Alhaji Lateef Bakare, former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of

Nigeria Wire and Cable is among the 18  Gubernatorial aspirants jostling to

occupy Okefia Government House come 2011 under the platform of Peoples'

Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state. He is a chartered  Accountant by

profession . He was part of the inner caucus in 

the struggle of the revalidation of June12,1993  acclaimed electoral victory

of Bashorun M.K.O Abiola,In this interview with our Correspondent,SEFIU

AYANBIMPE,Bakare described Osun state as a very urbanized state with  a

cluster of people in urban centres.Excerpts:

Q: Why are your posters not seen in the town vis-a-vis your public

declaration like other aspirants?

A: The issues of posters and public declaration are very germane questions.

But for everything you are doing, there should be time for everything. I

have asked my people whether they have seen any posters in neighbouring Oyo

State, Kwara state etc,on two issues, there are two ways to it, what we have

at the moment is the party primary, the  second aspects of it is national

guidelines of the party. It is just like you want to graduate from

university and there must  be time for every stage of education. For us, we

are consulting as well as talking to our stakeholders and we are still

waiting for the tribunal verdict on the governorship petition before it. Our

own programmes will come out at appropriate time. When I look at  our

programmes for declaration, I feel great myself. By the time we do our

declaration people will  marvel. In terms of  politics, Osun has a

peculiarity; the informal sector in Osun is very high.

Q: There is no doubt that you have brilliant manifestoes.  How do you want

to assure us that eventually if you are put  into power, you will implement

everything?

A: When you advise people, it’s slightly different from when the idea is

coming from you. I tell you I was involved with  the citizen energy group –

a cassava initiative, it was a group from America that came to Nigeria which

they can  produce 90 things from leave to the root and in consultation with

federal government, they map out the handed over of  cassava to the ministry

of agriculture. If I were them, I would not hand it over to the ministry but

I will set up new  programme that called sufficient linkage effect, the

ministry will only handle cassava success only. As a chief  executive, you

will be able to follow through your objectives successfully. For instance,

that cassava initiative will work  well in the state because everywhere in

the state consumed cassava. Osun is rated best in growing of cassava in

this  country because cassava open high a peculiar thing, that is why,it is

important, if you leave cassava for six months on  the ground, it will not

spoil, you can not leave yam when it is ripe, it will start decay. We can

now link the cassava  production with free trade zone where chicks would be

produced, gum produced for export. We can produce many  things from cassava.

When we were doing Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) of World Bank, I

have told  the shoganis government that the critical failure of ADP at that

time was because it thought everybody in the rural  areas are farmers which

was not, instead to think that in the community to live well, we must have

other professionals. We  would look into holistic planning of our community.

For implementation, we will handle it with multi faceted impact,  probably,

we will create a special unit and we are not going to have many of such,

such unit will be inter – ministerial  to deal with such special project.

Q: Can you tell me how much you have invested in your party?

A:I have invested alot in my great party

Q:As somebody that has been involved in Nigeria projects for years vis a vis

osun state.some section of the state have said that the current

administration of Governor Oyinlola is a failure,I want your reaction  to

this position?

A: You know there is a Yoruba proverbs that says "in the presence of your

rival, you child will not be big”. The statement  is an anomally. What the

present governor was doing on Osun, I liken it to be theory of tea cup, it

is my own  personal theory of tea cup, I told some people that when you own

the tea cup, you never value it until the day it broken,  then you will know

that you can not use your hand to drink hot tea. Within the limit of the

resources of Osun state,our own focus is on the economic empowerment of Osun

people because I know that it is the only way out, the state that collect

N2.3 billion and have a total of sum of Internally Generated Revenue of N500

million, means you are living with aggregate of  N3 billion and have salary

to pay of over N1.5 billion and Osun is the only state in this country that

had a  preponderance of Grade level 15 officers as school teachers, both

primary and secondary schools,that is the problem.  Now, I am from Ilesha,

the number of secondary schools we have in Ijesa land are more than most of

the states except in the  south,look at Ife, Osogbo, Iwo, Ede, Igbomina side

and those are the real problem and that is why I say look what  we have to

do for development is programme that would bring about quantum link about

our IGR in such that in 2 years,if we are able to grow our IGR. In the first

year in office, we may not able to do anything but by the end of second

year,  we will grow our IGR into N1 billion. We will make our recurrent

expenditure at the minimum and also have enough  money to be able to do

capital investment.  Free trade zone and Airport projects are not a grant,

if the federal  government will take over it tomorrow, it is a different

case, they will pay for it but it is Osun State government that is  paying

today. Also, the rural electrification project that is going on, they are

all means of developing the state.

Q: As a chieftain of PDP, with the kind of position we are in this country

today, that we have a president produce by  that party which is presently in

communicado and nobody knows where he is, what are you doing to let us know

what  is happening to our president and the country?

A:I believe Nigeria has a federal structure and as a party, the party

controls the majority at the national  assembly, we can not allow the

situation to degenerate and our Acting President has mandated with full

power to  operate, people here are not sensitive enough to know whatever

happen, our president is family man, is human being  that also represent a

race and ethnic entity in this country, so whatever we are doing, we must

also understand the  sensitivity of this situation and this picture is to

move the country forward. On the issue of Mr. President, the event will

take care of itself, that is the position of the party I believe in a

realistic way, that is the thing we can do because  everybody knows in 1998,

the rotational formular was rolled out in order to move this country forward

because of what  happened in June 12, 1993. Now, there is an exigency. My

appeal is to understand the sensitivity of this situation  which to balance

the ethnic of the country.

Q : The other time you said politics in Nigeria is dirty and you are seen as

a refined person, how do you think you can  marry your refined and humble

gentle person with the type of politics practised in the country?

A:  Our organization has been known for non – violence in whatever we do, we

don’t carry thugs. Once people identify  us with that they would probably

not bring violence to us and I believe that God will help us come 2011 when

I become  the governor of this state, we will eliminate violence and even in

our own little way,we have programme that  we are doing to stop menance.We

take these youths to NDE to train them, we would then equip them. Anybody

that is  working will not go out and carry cutlass because of N500. We would

use that measure to take people away from  thugery.

Q: About 18 aspirants warning up for the governorship seat, what will happen

to your manifestoes in case you were  not picked as the party flag bearer?

A: I, Lateef Akande Bakare, I am a greater stakeholder in Nigeria than some

of these people who are mongering this  ugly rumour around, I believe in

corporate existence of Nigeria, in that corporate existence, it is also a

firm believe  that Yoruba as a nation must play its role in the comity of

tribes that made up Nigeria and I also believe that we should  not be in the

opposition , I want us to be in the mainstream of Nigeria politics. Whether

governor or no governor, that  does change my vision. I will support anybody

that is put there by my party. If we don’t have governor that is  cool

headed like our present governor, there will be crisis. We have teeming

young people who have no  work and we have a programme to this effect, that

programme is a collaborating effort. If we have somebody who  does not care

as a governor, it would not be easy, that is the time we will know the price

of peace. Whenever I sit  back and look at what some of us have contributed

in terms of ideas in the last 20 years to 25 years. I wrote my  proposal for

revitalizing Nigeria economy in 1984 and I keep looking at the various

programme and I say look, if we  are opportuned to implement this thing we

can not be where we are. Nobody wants to work again because of oil money

and our populations today have increased geometrically. I believe what we

need to do is sectorial orientation in all  sector of the economy and

Nigeria at large.

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More news From Osun:By Sefiu Ayanbimpe

ASSEMBLY ASPIRANT TASKS IFE/IJESA ON UNITY....

...... as students advice osun PDP

Eminent personalities from  Ife/Ijesa zone have been working round the

clock to have a common front and formidable candidate for gubernatorial race

for the general election come 2011 in osun state.

A House of Assembly aspirant,Mr kenneth Opebiyi has tasked the people from

the zone on unity so as to help them to produce a vibrant candidate for 2011

guber election.

Mr Opebiyi made the admonition while speaking with our correspondent in

Osogbo against the backdrop of political proliferation of interests in the

area said that it is the atmosphere of unity and peace that Ife/Ijesa zone

can regain its lost glory in osun politcs.

His words"we could only have not be cheated politically in Osun come 2011,if

we can unite and produce a credible and sellable candidate through unanimous

decision".

The aspirant who is Ilesa born politician stressed that the clerics and

kabiyesi should be deeply involved in selecting the best candidate for the

senatorial district and therefore commends His Imperial Majesty,Oba Okunade

Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife for his royal contribution towards political

sustainability of the state.

Opebiyi who wants to represent  Ilesa East Local Government in the state

House of Assembly under the  platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)

advised the people of his constituency to rally round the party  and eschew

violence for the sake of  peace and tranquility.

He also commended Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola for his giant stride in the

governance of the state since almost seven years he has been in power

especially on the area of education and infrastructural development.

Meanwhile,a coalition of students under the aegis of Iyiola Omisore Students

Coalition has urged the leadership of ruling PDP in the state to create a

level play ground for all the aspirants eyeing the governorship seat in the

party for next general election.

This was contained in a press release issued after their monthly meeting in

Ikirun and signed by its chairman,Comrade Rauf Sola Alabelewe.

Comrade Alabelewe noted it is important for the party to allow the aspirants

to test their popularity and strength in order to help the party field a

sellable candidate that will enjoy the total support of people of the state.

He adviced the party not to support any kind of anti democratic tendencies

that will not allow an all-involving participation of the party faithful in

picking the candidates for elective position.

According to the group,they described Senator Iyiola Omisore as a Political

Icon with intimidating credentials that good for him to lead the state come

2011.

They however promised to work assidiously to mobilize people of the state

for the rulling peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to have landslide victory in

the forthcoming election.

OYINLOLA GHARGES MEDIA PRACTITIONER TO BE

NEUTRAL ON 2011 ELECTION

Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has charged Nigerian

journalists to be neutral as the 2011 general elections approach.

Prince Oyinlola who made the call today at the opening ceremony of the 2010

Press Week of the Osun State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists

(NUJ), held at the Press Centre, Osogbo, stated that free and fair election

also depended on the non-partisanship of the media in the country.

He urged Nigerian journalists to be fair in their dealings with all

political aspirants irrespective of their party affiliation.

Speaking through his representative at the occasion, Mr. ‘Goke Omigbodun,

the governor stated that the media also constituted an important factor in

the task of conducting free and fair election.

According to him, with the commitment and assurance of the INEC chairman,

Professor Attahiru Jega on credible elections next year, media practitioners

in the country should also lend helping hands to the activities of the

electoral umpire by being fair and non-partisan in their reports.

“As the Fourth Estate of the Realm, the nation expects so much from you at

this crucial moment of our national life. The political atmosphere is

gradually becoming charged as politicians jostle for relevance in the

forth-coming 2011 general elections. You are quite aware of the efforts of

the present administration in ensuring free, fair and credible elections.

“This is a national challenge which must be accurately dissected by all

stakeholders. As the watchdog of the society, the press must conduct itself

in a way to complement the efforts of the INEC and law enforcement agencies,

in ensuring that all votes  count in the forth-coming

elections”, the governor stated.

Chairman of the occasion, Chief John Odeyemi, also commended journalists in

the country for keeping the government on its toes by ‘exposing the ills’

and ‘reporting the good and bad’ of governance, especially in the absence of

credible and viable opposition party.

Earlier, Chairman, Osun State Council of NUJ, Mr. Ismaila Ayodele, called on

the federal government to double up its efforts in providing adequate

security for lives and property of the citizenry, saying ‘our members have

lately become endangered species’

“The recent ugly kidnapping scenario was sad and uncalled for. Security of

lives and property all over Nigeria must be guaranteed. Besides, we demand

for credible elections in the forth-coming polls, because that is the only

way credibility and integrity could be brought to governance”, Ayodele

stated.

DON’T FORGET YOUR ROOT-MONARCH CHARGES NIGERIANS

A prominent Traditional ruler in Osun state,the Timi of Ede,Oba Munirudeen

Adesola Lawal has urged Nigerians not to forget their roots and contribute

to the development of their hometowns. Oba Lawal gave the charged during "Ipedi" festival in Ede , noting that many Nigerians do forget their roots after becoming successful in life.‘Ipedi” festival is one of the four major festivals in ancient town of Ede which symbolizing the royal blessing of new yam and official permission for the people of the town to display and eat new yam. Other major festivals in the ancient town are Egungun(masquerade), Sango and Orisa Nla festivals. while speaking in his palace, Oba Lawal noted that the rapid development of

any town is a joint responsibility of the government and the people of the town, and town’s people within and outside, should give back to their hometown.

The  monarch explained that “Ipedi” festival “is our forefather’s

festival that unites all people in the town irrespective of religion, sex or ethnic

background. The festival is to bring new yam to markets .It holds

every July.People are free to eat yam after the festival. It is also

to know how developed the town is  as the monarch, during the festival

always moves round the town to access its development”.

“The festival also serves as a remembrance of our forefathers. The

monarch always visits the three routes through which our forefathers

entered Ede. The routes are  “Ojoro”(near Muslim Grammar School,Abere

road), “Abogunde” (along Awo road) and “Ile Bode (along the Federal

Polytechnic road).At each route, kola nuts and a goat are offered to

thank and appease our forefathers. Prayers are offered for peaceful

reign of Timi and rapid development of  Ede”, he explained.

Hundreds of people paid homage to Timi at the palace and all places

visited by him during the festival.

Some citizens of the town like Mr. Bakare Adewale,Alhaji Fatai

Oyewale, Mrs. Oyindamola Ayinde ,Alhaji Dosu Babarinde ,Mr. Kazeem

Olabisi  expressed delight at the resurrection of the festival

,commending Oba Lawal for making efforts in turning the annual

festival to an international event.