Kehinde Olaosebikan, a journalist turned politician, is one of the governorship aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State. He speaks with STEPHEN GBADAMOSI on general political issues in the state. Excerpts:WHAT gives you the assurance that you can become Oyo governor'The overwhelming desire of the majority of the people of Oyo State for a complete change in the way the state is being run; the demand of the masses for a government that they can be rightly referred to and seen as their own; their thirst for a governor whose interest is in doing only those things that would bring positive changes in their lives; the need to have a governor that would be efficient in the running of the state devoid of extravagance, wasteful spending, abuse of power, arrogance and any form of oppression and callousness to the governed; the yearning of the people for a governor that would tackle frontally the serious problems of acute poverty, underdevelopment, unemployment and general retrogression in the life of the hitherto Pacesetter State and banish penury, hunger and backwardness from the state.I want to say these are the things that are inspiring me to face the challenge of running for the governorship of the state and I am very confident that the good people of Oyo State would, considering my pedigree and antecedents, offer me the opportunity of bringing about the much-needed change in our dear state.This sounds like a tall dream. How do you intend to banish poverty from the state or even win the governorship election without money'Thank you. None of these is a tall dream. They are realisable and I will actualise them by the grace of God.Let me start from the second leg of your question on winning election without money. As much as money is important in virtually everything, it should not be the sole determinant for aspirations and dreams. For us to really make progress in this country, we need to de-emphasise money in our politics. People of good character and integrity with genuine interest in providing service and good leadership should be consciously encouraged to run for offices.Without any bag of money, I am propelled by my unadulterated desire to liberate the masses of Oyo State from want, hunger and oppression. With God on my side, I will clinch our party's ticket and win the race.On the second leg of your question, it is a matter of focus. With my over 15 years of involvement and study of the operations of government in Oyo State, I can say unequivocally that the most important thing here is for the governor to get his priority right and with a good team. There must be a clearly defined vision and mission for the state. To banish poverty and hunger from the state is to first relieve the masses of the burdens they are bearing now.Government must take over the responsibility of providing the basic necessities of life, education and health to the masses at no cost to the people. Our children must be able to get quality education and good healthcare service free.Equally, government must create enabling environment for small businesses and petty trading to thrive. All efforts of the government would be intentionally geared towards generating employment and wealth for the people.If you succeed, what would you do differently from the current governor'From take off, we will let the people know comprehensively what the government has in store for them. As a government genuinely for the people, with full explanation and acceptance, we would obtain ownership of the people before the commencement of all our policies and programmes. Our vision would be very clear and owned by the people. No policy or programme of our government shall bring hardship, sorrow or tears to the masses, the rich and elites of Oyo State.For ease of assessment, we would attach road maps to all our programmes from the onset. The interests and wishes of the people would be the fulcrum of our government.The other contestants in the PDP are tested political office holders. How do you hope to upstage them'Thank you. I think the issue here is not the size of the office one had worked or the quantum of money one amassed from the office. It is about the impact one was able to make in the lives of people and how much good things, in terms of developmental national projects and positions one was able to attract to the state. Equally important are the remarkable sustainable policies beneficial to the growth of the people of the state one was able to put in place while in service.Another factor here is the totality of the integrity of the aspirants. What is his pedigree, professionally socially and politically' As a professional, how did he perform in his profession' Socially, does he relate well with the people and politically, what manner of politics does he play' Does he have any link with the grassroots, or any solid base whatsoever' Is he a good team player or somebody that would resort to destruction of the party and its people when things do not go his way'It is already clear to the leaders and key players in our party that the person to win the race is the aspirant with established good connections and antecedents with the grassroots; the aspirant with the greatest appeal to the youths; the aspirant that could easily win the support of politicians both old and young in all the parties; the man that can attract the greatest goodwill from professionals, individually and collectively, to the party; the aspirant without any baggage, be it social, political or even criminal. I am the cleanest of the entire aspirants and I have the strongest will and determination to improve the lots of the masses of Oyo State and reclaim the lost glory of the Pacesetter State.For the youth and masses generally, I represent hope as my victory at the poll would confirm that they do not need to have all the money in the world to live their dreams; that they don't need to be children of monarchs, aristocrats or big-time politicians to make it in life; that if the child of a pepper seller in Oritamerin like me, without any link to serious wealth or any godfather, can become the governor, they too can be whatever they want in life.Naturally, people know that I am always very concerned with the effectiveness and welfare of whatever is entrusted to me. As the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, between 1999 and 2003, apart from the sustained robust relations with the press, I ensured that journalists practicing in the state and visitors functioned perfectly during the period. We made available to them all the necessary tools required for the job. In recognising this, both the Osun and Oyo state chapters of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) celebrated me with awards and laurels as the most outstanding CPS in the country then.The story is the same when I served as the Chairman of Oluyole Local Government Area of the state and other assignments. Provision of quality selfless service is natural with me.Who is your mentor in politics'Thank you. I have no particular mentor in politics. What I do is that I study people in power closely, learn variously from them and imbibe their positives. For instance, I have a lot of respect for the president of the United States of America, Barak Obama, who I consider the greatest inspiration of all time. From a very humble background, not even minding his origin, Obama lived his dream to become the most powerful man on earth.In contemporary Nigerian politics, I respect the uncommon ability of the late Alahji Lam Adesina to read and understand issues clearly. I respect Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos State for his propensity for planning. I respect the fairness in Senator Rashidi Ladoja in recognising merit. For Chief Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, I admire him for his large heartedness and cherishing friendship. The creativity, pragmatism and doggedness in Olusegun Mimiko command my respect.What about Senator Abiola Ajimobi'He has brought decorum to the Governor's Office at the secretariat. I respect him for that.What would you tell these past governors'They should play more of national and developmental politics. Their insistence on local politics; of self, is a great disservice to themselves and Oyo State. They are limiting themselves and depriving us too as a state the benefits of reaping from our investments in them.
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