By Ola Ajayi, Ibadan

Dr Olu Agunloye has intimidating credentials. He was a lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Ibadan, the chief executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), member of the Constitution Review Committee, chairman of the ICT Thematic Area of the National Technical Committee for the Vision 20:2020, Minister of Power and Steel as well as Minister of State for Defence (Navy). Beyond these, he was a close associate of the late Chief Bola Ige, the Minister of Justice who was assassinated in 2001. Now, Agunloye is aspiring to be governor of Ondo State via the October 20 poll. In this interview, he speaks on Bola Ige’s murder and issues surrounding his gubernatorial aspiration.

What was the most challenging episode in your life?
The most challenging thing in my life is the hostile environment in which we are. We are in a society that security is almost at zero level. Also, the economy is not so encouraging. What we used N50,000 to do before, if you have N500,000 now, you cannot do it. And people like me are in such society and we work round the clock to make sure we get results from such hostile environment.

Having spent over three decades in the political terrain, what was the most trying period of your life? What is that thing that has left indelible memory in you that you can hadly forget?

The most shocking thing that has ever happened to me that would take time before forgetting it was the shocking death of the late Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Uncle Bola Ige. We were together on December 19 or 20, 2001  after which we parted. I went to Akoko. I was very shocked when I heard of his assassination by some wicked people. The way the gruesome murder was committed and the shoddy way the country handled it almost made me lose hope in the entire  judicial system in this country. It was handled in such a way that we had little knowledge of how he died. It was very disappointing.

How have you been coping without him since his death affected you so much?

After ten years of his unresolved murder, what has kept me is the inspiration that I have been able to draw from his family members. I have got a lot of inspiration from Mr. Muyiwa Ige, Gbenro and Funso. They have inspired me the way they are waiting for justice. Then, I work with Uncle Ige’s associates like Ayo Afolabi, Layi, a commissioner in Osun State, Odia Ofeim, Kunle Famoriyo and many others.

Do you think justice can still take its course after many years of his death?
Yes, I still believe that sooner or later, justice will be done. At the end of the day, all those who had hands in his killing would be brought to book. His spirit would also continue to haunt them until all of them are exposed.

Scrapping of the Federal Road Safety Commission
Nigeria has more problems than it is solving. This is extremely unfortunate. Nigeria has the tendency to always want to throw  away the baby with the bath water. It also has the tendency of having very weak memory and also jettisoning  history and reports. Incidentally, it is not only shameful for Nigeria, it is also very ridiculous, laughable that Nigerian government appears to be in the rhythm of coming round to say what they don’t think is correct and to say what they would not do.

*Agunloye

In 1993, we were on this same bridge, FRSC to be scrapped, FRSC to be merged with the parent body and, after rigorous analysis and conviction, FRSC to remain. In 2003, ten years after, we went through the same process. In 1993, it involved  the National Constituent Assembly and, in 2003,  the Presidency and the Ministry of Justice.

In fact, they tried to do it and undid it again. Then, ten years after, we are in the same business. It is not only the step which is wrong, it is also a step which is inappropriate, a step which exposes government  as  not looking into their records or not learning from the previous ones.

It is also a step which shows government as being very insensitive to even the good development within their own system.  Incidentally, I was in the engine room of the FRSC about two months ago and I saw the level of development which has gone up there and the level at which other countries of the world were actually  emulating and copying all the things that FRSC was doing.

It is not new, it happened when I was there and I remember that New York driver’s license was modeled after Nigeria’s driver’s license and  I’m also aware that a couple of African countries modeled theirs too after Nigeria’s.  And now, it is even at a higher level where the World Road Safety Organisation is modeling a couple of things after the FRSC.  This is not the time that one report would say merge it with the parent body. It is a symptom that Nigeria is in a real difficulty.

Many people say Governor Olusegun Mimiko is doing a good  job in Ondo State and you want to contest the governorship election with him in 2013. Why do you think we should change a winning team?

In Ondo State, take a ride through the market and you find out that the Mimiko that they know is not the same Mimiko that other people know  on AIT, Channels and so on. Some of the indices you can use to measure that is the number of awards that Mimiko has got. Mimiko has got more than 54 awards at a stupendous cost to government-over 300million. So, why do you get the best award as the best gynecologist of the year, the best governor of the year, the best swagger governor of the year when we do not see any impact in the state.

Ask for what Mimiko has done in the state. He can be described as somebody who has done wealth cancellation, wealth annulment instead of wealth creation. He found a purse of N420billion and found ways and means to spend it not creating any industry, farm settlement, not employing the youth. No stable industry that is there.

So, instead of wealth creation, we are faced with wealth cancellation. There is this another thing he has done. This ‘eye, eye thing’ (eye pleasing). It can only be “Oju Aye project,” to take a road that ex-Governor  Olusegun Agagu  had tarred and put lamp post and pulled all the divider, asphalt only to be redoing it. It is Oju Aye project to take  a roundabout where one is not required, pulling it down four times.

So, it means you pay for its destruction three times and also pay four  times reconstructing and four times designing it. When you finish it, all that you now do is  put a very beautiful water fountain and, because your state or your capital has no water, you use tanker to bring water  to the place. And because you state capital does not have electricity, you then go and put generator to run the place.

All these are not landmark projects but ways and means to spend the money. The same with mega school, mega hospital, mega this  mega that. You now mentioned the word, winning. I don’t know what you mean by winning. Mimiko himself will not say so because, if he believed he was winning, he would not go about tearing and pulling down billboards and posters of other aspirants and candidates. He would not send his men to be destroying the campaign vehicles of other candidates. At a rally in Igbokoda two weeks ago, on April 27 to be precise, three of the buses taken there were badly damaged.

I  like this Saka Lawal’s statement that the brain-box of Mimiko has left the party for the Action Congress of Nigeria. So it’s like the hard drive or external drive of Labour Party has left.

When one looks at your political antecedents, it is surprising that, at different times,  you were in the Unity Party of Nigeria, Alliance for Democracy and it was a common belief then that UPN, AD had the same ideology. Why did you suddenly defect to the PDP and now you want to contest on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria?

It is good that you understood that ACN is a party that  you can say  is 60 years old having metamorphosed from Action Group to UPN, to UPGA, SDP, AD, AC and now to ACN. It was a struggle for Ondo State. I remember that the last conversation I had with Uncle Bola Ige before he died on December 23, 2001. I saw him last on the 20th because we went to Jos together and we had  a  long conversation.

Then, we parted ways and  I went  to Akoko. One of the things he told me was that I should not leave AD. He explained that all those issues would be resolved. And we noticed that some of those issues were not even resolved even though he made a trip to Akure and spent several hours trying to resolve them. Also General Alani Akinrinade(rtd) tried to resolve those issues but he could not.

Crossing to the PDP was as a result of power struggle in Ondo State and Afenifere  at that time. What I tried not to do people have spoken to me about it, they use it to colour my image to a certain extent and I have tried to resist giving details because it may start to open new wounds. People must know where Ige himself stood at that time, people must know that when Ige wrote his famous letter to the President about what he planned to do, if the contents of that letter could have allowed people like us to struggle on the platform of the PDP.

Let that be aside. I’m not ready to open that at this stage because it may open healed wounds. But  moving from one party to another, in Nigeria, in this 21st century, does not mean so much.  Like I told you, I go from one place to another changing people from Labour Party and PDP to ACN. Moving from one place to the other is the only way ACN could win in this state and we have been doing that.

I am waiting to celebrate my 200th decamping session in winning people from other parties to ACN. The political landscape in Nigeria is so large. People move from place to place. You can also liken that to Mimiko. He has moved more than I have. If movement leads you to a good level, they clap for you and if it does not, they blame you for moving.

Ondo State governorship election is fast approaching. How prepared is the ACN?
ACN is poised to win the election and we are preparing hard. But, in preparation, you can never say you have finished. We still have a lot to do. I can talk  about my own contribution to the preparedness of ACN. I started working on this project on May 8, 2011. And, by last Wednesday, which is exactly one year, we commemorated the first  anniversary of the struggle and contribution to building a stronger ACN.

The struggle for the ACN in the last one year has now been documented in two booklets. We also strengthened  the structure under the structure, Omoluabi, and  making sure that those who come to the party are properly registered.

As at now, we have about 52 offices that are running and also have Omoluabi offices in about 203 wards and 18 local governments. Now, we have a database of 157,000 people who have filled the Omoluabi platform forms.

Then since the beginning of the year, we have embarked on outreach meetings with  the elders and elite in the state who are not necessarily  resident in Ondo State. If you look at the recent harvest of people who moved from the LP and PDP, you would know that the steam is gathering.

What do you think gives you an edge over all these aspirants?
One, by nature, I am moderate and I have made a lot of gains being moderate and I have also lost a couple of things being moderate. I would modestly say what gives me an edge over others are very straight forward and simple. I have spoken to some governors and some elders and I have penned down that there are four major things at stake about who becomes the candidate. One  is the issue of pedigree.

If you look at that, I would have a very good mark. Second  is how competent is the person, I have my CV,  I am eminently qualified. Third is what experience does he have in managing people and resources or even political experience.

As the head of the FRSC  many years ago, people could not believe that I was managing about 105 formations. Then the FRSC was rated very high even outside Nigeria. In the political terrain, I’m not new in this business. I have always been in the background for long. In 1986, when some people who are contesting now were not known in the political scene, were it not for me, Papa Adekunle Ajasin would not have had a second term. I set up the first electronic digital collation centre which  I did first in Ondo State for Papa Obafemi Awolowo election.

I set up the ones in Oyo and Ondo which I ran simultaneously. As for election, in 1998, I put up myself to run for governorship election in Ondo State. Then, I had the backing of some people from Ijebu-Igbo and other notable Yoruba leaders. But, I was prevailed upon by some people  to step down for Adefarati.

Even, at that, I went into the primaries. It was in that primaries that I was asked to step down for Adefarati and wait for my turn and waiting for my turn now has become 14 years. It shows I’m not new in this business. And, lastly, the candidate must be able to bridge the gap between the old people and young ones.

The candidate must also be on ground and I want to tell you that Olu Agunloye is on the ground in and outside the state more than any other aspirant.  If the issue of loyalty is to be considered, don’t ask anybody if he would be loyal. He would tell you, even swear that he would be loyal. But, try to measure that by checking his past. I have held two or three positions in the past. I headed the FRSC and it is only people who would say whether I was loyal or not and I was at a time the Minister of Power and Steel.