operating in Oyo State too now. Those people that brought Seyi Makinde, the people are no more there. And I doubt if they can go back to him. We are planning, we are working, we believe in 2023 we are getting back to power in Oyo State.
NTN: Sir, it is no doubt that you are a native of Okeho, likewise Oke-Ogun here and Oyo State as a whole. There was a time Senator Teslim Folarin made a visit or precisely a campaign tour to Kajola Local Government and you made a particular statement there as well, that if at all, Ibadan would be supported for governorship race, they must pledge and meet OkeOgun demands, what are those things you are demanding sir?.
Respondent: I still want to maintain, we have been playing a second fiddle role in Oyo State politics as Oke-Ogun region and enough should be enough. Though, presently we are having aspirants from Oyo State we could have more as well, we are still praying to have more until we have a citizen of Oke-Ogun as governor, maybe the economic life and social life will change. They have never been considering us worthy for these credible positions of governor of Oyo State or Senator and we believe this time around, it is the turn of Oke-Ogun. We are still not saying we cannot work for someone outside Oke-Ogun but before we do that we need to sit down and iron out things. What will be our take after winning the election. Even , we want monetary budget not just percentage will go to Oke-Ogun. We are controlling 60% of landmass and we are not controlling 10% of yearly budget in term of funds. As Yoruba adage say “sise iṣẹ bi erin jíjẹ ijẹ eliri”( we are only working like a lion, feeding like a rat) If at all we want to support someone outside Oke-Ogun we need to sit down and iron out all these things. At the same time we think what number of commissioners or which portfolios at the House of Assembly will be our positions? What percentage of contracts will go to our region ? And how do we bring the succeeding governor from Oke-Ogun. These are the things we will sit down to iron out before we could support any candidate outside Oke-Ogun but I pray we have somebody from Oke-Ogun as governor of Oyo State come 2023.
NTN: Your general perspectives about this environment , and what are those things that are needed to be in place for its development and growth ?.
Respondent: Well, our area on economy, we need to buckle up and work to have all those things that need to develop our area. Though we need political power to back all these things up but what is important is coming together of our people to think about our development. We are not in unison. We are not being United in any form that is the major problem we are facing until we see ourselves as one, we are being divided along political line. I am happy it is not a religious line but political line we are being divided. We don’t see the problem as one , we don’t see it as summontable if we come together to fight the cause for our right. We need to come together and need to see ourselves as brothers , we need to see until we come together, we will continue to play a second figure role. The economy is battered though it is Nation wide and globally, but if you see the condition in our area here you will see it is still a special one that needs to be corrected by coming together as one and fight for the good people of Kajola Local Government and Oke-Ogun as a whole.
NTN: You have once headed Kajola Local Government, where your impacts and contributions are felt. What are the pieces of advice,you have for the current executive chairman?.
Respondent: Like I said earlier , there is this Yoruba proverb “Owo ni ti oun o bá sì nile , ki ẹnikẹni má daba”( without money, nothing can be done), if you don’t have money you don’t have power. I have written to the local government chairman. I have met him to discuss with him but I believe he is incapacitated with the lack of money, what can he do when he doesn’t have money. The idea of sending whatever they want to do to the state for approval based on the money given to them is not augur well for the local development but the little resources they would be given , we just need to look inwardly and see how his impact would be felt . People will not know all these until after leaving the office. They can only count what he was able to touch when in office. I still want to thank him , he has been of help to Okeho community since establishment of Open University but we are waiting for the commission. We are still in need of his assistance but I believe the governor should see them as third tier of administration not just an appendage by given them token to run the local government. Unless they don’t say it , they are suffering. The local government is not what is supposed to look like, it is just an appendage of the governor not of the state. The little resources he is able to lay his hand on, he should think of how his impact would be felt after leaving the office.
NTN: Thank you sir, I really appreciate you.
Your name once again sir?.
Respondent: I am Alhaji Isiaka Olalekan Salami probably called ‘Obe’ . I am from Okeho, Kajola Local Government. I am a member of the party and a leader of the party in Oyo State. We are having two leaders per local government which I am one and Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi is another leader from our local government, as well as a member of the Elders’ council, Kajola Local Government council.
