Excerpts:
How would you describe the last Ekiti governorship race?
I want to say that the Ekiti election was a sad commentary. It was a situation that was so thoroughly unfortunate and tragic to the extent that everybody looked as if there was nothing that could be done. But today, I want to say that largely, it has become part of our history and it is one thing I don't like dwelling on because I believe we need to move on and I believe what should be our central preoccupation right now is how to right the wrongs and rescue the state from the present situation. I want to say that it is something that could have been avoided.
Has there been reconciliation now?
Ekiti is work in progress for the leadership of APC. I know that different committees have been set up to work towards reconciliation and some of the committees involved very senior officials of the party.
Efforts are going on and part of the effect of this is the fact that we are all, regardless of what anyone might think and regardless of our individual position on issues, we are all agreeable to working together to ensure the success of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election slated for March 28.
So, in the meantime, I remain a member of the Labour Party and we are unapologetically committed to the Buhari-Osinbajo project and at the end of the elections, we will sit down to talk about what is next.
One is surprised that you did not go with your one-time ally, Governor Mimiko, to support President Jonathan. Why did you choose Buhari?
There is nothing personal in all of these? I also want to add that every politics is local. First, a lot of things will have to be determined by what is the thinking of your own people. If you describe yourself as a leader within a community and you are taking decisions that will isolate you from the generality of your people or moving against the general tide of your people. Majority of the people in Ekiti State desire change like majority of Nigerians do.
The fact is that the leadership of APC never really felt that I was such an outsider to the party, if I would have to go anywhere, it would be much more reasonable for me to go back to my own political family.
In saying this, I want to stress that the project at hand today is the Buhari-Osinbajo election and I feel so passionate about it. That, we will need to deal with first and after that, we can sit down and take the next step.
Why are you committed to the Buhari Osinbajo project?
One, I am convinced that there is a need for new ideas in this country. Nigeria needs new ideas. I chair the House committee on Legislative Budget and Research. I am very concerned about the economy of Nigeria. The more you know about this country, especially the state of our economy, the more scared you will become. There are a lot of things that Nigerians do not even know. I give you a practical example. I told my committee to carry out a research and all I needed was for them to take the budget of this country in the last four years and extract how much was budgeted for the procurement of generators and diesel by agencies of the Federal Government.
Yes, a lot of Nigerians say we have too many agencies and they say, 427. And I was asking somebody, where did you pick up the figure of 427 Federal Government agencies because he was saying that they were too many and we needed to prune them down. And he was saying, everybody says 427. I'm telling you authoritatively, that the number of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs under the appropriation act, to which we voted money, is 708. It has grown from less than 400 to 708 in the last four years.
So, government is becoming bigger everyday and I am concerned that today, we have on the floor of parliament, a 2015 proposal, that has 84% going for recurrent expenditure, consumables and we have only 16% going for capital expenditure. Which economy can grow that way? When you don't spend money on capital projects, you cannot stimulate the economy because it is through capital expenditure that an economy can create jobs, that you can build the real sector of the economy.
We calculated how much was being spent on the procurement of generators and diesel by the 708 MDAs and we came up with a very staggering figure: over N360 billion has been spent on the procurement of generators and diesel over the last four years. We went beyond that to all the 36 states of the federation and then to the 774 local government areas and saw that over N1.1 trillion had been spent on the procurement of generators and diesel. So, how much do we need to fix the energy sector.
So, there is no way I can be going to an election and allow myself to be brought down by the sentiments of who is my friend? Who is a Christian? Who is a Moslem? For me, it is more of the economy. We need new ideas to grow this economy and everybody is talking about corruption. So, who deals with it. I have nothing against President Jonathan, he is a gentleman as far as I am concerned. But what manner of people are advising this administration? What manner of people are in charge of this economy? And to what extent can I assure myself that President Jonathan would be in control of these people in the next four years. I am a member of the House committee that is investigating oil theft and I know the kind of revelation that has been coming out and that is another issue. Part of the reason that the speaker is stepping that down until after the election is that we don't want anyone to think that they are trying to use it as a campaign instrument. Nigeria is bleeding at an unimaginable level and I cannot know all of these and have the moral conscience to say that the sustenance of this order.
Definitely, I am convinced that there is a need for a change, a change that must be quick and a change that not only must be based on manifestoes written by consultants, but a change that also must be driven by people that can give us some measure of confidence. For me, the personality of Gen. Buhari, the kind of antecedents, the kind of things he says that which he can be held responsible..If somebody had held all the positions he had held in this country and in his declaration of assets form all you can see is what we are seeing now, which can even be held by a retired school principal and nobody has even been able to controvert him on these, then, definitely, that is a man I will like to give a chance. People talk about his age, that is even a reason we should even give him a chance because, what else does he want at his stage. Mandela came at a very critical time in South Africa.
For me, what Buhari is coming to do is a special intervention. Of course, if Gen. Buhari himself, does not mean what he is saying he is running a risk. Expectations of Nigerians are high. If Gen. Buhari gets there and in one year, people cannot see a difference, the civil society, the labour movement will be up in arms. Why would he want to take the risk. Beyond Gen. Buhari, the person that he has chosen as a running mate is also well known to me. I was privileged to have served with him in the cabinet of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, I can attest to his strength of character, I can attest to the clarity of his purpose and I can attest to the fact of God that he is a man of God and thoroughly so. I can attest to the fact that he is not a materially conscious person, I can attest to the fact that he desires a genuine change in this country.
I'm just convinced that there is a need for this economy to be rescued and it doesn't matter how well President Jonathan means. He has tried his best in the last four years and I believe that there is the need to rescue this country from the 16 years of misrule of the PDP and allow some fresh ideas.