Speaking exclusively with the News Editor, Nigerian NewsDirect, Uthman Salami, the former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who is the current All Progressives Congress (APC) Candidate for the Federal House of Representatives, Abeokuta South, Honourable Afolabi Moruf Afuape speaks on some of his track records whilst in office. He also speaks about some of the things he will do, once elected as a Federal Lawmaker.
Expatiating further, he believes Nigerians should jettison the debate over a Muslim/Muslim ticket for competence and capacity. Hon. Afuape who’s fondly called ‘Afoo’ by her supporters also believes the government should take the bold step of removing subsidy payment on imported fuel, saying that such payments would continue to drag the development of the critical sector of the country further down the drain. Excerpts:
Many House of Representatives from Abeokuta South but only a few have been able to leave an indelible impact on the people of the constituency. What are you bringing differently on board?
I will not say they have not done their best but there’s always a better way of getting things done. In their way, they did their best. The situation they were in when they contested, you may not be able to compare to what we have now. So, to me, there must be an improvement in the ways things were done.
As a human being, if you set a target for yourself and you can achieve that target, you must try to improve on that target. Look at our young lady who has broken the world record in athletics. There was a standard before as someone had won the champion of that particular competition earlier before she broke it.
But no matter what they have done, I want to commend them, for one to even run in an election, to win and be successful and come back, you must have done one or two things.
Things are changing in Nigeria, we need to be very proactive, and we need somebody that understands the nitty-gritty of Nigeria. When people come out to tell us, maybe because of time duration, they can do this, they can do that, I tend to ask them when you were given a mandate, you knew the number of years you were to spend. If you are a brilliant student and you were given three hours to write a paper but you could not finish within three hours. This means you’re not a brilliant student.
We are going to have a four years term, God willing. I’ve been thinking of some bills to propose. The pure function of a lawmaker is to make laws, no more, no less. All other activities are secondary.
The major thing is lawmaking. What are we doing? Regarding unemployment? There are laws guiding us. What are we doing regarding Old Age benefits? What are we doing regarding our Health Scheme?
I strongly believe that if you don’t deregulate the oil sector, Nigeria cannot move forward. I’m an economist. The government does not have any business in business.
What is expected of a government is to give a policy framework that will make a business thrive. So if we keep on spending huge sums of money on subsidies, and we are expecting a miracle to happen, we’ll be wasting our time as a country.
For instance, Is oil as important as electricity? Electricity covered the entire homes of Nigeria. Some people don’t need electricity. Of course, we need to fuel our cars. Some people have five/ten cars. Some people only need electricity, such as a barber.
We need electricity for daily survival. Can’t we channel the money we are using to subsidise fuel to improve power by providing 24 hours electricity to Nigerians? If we do that, our business will thrive.
All these problems were created by a weak Foreign exchange, today the Dollar is 650, and tomorrow it is 700. What are you expecting? We are not a producing nation. What we are importing is not up to what we exporting.
Once we start producing more, unemployment will go down, social vices, kidnapping, everything will go down, and you get electricity. You can put CCTV cameras everywhere and the security situation can be resolved. Somebody must be able to sit down and say okay, let me propose a bill in this direction.
Isn’t the issue of mistrust between the government and the people the major thing but not the subsidy?
When we started using mobile phones, I bought mine for about N58,000. That was 20 years ago. N58,000 then is more than 580,000 now. That’s the amount I bought my sim card then.
They were being charged per second. Then the competition started, and people started investing in these sims to be free of charge. They will call. They will say we are giving you bonuses. They are doing this. That is the essence of competition.
That is the essence of deregulation. If we deregulate the oil sector the price will initially go up. People will suffer a little bit. But the price will eventually come down. What I’m saying in essence is that if you stop this, you have enough money for people who are clamoring for higher wages.
The last time I checked, in the first quarter of this year, we spent upwards of one trillion on subsidies. Trillions will play a lot of roles for us. A lot of hospitals will be built and ASUU’s strike will be a thing of the past. There’s nowhere in the world where they’re selling fuel at the rate we are selling it in Nigeria.
The government doesn’t have any business in paying for subsidies. Let this thing be determined through the price system. Demand and supply. If this happens, a lot of business people will join in providing the services. if you have the opportunity to have good service.
Yeah, if I’m a barber for instance, and I know I will only have service for three hours, I will tell people, I’m about to open from 7 to 10. I will face it and after that, I switch off my light and I go home. I put something in the freezer. Let me freeze for five hours. I will have switched it off. We continue to manage ourselves.
Because we virtually have everything for free, we are not doing what is expected of us. Some people will bypass the electricity meter. This will prevent the electricity distribution company from ascertaining what is needed for the volume of power required in that area. It won’t be known. When you switch on your Air Conditioning, no one will know it’s reading.
Nigerians are too fraudulent. All of us need to change things. We are all constantly blaming the government whereas the government will not do everything. We need to change our value system. We need to stop worshiping people with ill-gotten wealth.
We cannot continue like that. So we need a legislative arm of government that is also independent and will be able to put the executive arm on its toes and say; this is the way Nigeria should go. And Nigerians appreciate things. Things may be difficult but when they get the result, they will praise you.
A leader will take followers to where they don’t want to be. You have to damn the consequences of it and we must be able to devise what we are bringing on board. What Nigeria needs is food on its tables. What others want is to be able to move freely without being harassed. They want a better economy.
No country will employ everybody. But what we do in Nigeria is that the government is the biggest employer of labor. It’s not supposed to be. We need to encourage small-scale enterprises and industries. One industry can employ about five people; they’re not totally behind this.
How many people live in the government in the developed world? Something should not come free. If it is free, you cannot get results. I agree that primary and secondary school can be free but tertiary education should not be free.
But you can introduce a bill such as a Student Loan and whenever you start to work, you will pay,but can we give loans when we don’t even have the data of Nigerians? Of course, this is improving through the identification number, which cannot be traced to Nigerians. This means we are gradually improving in data collection.
Let students get loans and they will value their education. This is one of the reasons we keep experiencing strikes now and then. And what are we doing? If you don’t invest in education? How will you have the opportunity to carry out research? and University is about research.
Even in both social science and science, there must be an improvement. People must discover new things. If you don’t invest. If you don’t do thorough research, you cannot research because it costs a lot of money.
While reading through your profile, it is boldly written that you were an award-winning lecturer before your sojourn into politics. Do you think the 5-month ASUU strike is justifiable?
I won’t respond to this as a yes or no answer. I will give you some analysis. This is unfortunate. Honestly, what ASUU is asking for is something that can improve the standard of education in Nigeria. My worry is always that if you strike for five years, we still come to terms one day. I want to blame both ASUU and the government. No matter what, if you strike for five years, you will still come to terms one day.
This means you should be able to come to terms. Why waste people’s lives for six months? These are things that harbour criminality and make people engage in what they ought not to engage in. I do tell people, especially when they ask for wages as filing data for more wages, I just laugh, because, to me, it has never solved any problem in this country. If you asked for a wage increase today before you know inflation will eat up the money.
In Nigeria, we provide everything for ourselves. We provide for children to go to private school. Most of us want to go to a private secondary school or a private University; We want to provide our home with water by drilling a borehole; We want to provide housing for ourselves.
All these things may not be affordable for an average individual. If the government had a housing scheme for us, once you get a job after graduation, you should have access to three-bedroom flats and be paying installments. The parent will not be under pressure to be looking for money to build a house.
Nigeria wants to buy land, you’re the one to buy blocks. For how long? One will continue struggling. Abroad, what do they do? they live on credit.
If you do have a car, you buy a bus ticket. You can move from one area to another without any hindrance. All of us want free things in the country and anything too cheap will not be good.
We want free education,free University education. We don’t want to pay Secondary and Primary school education, yes, as a government, we can provide,but when it comes to higher institutions, people should be ready to pay.
How many Nigerians attend University for free abroad? I mean, you pay for it. A lot of Nigerians pay a lot of money for the education of their wards abroad.
A lot of us go for medical checkups abroad in April. You will discover that most of the Doctors that will attend to you are Nigerians and Africans. So what are they lacking here? Equipment? No more, no less. If they had such types of equipment and were well remunerated, there would not be a brain drain.
So we need to look at some bills that can help Nigerians solve these issues. Since we know the problems, we should get a law that will guide against these loopholes. These are the things we have in mind to propose.
We need a new constitution entirely if you look at what we have now. unique. All these amendments might not see the light of the day, Almost all the sections of the constitution are under discussion to be amended. If the constitution requires such a huge amendment why not call for a new constitution? and this could be done in one year or one legislative term.
We will be praying that whoever will lead us will be forward-looking to be able to achieve more as such, everyone will have to work together to achieve this. If you provide brilliant ideas, Nigerians have a way of compensating you. Of course, when I get there, the situation will determine what kind of approach to use and I will make a huge impact.
Nigerians, especially the supporters of the politicians, expect more from their leaders. So beyond the proposition of bills. What are other things you will do when you get there, especially in areas of empowerment?
My understanding of empowerment is a service to humanity, which I’m used to. I am not going to lead them without empowering them, not because of what I will get from going there. That’s what I’m used to. I cannot wake up in a day without seeing people around me. And when they come with one problem or another, they go back with smiles. These are parts of my life. I don’t have problems doing that.
If it takes me to get extra money for them, I will do it. I’m not rich but thank God, I’m a comfortable person. And I’m not the type that wants the world for myself. I don’t believe in too much money. I believe in being comfortable. This will be about my fourth political appointment. one I just finished now.
I was Secretary to the Local Government (SLG), I was Special Adviser to the Hon. Speaker in Abuja, Commissioner first time, and Commissioner second time.
And my followers have been increasing daily. And that I must have been doing something different from other people. So, I will not change my style. That is my style, empowering them, they know. I don’t even use that to campaign for them. They know this. They know that when I get there, the empowerment will flow.
But what will make me different from others is the bill. Any idiot can empower people once you have money. But your intellectual ability to distinguish yourself from others by proposing bills that will impact positively on the lives of Nigerians on the floor of the House is most important to me,that is my target.
I’m used to all these grassroots movements. I don’t even have any problem with all this. I don’t even need to be told. I know what to do and they have confidence in me. If I tell them I don’t have it, they know I don’t have it. They believe in me because I will never lie to them.
I’ve been able to create a niche for myself in that aspect. I don’t think my followers will feel bothered about that at all,but the one that I think will make a mark for me and the whole world to feel my impact is the bills.
All these empowerments, I won’t put them on the internet for people to celebrate me but the breakthrough of any bill should be my name.
Yes.and if I was a lecturer and needed to research and I cannot do something that will show my intellectual ability that means, there is no basis for me going into that office.
Currently, the inflation rate is over 18%. Naira to Dollars is above N700. Do you think your party deserves another chance with the level of economic indices in the country?
Yes, and I will say yes because what we are experiencing in Nigeria today is a global problem. It’s not peculiar to Nigeria. There is no single country now where prices of things are not going up. Tell me? virtually none because that is the way things are now. this is the way things are, nobody prays for it. Nobody wants such things but that is the reality.
The only areas where I think the government could work are the issue of security and discovery and this issue of insecurity, they said cannot be fought with arms. We can fight with technology but without electricity, we cannot do that.
That is why the next government needs to focus heavily on how to provide electricity that will supply 24 hours of uninterrupted power to Nigerians. Once that is done 50 per cent of Nigeria’s problem is solved. When people know that if you commit any crime, you can be traced. People will run away from committing crimes. If you do, and you don’t go scot-free, you will not be committing a crime.
Somebody met the price, maybe about six Naira? They got to about sixty-something Naira, the percentage wise, you will discover that we are still better.
I’m not saying we have gotten the best for Nigeria. By things to be done better, I want to say this administration can still perform better than the PDP regime and we can still get better things done through the person we want to entrust to Nigeria. He has proven himself in Lagos. When you see Babatunde Fashola, you give it back to Asiwaju who discovered him.
On Asiwaju, so many people believe that APC has shot itself in the foot by throwing weight behind Muslim/Muslim tickets. What are your takes on this?
If we continue like this, Nigeria cannot move forward. If you think of competence, it is in the ability to deliver. I don’t discussion on Muslim/Muslim ticket can help solve our problems as a country. Under the Muslim/Christian ticket, Bandits went to church to kill people.
They went to the mosque to kill several others,but we are saying let the people who could do the job, take over. Is there a family who has Muslims with Christians? Some Nigerians don’t even belong to either. What will be their stake in this if we are talking about Muslim/Muslim tickets?
If we can get the best first eleven for the National team should we say they should not and bring on board people who cannot perform? What we should focus on is who can deliver for Nigeria. Asiwaju we can assess him based on what he did in Lagos.
Atiku was Vice President for 8 years, and we can as well read things about Olusegun Obasanjo whom he directly works with. Obi man Anambra for 8 years. Let’s compare their antecedents. You will give it to Asiwaju. He is not only a politician, he is highly intelligent,but Atiku is older than him. For Obi, Where’s the platform for winning? We know in this part of the world, you still need a party that has structure all over the country to help you to win.
Labour Party doesn’t even have any elected position in Ogun State at all. So if they don’t have one, what is going to be a miracle? It is a race between Asiwaju and Atiku. Recently, Osun won Elections with both Christians/Christian tickets. Why not leave religion out of this? Even in PDP, there is a quota system in Nigeria and a zoning system in the constitution of their party.
If it comes to the North 8 years, let it come to the South. Buhari, From the Northern Part of Nigeria, is about to wrap up his tenure and you still want to retain the power to the Northern part again. That’s what the PDP is presenting to us but no one is saying that. What they are seeing is a Muslim/Muslim ticket. For me, what’s important is who can deliver. Who can rescue Nigeria?
Former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, and the current Governor, Dapo Abiodun are not working together which is almost similar to what happened in Osun State. Don’t you think what happened in Osun State might repeat itself in Ogun State?
Well, we will continue to beg our people,we need everyone on board, but because one is not around, a congregation will not be full to the brim is a conjecture meant to scare each other. In the last dispensation, all their people worked against us. Yet, God proved himself to us,and we won the election. Ibikunle Amosun did not work for Dapo Abiodun. Akinlade did not work for Dapo Abiodun, Ladi and all of them worked together yet we were vindicated,we won the election.
At the time, GNI was not with us, but he’s with us today and a lot of people have joined the party. Nevertheless, we want everyone to salvage this party and we want to appeal to our people that all of them are important in this project. Like my former boss, Ibikunle Amosun earlier pledged, we will work for Yoruba Lokan.
We will work for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but ,what will be the essence of working for Tinubu and then taking the state to that of the opposition? All the issues will be resolved. The two of them are my bosses,though they may have their issues, it is not more personal than political.
Almost four years down the lane, what could you say was the greatest achievement of the administration under the Ministry you held?
I want to appreciate the good people of Ogun State who allowed us to serve them. Without the opportunity given to Dapo Abiodun, I wouldn’t be able to have served the people in this capacity. This office exposes me to a lot of things. We have improved the way we select the Obaship in the State. A lot of issues that I’ve created over the years, we have been able to resolve.
Once we have a vacancy, we fill it with immediate effect by following due process. We have been able to come up with the new Obas law. We have been meeting regularly and engaging them on how to make things done and they have been my searchlight. Telling me, the path to follow especially the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the present Chairman of the Council of Oba, Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, my father here, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo as well as my big brother from Yewaland, Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle.
In terms of Local Government administration, I had a target, which I was not able to complete. Initially, when I came on board, I had hoped to have Local Government projects in the 236 wards of Ogun State,but we have been able to achieve 156. I intended to continue. During the caretakers’ period, we did a minimum of three projects in different wards within each Local Government and all put together, we have been able to have 156 projects.
But the government promised to help us because he has been the one that helps us with the funding since funding has been a major problem for the Local Government and we have not been able to have access to money because of the dwindling resources. Since it’s going to be a grant, there’s little we can do. I know the government has approved but we are looking for funding. If we can get the funding, we can make the target a reality.
What we have left is less than 100. So if we can do maybe another 3/5 projects in all the wards in each of the Local Governments, we will surpass the target. This was my target but I’ve achieved 156. Although I’ve resigned from my appointment, the government is continuous. Whoever comes after me, will continue from there.
When people talk about Local Government autonomy and funding, I do tell them, I’ve been here for the past two years or more,but we have not received any allocation that will be sufficient enough to take care of the local government. The first line charges, we have never been so lucky to have it. We have been living hand to hand.
When someone did a paid advert saying that we collected so much but we squandered it. I went to my record and I saw the man had a brilliant submission but not a clever one,and I explained then that what he claimed we earned is almost the same thing as my record but he never thought of the salaries. We have never owned salaries. I’ve been owing salaries to primary school teachers, Local Government staffers, the traditional rulers, Local Government pensioners, etc.
I have challenged him to tabulate the expenditure, place it with our earnings and report it back to the people of Ogun State. Till now, I’ve not received any feedback from him. Just because we want to be Governor doesn’t mean we should be giving ourselves wrong information. We must be able to put the record straight.
I challenged that by saying if he were a Governor, he would not be paying salaries? We have thrived in the Local Government in the state but we are not there yet. If I could get the 236 projects, I could come out openly, with a shoulder-high expectation that yes, I’ve achieved what any other government has not achieved in the history of the country.