By Olubunmi Omoogun – The morning they say tells you what the day will look like. This distinguished honourable hit the ground running immediately he was sworn in in June 2015, mapping out strategies to specifically alleviate the suffering of its constituents. Serving people require steadfastness, being up and doing and putting the voters/electorates first.
And so there can be no denial of the sterling performance of this honourable and distinguished man. This naturally and very well so made him a first choice candidate to represent his beloved Akure South/Akure North federal constituency in the House of Representative.
Hon. Afe Olowookere didn’t just have the title of an honourable in front of his name. He earned it. The people knew that having served as a House of Assembly member during the Governor Adebayo Adefarati regime in Ondo state and later Senior Special Assistant on due process under Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s first term, if given the opportunity to serve on a bigger scale, this time in Abuja he will not disappoint his beloved people of Akure. In less than a few months as House of Representative member, the people are feeling the immense value of the reason he was voted to represent them. They are seeing visible and tangible returns on the votes they casted in the last election. There’s a certain novelty in the approach in the way he Honourable has prioritise the dividends of democracy to his people. Among the Community Development Projects he has embarked on is the community motorised borehole at Oke Aro, in Akure, the Ondo state capital. Only recently Hon. Afe Olowookere commissioned two Constituency offices at Oba Ile and Iju/Itaogbolu which will carter for that axis in Akure North. This has immediately created five jobs for the youths of that axis. While Iju/Itaogbolu axis will be glad to have four of their youths as staff to attend to the people in that area. A novel thing that caught the eye of everyone is the presentation of appointment letters to the staff of the constituency offices.
The job is daunting but he is resolute. His well horned innate capacity for service is fast finding a great expression currently in the Nigeria’s House of Representative of the National Assembly with his prompt presentation of the motion imploring the Federal authority to urgently make good the bad portions of the roads linking Ondo state. Weeks ago his voice was strong on nipping kidnapping activities in Ondo and Ekiti states in the bud and the promotion/pursuance of other people friendly programmes. He is a gentleman politician that has strong connection with the people in his constituency. Hon. Afe Olowookere, an old boy of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife, Osun state, Southwest Nigeria recently spoke to AfricanVoice Newspaper’s Olubunmi Omoogun.
AFV: Judging by your antecedents, you have always being an apostle of due process, capacity building and firing people’s mindset about doing the right things. Buhari is going towards this direction. What are your perspectives on this?
Hon. Olowookere: Let me say that it is the right thing at this particular time. Because Nigerians have long missed it. You will recollect the short time Buhari and Idiagbon were in charge in this country was the only time Nigerians were been organised to conduct themselves in the right way and manner to do the right things. This concept of observing due process manifested the right character and attitude in Nigerians but unfortunately the IBB regime abruptly brought an end to that regime. IBB regime corrupted Nigerians socially and morally and we lost all the gains that were achieved under Buhari and Idiagbon. And so people went back to their old ways of doing things with impunity; exhibiting negative culture and practice. I want to believe that the conscious effect by this new government to sensitize us again and make us see things the right way. The corruption is endemic because people have not embrace the culture of doing things the right way. Nigerians need to imbibe right values, strong culture and practice. Corruption doesn’t start and ends with issue of money. It is in all spheres of our lives. So the new orientation and consciousness courtesy of Buhari is the right tonic we need now that will give us the desire change we all clamoured for.
AFV: You have shown that you are responsible to the people and I think that was what aided your success at the primaries and the main election that brought you here. What do you think we should do more for the politicians to be responsive to the yearning of the people?
Hon: Well, I just want to say that to make our politicians and public office holders to be more responsive and responsible to the people, we need to ensure that our electoral system and process are well organised and strengthened such that it will always produce credible, responsible, quality and qualified representatives into political positions. Secondly, the people themselves must be organised and discipline their minds. They must also resist the temptation of putting forward people with biggest purse or make the positions cash and carry. Then it would be easy for the people to hold the office
holders accountable. The real power resides with the people as democracy is government of the people by the people and for the people. If truly you derive the mandate from the people then you will do the right by them. And this will guide your actions. So the people definitely need to downplay the role of money in competition for positions.
When we were in the House of Assembly during the AD era. Those of us that contested and won that free and fair elections were the first set of the current political dispensation. During that time there was no rigging of election in any form. It was transparent. The system was not corrupted like we have now. I valued that mandate so much so that every last Thursday of the month I report to my constituency in a town hall meeting and highlight the programmes and activities of government at the time and I also set aside a period in a year where I give account of my activities in the House which I tagged ‘my stewardship and accountability programme’ because I see the people as the source of the mandate I was enjoying.
AFV: Do you think the President is looking for people with great character, discipline and integrity or why do you think he’s taking long to announce his cabinet?
Hon: It is not taking too long for a journey of 48 months. So if the President takes 3 months to study who he wants to work with is not too bad. After all the President has promised the list will be out this month. Rumours have it that the DSS is screening and doing security checks on some names. The President is actually looking for character, people with impeccable character. The PDP are deficient and they have accepted that so they should keep quiet. Buhari is trying to beat that deficiency in our polity, so he is trying to pick people that have not soiled their hands. He wants a solid and formidable team that will
take Nigeria out of the woods.
AFV: There are words out there that the National Assembly should get cracking with the issues of legislation. Don’t you think that recesses are becoming too much?
Hon: Those that are saying that are not properly informed about our working and duties. People do not understand that our duties and responsibilities do not start and ends at the chambers. It starts from the representation of the people. Representation is the first duty we are here to do. The second duty is making laws and the third is oversight function. You can only be seem to be effective if you do the first duty correctly. You must be able to rub minds with the constituent you represent, know their needs, what they desire. That’s what you will arm yourself with to legislate on. The other two you perform outside of the chambers. For example I was in my constituency in August to flag off three different projects, the 1km light drain, borehole and community town hall project. You can only do these when you are on recess. I have used the recess window to hold several meetings with my party the APC and my constituency where I synergized with them to know their worries and needs. I will then table them in the chambers. For instance, I raised the motion on kidnapping which was rampant in Ondo/Ekiti. Based on this motion moved by my humble self, ondo state now has an anti-kidnapping squad to tackle the menace. And I was able to see first hand the deplorable conditions of the roads between Lokoja and Ondo. All these were done during the recess. Within the short period we have passed 66 motions and 12 Bills have been presented and under consideration.
AFV: Nigeria needs strong institutions. How far will Buhari’s lone integrity take us?
Hon: I want to agree with you that we need to build institutions. Institution is the people. The greatest problem has been the issue of leadership. We still make reference to Murtala short lived government and Buhari/Idiagbon regime, they did things that were fundamental. Buhari will lay the foundation for strong institution. Under the last regime institutions were not allowed to function.
Buhari has led from the front. He declared his assets. He has started cutting costs and blocking leakages. Definitely the followers would have no reason not to follow. We hope it will be sustained and the institutions entrenched. The people should have the consciousness of having values and strong culture. The issue is the mindset of the Nigerian individual. The different between the civilised world and Nigeria is the mindset. Our mindset needs to be reconstructed. We need to instil the right discipline and values. My advised to the President is that the President should maximise his own personal integrity Nigerians are enjoying now and try and correct the mindset of Nigerians.
AFV: APC seems to be a formidable political party in Ondo state today. What are its chances for 2016 guber election?
Hon: Well, it is unfortunate the Labour Party was supposed to be an offshoot of AD and AC. Most of our members joined the Labour party because they were disenchanted with the Agagu government so they wanted a change. They pitched their tent with Mimiko’s Labour party. But we have now seen the true colour of the government of the day in Ondo state and so the battle line has been drawn. However, the strength of APC lies in God. Our God never loses battles. He will not lose this one. It is between David and Goliath. David told Goliath that he comes with the name of God of Israel. God makes things possible. He will make this one possible.
