Guardian

• PDP Not Dead In Ogun

Mr. Kayode Amusan, two-term Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member of the House of Representatives from Ogun State in the last dispensation, spoke to NIYI OLAJIDE on national issues, particularly the political situation in the country, and in Ogun.

YOU have been very silent on national issues since you finished your two terms at the National Assembly; how has life been and what are your present preoccupations?

I have since returned to the business community from where I left temporarily to serve and represent the interest of my people in Abuja for eight years.

I was a successful businessman before going to the House of Representatives and while there, I lived a life of moderation and I was not in any circumstances controversial, so coming back to do what I knew best has not changed anything in me.

The only change is that I have to devote more time to ensure that the business outfits are in good shape under good management. However, those who held fort for me while I was away did wonderfully well.

The only challenge I had on my return was that of expansion and consolidation. I found out that every business needs adequate attention and supervision for it to grow and stabilise.

Could this mean you have left the political terrain for good?

No, I am still very much active in politics; it is a constituency in which I have actively belonged to for eight years and in which I am still very relevant. The only significant difference is that if the eight years I spent in Abuja had been spent overseeing my business, the pressure I have on me now would have been lesser.

As a representative for Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode/Odeda Federal Constituency, I am already entrenched in the grassroots, local and federal politics. Having seen the beauty and fulfillment in serving people, I am still very much ready to serve when the need arises. I still want to do more than the economic empowerment programmes and community projects that God gave me the opportunity to do for the period I spent in the National Assembly.

Presently, except I am out of the country, there is hardly a weekend that I don’t join my people in Ogun State to consult and hold several community and political meetings on how the state, the various local governments, communities and individuals can move forward. I personally participate in programmes and activities that are in the interest of the people.

PDP is not in control of Ogun State; have you observed any changes in the system of governance?

A very vigilant observer will note that the state is presently very rough, as a result of wild and outrageous projects that are ironically anti-people. I mean projects that have destroyed the people’s cultural heritage and ancestral values.

While I am not against physical developments, I will not subscribe to those, which costs are at the expense of people’s welfare and social needs. Any project that has been commissioned in the state today, no matter its smallness, costs billions of naira.

Like a movie, helpless citizens of the state on a daily basis watch their properties, shops, monuments and legacies leveled by bulldozers. People are angry, disappointed and disillusioned.

The question is that the costs of contracts and projects are so big, enough to build a new town and even business districts. The state is naturally blessed with materials like quarries and sand and yet, contract for a six-kilometre road costs billions of naira. I see this as capital flight and financial recklessness.

At the time the PDP government transformed Lalubu Street in Oke-Ilewo area of the state capital, only house fences were affected and they were compensated. The standard roads and drainages are still there, to the glory of God.

Does the PDP have the strength to regain control in the 2015 general elections?

I want you to appreciate the fact that the same populace that supported and saw us to victory before are still very much on the ground. Politics and elections are not static; a lot of changes take place in political time frames and tenures.

You will remember that only two political parties dominate American politics. It could be Republicans today or Democrats tomorrow. The electorate is the determinant of a political party’s victory at the polls.

People have always had the impression that the PDP is dead in Ogun. While I’m not surprised is that the same was said of the ruling party while we were in government. How can a political party that ruled a state and controlled its resources for eight years suddenly go into extinction?

Ogun State PDP is re-organising its house, mending fences and blocking all the cracks in its wall to make itself bigger, stronger and formidable for the next elections. I can assure you that very soon, all the wrangling in the party, both at the national and state levels, will be a thing of the past, as the party is busy doing a lot of reconciliations.

As an association of human beings, there are bound to be angers, disagreements and inordinate ambitions on the part of some members. I remain a bona fide member of the PDP, the largest political party in black Africa.

AS an opinion leader, what are your worries over the socio-economic situation in the country?

We are almost overwhelmed by numerous societal and economic problems and the most saddening is the fact that rather than getting solutions to them, they seem larger than what the government and the relevant agencies can control.

I, therefore, see this as a challenge for every patriotic Nigerian to join hands with the government to bring the situation to normalcy. It is more worrisome that our youths feature prominently in all these crimes and vices and the reason for this should be hanged on unemployment.

I am greatly disturbed by the state of insecurity in the country. Except for the indiscriminate killings and use of explosives in the northern section of the country, which are strange to Nigerians, every nook and cranny of the country is under the siege of criminals. There is lawlessness, militancy, abductions and kidnappings for ransoms; vandalism and economic sabotage; and robberies, murders and assassinations. Just name it; they are everywhere!

Corruption has assumed the endemic status of the dreaded HIV disease; corrupt practices in high places have almost destroyed the economic psyche of the country. The rate at which public money in government coffers are stolen, misappropriated and laundered is alarming and ridiculous.

If the government does not act fast and take hard measures against those involved in these sharp practices, the country will be sitting at the edge of a crevasse.

Imagine what some individuals did with the proceeds from oil subsidy removal and the Police pensions; it is highly disappointing that these individuals are yet to be convicted and penalised.

A country in this situation can hardly progress; its citizens will lack education, social amenities, adequate healthcare and feeding while its huge resources will be in the hands of few greedy individuals.

What can the government do to save the situation?

The Federal Government has to be decisive in its anti-corruption policies. The issue of plea-bargaining for politicians and leaders, who misused public money, should be reviewed. It takes stricter and harder steps to combat corruption because it has become hydra-headed.

This is also a test case for the National Assembly. To make Nigerians have confidence in the legislative arm of government, they should make concerted legislation to review the laws of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) so that they can be strong enough to nail and punish culprits.

I remember that while I was in the House of Representatives, I tried to amend the EFCC laws to accommodate death penalty for offenders but it did not go far because the effort met stiff opposition from my colleagues and I was a lone voice among 360 members.

My suggestion then was borne out of the encounter I had in the Republic of China when I was part of a delegation to understudy the country’s legislature. It was there I found out that China achieved rapid economic growth because its revenue and resources do not go into wrong hands. Anyone caught for corrupt practices faces the death penalty.

HOW does the government tackle youth unemployment? The federal, state and local administrations should address the issue of unemployment with commitment, passion and sincerity. The devil finds work for the idle hand is a common adage.

Unemployed youths are more into criminal activities. We understand that it is a universal problem but some countries affected have designed programmes and economic activities to ameliorate it.

Vocational and skill acquisition centres should be created to give practical training to youths, even graduates, on skills that can make them earn a living. A society that does not train its youths is investing in restiveness.

What about insecurity, particularly insurgency, in the country?

In the area of insecurity, the Federal Government should apply diplomacy and intelligence in dealing with the Boko Haram saga.

I personally don’t see amnesty as a solution to the problem; you cannot give amnesty to a group that is still faceless. Who are we discussing with in the first place?

The case of the Niger Delta militants could be appreciated. Asari-Dokubo, Tompolo, Boyloaf and their likes sat with the government representatives to discuss. I will suggest that government mounts pressure on those behind the group to show up without masks and discuss with government.

No one is happy about the carnage that is going on in the country; it is a total dimension from a war.

As we look towards 2015, what is your advice to the Nigerian electorate?

We should learn from the mistakes of the past. The electorate should take time to investigate and ask questions about candidates. They should be curious about their backgrounds and achievements.

They should find out what such a candidate has been able to do for his or herself in life before coming into politics to make money they want to use for the rest of their lives. This is why they see it as a ‘do-or-die affair.’

Politics should not be a full-time business; politicians should still be relevant in their chosen areas of human endeavour so that by the time they are out of it, they can be relevant in the society.

What would you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as an apostle of politics without bitterness and a protagonist of socio-economic development of a dear nation, while my role in human capacity development of my people should not be forgotten easily.