By Yinka Ajayi

Kole Ajayi, a scientist turned lawyer, contested the Ekiti State governorship election in 2014 on the platform of Accord Party. He has now decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

In this interview, Ajayi speaks on governance at the state level, the state of the nation and other national issues.

What is your view of the current anti corruption crusade of the Federal Government?

It is a step in the right direction and I believe the government of President Buhari is very sincere about its fight against corruption. The plague called corruption has eaten deep into our body fabric in this country that it has negatively affected all facets of life. It will be good if all the various institutions concerned with anti corruption brace up for the challenge and I believe the National Assembly should key into this vision too. So far so good, the President is doing a lot in this regard and he is also living by example. There are various cases of corruption that we hear now in the country. Take for example the lady in charge of pension of innocent old people. She was reported to be earning 60 million naira salary a month. This is most unacceptable and appalling in a country where an average Nigerian is not sure of his daily bread and am sure there are more of these hidden cases in every high places in the country.

My fear now is that will it last? I mean after this government’s tenure, will the various institutions currently combatting corruption still maintain the focus? Will there be that political will as we are having now. I believe all stakeholders in this crusade should think more of an enduring anti corruption crusade that will be institutionalised in every sector to prevent the repeat of the ugly scenario we are having now.

Another area the Government should focus on is masses orientation because an average Nigerian believes everybody going into politics is going to steal hence they must take a pound of flesh during campaign. This will in turn lead to a recycled poverty in view of the principle of return on investment. Hence, it is my belief a proper legistation that will stipulate stiff penalty on voters inducement should be effected in the Electoral Act. To me this is the major cause of poverty in Nigeria.

Recently, the rerun election in Rivers State was characterized with unprecedented violence.

Kola Ajayi

It was a sad situation seen a beheaded man standing on his feet all because of desperate people seeking power. The event that turned out in the state showed that we have not really learnt our lessons in this country. My expectation is that by now Nigerian should be able to organise election in a civilised manner where people conduct themselves peacefully.

To stem this ugly developments, the Nigerian youth should be gainfully engaged and given the necessary attention and orientation by the government. I am very sure plans are under way in this regard because if a man sees himself as a potential leader he won’t allow himself to be used as a common fodder in political thuggery. I believe that the security agencies should also align fully with their responsibilities of protecting lives and properties of the citizenry without compromise.

The economy of the country seems to be drowning. What is your take? 

My view on this is that it takes time to heal a stenching wound. The economy of Nigeria has been subjected to a lot of mismanagement by previous governments where stealing was done by everybody and with impunity. There was also too much reliance on oil and unfortunately during the windfall there was no measure of reserve. Everything was squandered and with that situation it will take time to finally get the way out. I believe President Buhari is doing a lot in terms of healing the already messed up economy. It is true there is hardship, of course it is inevitable,   because we have to pay dearly for the recklessness of the past governments to get things back on track.

It is therefore cherry to note that the present administration is diversifying from oil and looking into other areas like agriculture, solid minerals e.t.c

Coming to the state level now, it is a known fact that some states are not able to meet up with their commitment to the workers and the people. What is your view?

Well, I believe it is still as a result of over indulgence of Federal Allocation where free monies are being shared. The present situation in the economy has put state governments into a lot of financial embarrassment in view of the fall in the price of oil in the international market. All the same I can see that there are a lot of misplaced priorities in the affairs of states. Some of them are embarking on gargantuan capital projects that is not of direct economy value to the people.   To me this is not the best.

State governments should embark on programs that would create wealth and generate employment outside the civil service. They should encourage investors to come in and utilize the abundant natural resources prevalent in their states by guaranteeing peace and tranquility. From my own personal research, I discovered that a lot of states are so blessed that they can feed the entire nation and also do enough exports to generate money. I remember the time Lagos State Local Government Allocation was stopped by the Federal Government, yet the state was still running its Local Governments because it had put in place programs that are self sustaining taking advantage of the various economic variables that abound in Lagos.

Your message to Nigerians

My message to Nigerians is that they should exercise patience and believe in the country and the leadership. Our people, especially the youth, should desist from being used as common fodder in perpetrating   violence because God holds greater future for them. Nigerian shall be great again.