28th September, 2011
Niyi Osibemekun, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), former Chief Accountant of Panalpina Nigeria Limited and now into private business of leasing and lending, is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate for Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State. In this interview, he speaks on governance in the state and unfolds his plan for the local government
How will you describe your party’s decision to contest in the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in the coming local government election?
It is a very good step in a right direction because most of the PDP’s problems in the state, especially in the last governorship election, had always remained unsolved. We never had any local government to operate from and governorship election is won on that magnitude and when a party does not have a base to operate, winning an election can be a nightmare and that is why PDP has been loosing over time to win the governorship election. And part of this is why we keep boycotting grassroots elections where the impact of the party can be felt by the people and when your impact is not felt, what do you have to tell them, especially when the party on ground is not even doing anything? It is like the devil you know is better than angel you are still awaiting. So, it is good that the party is contesting in the election and people will now have the choice to elect the leader of their choice, the people that can be accountable to them. We are participating in the entire local governments.
There is this insunation that PDP as a party has no base in Lagos State more so that recently, some of the chieftains of the party defected to ACN. With this development, how do you think the party can win many local government areas in the state?
When people say PDP has no base in the state, that is funny and we can stop them from saying that because when a party keeps on boycotting elections that will means that it has the base, but now, it will be a thing of the past, come 22 October and by the time the people see how many local governments won by the party, they will know that we don’t have only a base but also operating a structure that can take over governorship of the state.
With this decision, how far can your party go to win some of the local governments in the coming election?
We are going to win some of the local governments. One, on the fact that people are fed up with some council chairmen. The ACN council chairmen, with the facts on ground, if you are not elected by the people, it becomes difficult to be accountable to them. The ACN chairmen were never elected by the people, they were picked and imposed on them either they like it or not and at the end of the day, the chairmen are only accountable to those who hand-picked them without any regard for whatever happens to the people in their local governments. For example, look at Somolu, roads are bad, the water system is terrible and nothing works in the whole local government. So therefore, it is now for the people of Somolu to come out and elect someone who will be accountable to them, someone who they can call to order if he is not doing what is expected. This election is going to show that people eventually have a choice.
What advice have you to the people of the state concerning PDP’s participation in the local government election?
I can assure Lagosians that the full impact of government of PDP will now be felt. When people vote for governors or president, they can hardly have their impact, because they operate from the base where people cannot get access to them, but when we are talking about the chairmen and councillors chosen by the people, it becomes imperative for them to do their will and that is what the governments of my party is going to do. We are going to listen to the people, touch their lives and this is going to be possible because we are living in the same community and local government. Governor Fashola and President Jonathan don’t live among us, but I live in Somolu among the people of Somolu, so it is important that I listen to them and work with them, that is exactly what I am going to do.
What are your programmes for the people of Somolu?
I am a very broad-minded person and becoming the chairman, I have to be responsible for peaceful coexistence in the local government. When I say peace, I am talking about the people, the local government, my party, the palace, that is the monarchs, the high chiefs and the elders. This is because to have peace in a local government, you have responsibility directly or indirectly to all these people, so it is imperative that to achieve this, I must listen to them. It is also important that once one identifies the department he is responsible to, working will not be difficult. One of the problems that some chairmen have is that they don’t know why they are in that office, they see the office as an avenue to uplift to their personal lives. Those who did not have houses before becoming chairmen are now have many houses and those who never rode a car now have expensive cars. It is all about them and not about the people. I am going to touch the lives of the traders, which l always been doing from my own personal investment. I am also going to touch the lives of the youths by creating productive institution to give them gainful employment. We cannot talk about unemployment if you don’t create employment. As a chartered accountant, I have created over 100 employment opportunities in six states of the country with my own resources. I can create more that will give respect to human dignity.
How do you assess governance in Lagos State in the last 12 years?
All the governments, from AD to AC and lately ACN, have only be fixing the problem of the state. From the day Asiwaju came into power till today, nothing is better off, because they have not sat down to look at the problems and find lasting solution to them, But they kept fixing these problems and that is why any time it rains, everywhere gets flooded, just because nobody has really articulated a plan to solve the problem. Government is not working in consonance and the same frequency with the people.
What is your advice to the people of this local government and Lagosians at large on the 22 October local government election?
Twenty-two October is a date with destiny, my people should all come out and fulfil that choice for once the PDP is giving them. We have boycotted it in the past and are no longer boycotting it. We are asking all sons and daughters of Somolu as well as all eligible voters to come out and chase the so-called anti-people ACN out of Somolu and the state.
—Paul Sanusi