BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI, ILORIN

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Osun State, Adebayo Waliyu Ademola Oladosu, is a green horn in politics but nonetheless optimistic of winning the 2018 election.

Oladosu

WHAT PROMPTED HIM INTO POLITICS

It is God. After leaving Ilorin for secondary school in Iwo, my home town, the town was even better than that what it is now, and between then and now, we have had military and civilian governments. But there is nothing you can point to in Iwo and say ‘this is what this person has brought’.

The roads are terrible and there is nothing of economic importance there

In the olden days, Iwo was recognized before Ede, but, today, we lack leadership in Iwo. Ede can boast of two big universities and several other establishments. Who are we pointing to, as our leader, in Iwo? What does it take to be a leader other than to serve them? That is what informed my decision. Poverty level in Iwo is higher than any in other part of Osun State. When I returned to Iwo, I looked at how I could help the youths and registered the Rovet Football Academy. We have sent three of our players outside the country for training. I am the Chairman of Osun State YSFON. I am sponsoring other sports like boxing, taekwando, wrestling, so that, instead of the youths becoming thugs fighting during political campaigns, they can commercialise thuggery and make big and legitimate money from it.

WHY PDP?

When I was still struggling to find my feet and they had just lifted the ban on politics, I joined that party and I was the pioneer Secretary of the PDP in Ward 1, Ona Ara Local Government

Area of Oyo State. But later I had to go and struggle to survive.

CHANCES OF WINNING THE 2018 ELECTION

I am not a desperate man but there is no crime in being ambitious. God will choose. In both the APC and PDP, if you put the contestants together, only one person will become the governor and only God knows that person. But if you are not part of the game, you cannot win.

About my chances, i leave everything to God. I also believe something will work for me. If you want to be fair in politics, and we have to obey zoning, Osun Central has done it during the tenure of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Osun East, IfeIjesha, is doing it now with the incumbent, and the zones are just three, it’s the turn of Osun West where I hail from. To me, that is an advantage. Although, in Osun West, there are many contestants both in the PDP and APC, it is God that will choose.

Also, I will like to state here that I have never vied for political office before. So, some may say I don’t have experience and use it against me. But we play politics everywhere, every time, even in our homes. Somebody who has companies and people working for him must   know about administration and governance is all about

Administration. I may not have been active in politics but I am very good in administration. Remember the case of a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, who emerged to rule for eight years from being a unionist and had never held any political office before. In the case of   a former governor of Kogi

state, Alhaji Abubakar Idris, he was a business man and was never in politics before.

Even President Donald Trump of the US was never a senator,

governor or anything; he came from outside of the political world to rule America because he was doing very well in his business, so my own case should not be an exception.

VISION FOR OSUN

Osun people are suffering. If you talk about recession, it is not only in Osun; it affects all the 36 states of the federation. But some states don’t owe salaries and I don’t think any state is paying half salaries. I think our problem in Osun is poor management of resources. Our governor has misplaced priority and this has put us in debt. The high debt profile of Osun is serious and if you borrow money, you must pay. Now, you have schools, you have roads, social projects.

If you build schools, who are you going to put there? Students. If you put the students there, who is going to teach? Teachers. So, if you fail to pay the teachers and they are not fed, will they be able to work? No. So, when   you place priority on capital Projects and not human resources, it’s a misplaced priority. We have Iwo-Osogbo Road and other major roads, if your capital budget is not enough to build another road, why don’t you rehabilitate and improve the existing ones and place priority on human development. Tell me the importance of a fly-over at Gbongan junction when Gbongan/Osogbo Road is bad? Fly-overs are constructed in places where you have traffic congestion. How many vehicles passing through Gbongan? And that is a federal road. The fly- over on the way to Government House is also needless because there was no traffic congestion there.

There is a civic centre constructed by the state government also at Gbongan. I passed through the site and found that weeds had grown everywhere. Our major problem in Osun is poor administration. My blueprint places emphasis on human resources and workers welfare. Revenue generation in the state is very low because the people you should mobilize to go and look for money are not paid. And if you want to pay them, you pay them half salaries.

MESSAGE

I advise everybody to be patient and endure for a little while. This government has ruled for seven years and we have not gained anything. I think it is better to change. I have never been in politics. I have never gained anything in politics. All what I have is what I was able to use my hand to achieve. I have never been involved in any scandal. I have never visited a police station; if I went there, probably I had a policeman as a friend. I don’t have any blemish.

The electorate should think twice this time before they make their choice of leadership. People used to say all politicians are liars. I don’t believe so. For instance, I cannot sleep in two rooms at the same time. So, why do you struggle for what eventually will be a waste? Life is vanity. The best you can do is to touch the people’s lives positively. The electorate should look for a leader this time that will place priority on the people’s welfare.