Engineer Wale Ajani, former Director-General, Oyo State Liaison Office has given reason he would do better if given ticket to run for 2023 general election.
Ajani stated this over the weekend while meeting with the South West Guild of Online Publishers (SWEGOP) to discuss way forward on national issues.
Ajani, an engineer and lawyer was a pioneer National President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), 2023 Oyo Central Senatorial Aspirant and immediate Past Director General, Oyo state Liaison Office in Abuja and Lagos.
In this interview with Livetimes9ja, Ajani spoke on other sundry issues.
Excerpts:
You were first an Engineer before going to study Law; what motivated you into that?
Why I decided to move from Engineering to Law is just to search for knowledge because my Bible tells me that wisdom is the principal thing, and in all thy gettings, get understanding. Why you will be called a journalist is probably because you have more information than every other person. If you don’t have more information or what it takes to write, then you are just like any other person. So, if you really want to be a good leader – because there are leaders and there are good leaders – you need to seek for knowledge and you need to have deep understanding. If anybody says he wants to govern Oyo State today and you don’t actually know the problems of the people of Oyo State, you are just wasting time. Those ones are called the rabble-rousers and anybody can say I want to be. So, it was in search for knowledge that I decided. And, I can tell you that those ones are just degrees but I do try as much as possible to read and I believe that the more you know the better for you. I have been able to blend. For those people with whom we were together during my senatorial ambition sojourn, we had a press engagement then and I told them about how I started but I may not be able to go into that now because of time.
You initially intended to run for Senate, what motivated you into serving under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration?
For me, exactly June last year, I was appointment by His Excellency Gov Seyi Makinde to serve under the his administration and by extension work for Oyo State Government, let me say this unequivocally that Number one thing is that I wouldn’t have joined any government if it is not performing. Gov Makinde was and still doing very we and some of us were encouraged to work with him.
It is the basis for me to join and contribute my own little quota because if you look at my antecedent, I contested in 2019 as a candidate under the ADC. If you know what happened, we that contested for House of Assembly were the canon folders.
So, if there is anybody that should be looking for appointment, it is people like us because the National Assemblies candidates already lost the election before the coalition. But, you can never see me around government circle seeing for any favour. I just went back to my professional work after losing the election!
As former Director-General of the Oyo State Liaison Office in Abuja and Lagos, what change were you able to bring to the table for the state?
I want to say this, my about nine or ten months in office was a very good re-learning time for me. Although, I wasn’t a person that was coming to office that didn’t know what is going there to do. I came in with a very clear understanding, vision and focus because I understand the job assigned to me by my boss His Excellency Gov Seyi Makinde as a liaison officer.
You are to represent your state interested at the Federal Capital Territory. It is just like an mini ambassador. It is just Some of us don’t enjoy appellation. I was one of the first that was given (the title of) youth ambassador in this country early 90’s. I have also had the privilege of travelling round the world representing young people at different global platforms so I know the job of an ambassador.
First thing i did after resumption is to change the image of the Oyo House which is the Embassy of Oyo State in Abuja, I discovered that a lot of things were not on the right track. You have to put everything in order because image is everything; perception is key How do you have Oyo House that when you look at the street, you would see Kastina (House), Rivers, Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos etc it is only Oyo House that urgently need a facelift internally and externally.
Secondly, I was able to restructure working administration of the staffers of Oyo House that were posted from Ibadan to Abuja. We had a meeting, everyone got a clear schedule of duty so no one was inactive. I checked the office files and discovered nobody has been engaging the MDA on behalf of the State Government and with the permission of His Excellency Gov Seyi Makinde i was able to lead the Oyo State team to more that 40 MDA for proper engagement on what Omituntun 1.0 was about and also the achievement of Gov Seyi Makinde. We also tried to make sure that we opened conversation short and long term interest of the Seyi Makinde Administration.
The third aspect was that one of the mission of Abuja and Lagos liaison office is to issue the Certificate of Indigene to Oyo State in the diaspora. Before the dissolution of the government, I have started the plans to make it seamless leveraging on latest technology thereby making it possible to acquire it without traveling through a long distance .
The truth is that there are over 300 federal agencies in Abuja. Every of these agencies have one thing or the other that they are doing and we have 36 states in Nigeria. So, the liaison officers’ responsibility is to make sure that you go and ask how do my state benefit. They won’t come and tell you. Nobody will come to you and say because you are liaison officer or DG. You are just DG in your pocket.
So you have to go and look for opportunities for your people and engage them because it is not the same grammar that I speak when I get to Energy Commission of Nigeria that I am going to speak when I get to Rural Electrification Agency. Most times before you go to this people, you need to research and know exactly what you are going there to tell them, otherwise they would just rubbish you or think you are there for meet and greet.
So, for me, it was a privilege to do what I had been doing before because as a former President of the National Youth Council in Nigeria, I was able to do a lot of things and it is similar. I was talking to government agencies and development partners on behalf of young people so it is easier for me to talk to development partners. I want to appreciate Gov Seyi Makinde for that opportunity.
Any regret missing the senatorial ticket?
Of course, I felt bad as human but no single regret because it is not over until it is over, and for me, God rules in the affairs of men. If it is the will of God, it might even something bigger than that so, I am not afraid and I am not in a rush. Don’t forget His Excellency Gov Makinde was also deprived of his Senatorial ticket at one point but today He is the number one citizen of Oyo State and watch out for that guy, he is on a mission in this country and the grace is sufficient for him. But, I would say this categorically, if I was given the ticket I might have done better because the truth is that politics is not rocket science. Politics is engagement and it is about interest. No matter how much you and I are brothers, if your interest is not captured in what I am doing now, you would work for someone else. And, politics is about negotiation; I might have done it better because I understand the game of negotiation and interest.
However, I am not a full fledge politician. I am a professional in politics. There is a difference between a politician and a professional in politics.
By raising the bar?
Yes, my attraction to politics was as a high school student, I didn’t know that the blind goes to school. As the President of my school JETS Club I saw a young man that was using brail in those days and said this must be a ruse, it must be packaged, so I picked one of my textbooks and I was reading to him. And when I finished reading, he was reading everything that I had read from his braille so I said ah, this thing can work.
I decided to join the movement under – Sir David Osunde Foundation for the Handicapped then. It was through volunteerism that I found myself in politics. I have also been in the Exco of the University of Lagos Engineering Society (ULES) But I was running for Oyo Amala politics because there was this fear news that we used to hear then as upcoming, so I didn’t want to join full Oyo politics.
I was eventually invited to join oyo politic when as a delegate to National Conference (CONFAB) of 2014, myself and Baba Rashidi Ladoja met and because of my vibrancy within the National Conference and among Oyo delegates in particular, he encouraged me to come and do the local politics. That was how I joined politics.
At what stage has your efforts on job creation for youth in Oyo State yielded fruits?
At our level in Abuja, we deal with the Federal Character Commission. They base things on quota. Oyo States have representatives which is a Federal Commissioner. We need to keep pushing for more slots that are due for Oyo State. As I said, there are over 300 parastatals. Within my little sojourn in the office, i was able to get some of our people employed at the Federal level and this can’t happened without the support of the God Sent Man H.E Gov Seyi Makinde.
Meanwhile, There are lots of graduates in Oyo State but from statics, I want to say there are more artisans in Oyo State. As a state, what are we doing about these cluster. It is not the same equipment they use to sow dresses 10years ago that they still use now. Whoever fails to upgrade would join the unemployment class. We need to actually help our people in that area. What are we doing about our technical and vocational education? There is so much in that area to help reduce unemployment.
As a journalist, if you go to the Chairman of This Day newspaper that you want a job, he would not ask you to bring your certificate but they would ask you to bring some of your previous past works/publications and if you are good he would give you job. For me it is about how do we update and develop those skills in our youths.
Today, the educated guys have taken over almost the industry. You will see big outfits specializing in sewing of local caps. Also, for example, the print media are gradually going paperless. Very soon there won’t be physical newspapers and the paper sellers would go jobless. We keep upgrading. So for me, knowledge economy is the best anytime any day.
So, I look forward to Oyo State that would be built and developed on knowledge economy. If you have been to the Facebook headquarters, it is not as big but you can’t imagine the kind of things that are going on there. So, you don’t have to build a big factory before you become a billionaire.
Are you not worried about the rate at which our youth are derailing and what do you think can be done to reverse the dangerous trend?
I will start with the issue of value in our youth. We always believe that when you always go to church or mosque you actually know God but going to church and mosque is just a religion. Values are from homes. Unfortunately, with the kind of value system we are running now, fathers and mothers don’t have time for the children anymore.
You will even see young ladies whose mothers would say, “Look at your mates who are making money. You can’t bring anything on the table. They are thinking that because you are a fine girl, you should go and do anything. It is a serious issue.
The value is missing at home. It is the responsibility of parents. You should not wait for teachers to help you train your children. I told my son that if I knew what I know now, I would not buy that car then. It wouldn’t have been my priority. I told him this when he was 10years old. Some of us would not tell our boys these things. I would call my boys and say come, let’s talk about masturbation, cultism etc. they need to know them before one friend will lie to them and introduce them to wrong group.
Teachers are just doing their best. You see what some students do; they drink and do all sorts of things. When my son told me he wanted to have a necklace on, the question that I asked him was that what value would the chain add to you? For me, value is key but we are losing it day by day. Parents have the responsibility while pastors would preach it. It is not what they preach on the pulpit but what you say to your children.
Are you not bothered that we don’t have apprentices like mechanic and bricklayers. Our youth are not training in these key vocations any longer? How do you feel as the government is not regulating things; everybody is just riding okada?
On apprenticeship, I want to use Oyo State as my focus. I developed a platform called ‘Anywork 24/7.’ This is it, you want an handi worker and you cannot guarantee anyone who can do it well. Now, let’s create a platform where we can get accredited and verifiable handi workers. But alas, most of the handi workers are half baked.
They are not being trained using the current technique. A member of my church once came and said that he does kaftan. I told him to go and make one for me. By the time he brought it, it was zigzag. I said I couldn’t wear this. Apprenticeship is key but we need to have relevant skill and equipment. We need to have in place a vocational centre set up and funded by government but managed by a consultant. We can have different latest equipment to ease life for the serious artisans.
Just come for three months. The state can do that. We have the Board of Technical and Vocational Education. Some of those we say are not doing well, it is not just that they are not doing well but the equipment they are using are not that of the 21st Century. But if the government decide that if you have job to do, you can come and use it for one or two hours, you won’t come here and be wasting time cos of limited time and electricity will be available 24/7.
Within two hours, if it is two dresses that you are able to make, you can book for another two hours at another time until you are able to get your own money to buy your own machine. I think that is core for Oyo State because we have more artisans. If we can send our tilers in Oyo State on skill training, nobody would go to Benin Republic and all road will lead to Oyo State. I am certain that Gov Makinde can set the pace again under the sustainable development agenda.
Can you tell us your defining moment in politics?
My defining moments in politics are many but if not for politics, I won’t sit down with the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. As President of the Nigerian Youth Council, I don’t know how many young persons of my age then that had opportunities to enter the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as much as I did. It might not look like an achievement, but I had a boss, a senior professional colleague the day he was meeting the President, he was shaking with all his money.
I had been privileged to speak in different platforms locally, regionally and nationally, so there is nothing that would scare me from talking to great people. I have plenty defining moments but my most defining moments are when I talk to the president of Nigeria and presidents from other countries on behalf of young people. Many people might not like Mugabe, but he was my friend.
