Tinubu/Shettima, a fantastic combination for greater Nigeria —Otunba Abayomi Odunowo, National Chairman, AATSG

…Otunba Abayomi Odunowo is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State and National Chairman of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu Support Group (AATSG)

In this interview by Bankole Taiwo, the 2019 Governorship Candidate of Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) speaks on the imperatives of Tinubu’s presidency as well as the need to reward Gov Dapo Abiodun’s excellent achievements with another term come 2023 among other topical issues. Excerpts

Let’s have a bit about you sir

Am a politician from Ijebu Ode here in Ogun State. I did contested for the Governorship ticket of the state under Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) back then in 2011 but it was given to Sen. Ibikunle Amosun. I also contested for the Senate seat of Ogun East under Labour Party in 2015 while I was the Governorship candidate of Green Party of Nigeria in 2019. I have however since returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) . I was at a time Senior Special Adviser on Environment to former Gov. Ibikunle Amosun during his first time but I had to resigned two years into the government when I felt that the Governor wasn’t working to terms with what we promised the electorates. Anyway, that is in the past, I am currently the National Chairman of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu Support Group (AATSG). And our mandate is simple; to mobilise 50 million people across the 36 States and FCT, Abuja to vote for Tinubu Presidency come 2023

..And how have you been going about that target?

We have our strategies mapped out with at least 10 members of this our dear formidable group at each of the polling unit across the federation. Do not also forget that the mobilisation for this project started before the primary when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who I am very confident, that, by the grace of God, is the next president of this country was not even given the chance of picking this presidential ticket but the rest now is history as we use to say.

Before the Presidential primary, we had set out to inaugurate the leadership of the group across the six geo-political zones after which we then have that of the State, Local Government and ward level. We had done that of the North East in Maiduguri and that of the Southwest at Ijebu Ode but we had to suspend the rest to battle the rigour of the primaries and now that we are done with primaries, work will commence in that direction anytime from now. Chief Mrs Folashade Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Lagos State is our Grandpatron, Sen. Kashim Shettima, now the running mate to our Principal is the Chairman, Board of Trustees and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former Governor of Ogun State is one of our BOT members from the Southwest..

…(cuts in) Why are you so particular about Tinubu’s Presidency?

Anybody that wants Nigeria to take its rightful place in Africa and indeed, the whole world won’t think it twice to queue behind Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Presidency. This is a man who after becoming the Governor of Lagos State sat down and drew 50 years projection plans for the state. And few years after, Lagos State is the fifth largest economy in the world, our unrepentant support for Tinubu’s Presidency is borne out of the fact that this seasoned politician and great manager of men and resources has the competency and capability to deliver and surpass our expectations. Ordinarily, if I were to be guided by a parochial or personal interest and not the bigger national interest like some people, I should not be mobilising support for Asiwaju because in 2011, he single-handedly took the ACN Governorship ticket from me and gave it to Sen. Ibikunle Amosun but hey, here we are talking of a better Nigeria and this is the man that can do it. He is a special being if you don’t know. I have gone across the country and some of the things I heard this man had done are quite mind-blowing..I can tell you confidently that the new Nigeria we had all clamoured for will emerge under Tinubu’s Presidency

What do you say about people’s concern for Tinubu’s age and health status; many feared that these might slow down a lot of things under his administration?

None of us will remain young forever and arguably it is not a crime to grow old, the man’s thinking faculty is still there, very intact. Don’t forget that Asiwaju is a team builder, he has his visions and then look carefully around to spot those good hands that can get the job done for him, he’s someone so endowed with putting the round peg in a round hole and you will see results trickling in. And as for his health, Asiwaju is fine and good. Don’t we also get sick as young as we are and then go for medical care? We are all human beings and can fall sick at anytime, we are all in the hands of God, the person who you think will not die in the next 30 years can just fall and die next year while the one who you think won’t see December might go ahead to live for more than 30 years, so, people should stop playing God. Asiwaju is not incapacitated in with demand for good governance, competence  than whipping up religion sentiment, luckily, Asiwaju’s religion tolerance is not hidden or else he would not have allowed his wife to be an ordained Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, so the Christians have nothing to fear. The rights and privileges of every one as guaranteed under the Nigerian constitution is fully assured. The combination of Tinubu and Shettima is really a fantastic combination that will enhance the greatness of this country. The antecedents of the two great leaders speak volumes, it’s in the public domain.

Are you aware that many Nigerians are quite not happy with the current APC administration under President Buhari and are eager for something better after this regime?

What our people don’t understand is that when building a house, the first thing to do is to lay the foundation but at this level you don’t seem to appreciate what is being done until the buildings are emerging, taking shapes, then you begin to see what is being done. This is what the administration of President Buhari had been doing but that is not to say that the government is not having challenges in security and economy. And given the debilitating effect of Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted the global economy, one wouldn’t say that Buhari’s government has not done well. The haters and oppositions in their characteristics manner may want to be twisting things, but I am telling you that the foundation for greater things to come for the country had been laid and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will build a more virile and buoyant nation on it

And what is your take on governance under Gov. Dapo Abiodun and his quest for another term?

Gov. Dapo Abiodun has done fantastically well, it is very obvious because you can see him making impressive investment in the critical sectors of infrastructure, health, education, housing, agriculture and so on. For instance, in the areas of road construction, he has not only completed those that were abandoned by the former governor, Sen Ibikunle Amosun but he has initiated new ones and completed them like the Ijebu Ode-Epe expressway, the newly reconstructed Sagamu-Siun-Abeokuta road and several others. One other distinguishing factor about this government of Gov. Dapo Abiodun is that he had ensured that the projects are distributed across the state unlike the immediate past governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun who only concentrated his energy in developing a section of the state, Ogun central. This is totally unacceptable because Ogun State is not only made of Ogun central. The former Governor, Amosun left what ought to be done for what ought not to be done building so many bridges that were not necessary when his intervention on say Ilaro-Owode Yewa road would have made so much difference in the life of the people of those areas. I can tell you for free that Gov. Dapo Abiodun’s achievements in just three years have exceeded Amosun’s achievements in eight years because the footprints of Abiodun’s good jobs are all over the state. Remember that, this man, Gov. Abiodun had only two years to work because of the devastating effects of Covid-19 pandemic. He is good enough for another term. He is a miracle worker given what he had achieved so far, I know what I am saying.. the Governor honestly is a perfect gentleman, he is even not talking about so many things…

Another grouse of the people as touching Tinubu’s Presidency is the Muslim-Muslim ticket..

Politics is not religion, the two should not be mixed up and as a politician my aim is to win an election, I will therefore weigh all the options before me and go for that which will give me the results that I want. This is a situation that cannot be helped and not because of anything. I just begged that we should not allow anybody to use religion to divide us, religion and governance are two separate things. Didn’t we have MKO Abiola and Bamanga Tukur as Muslim-Muslim tickets in 1993? We should rather be concerned