Dr. Olutayo Olujuyigbe is a former Chairman of Akure South Local Government, former Member of House of Representatives, and one time Commissioner on the board of Ondo State Local Government Service Commissioner, he has headed many committees during and after his service years. Being a resourceful Akure man, he deployed his avalanche of knowledge towards the advancement of Akure, Ondo State and Nigeria at large. In this interview with ALABA ALIU, he spoke on democracy in the last 30 years in Nigeria, as well as the prospects of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and other sundry issues. Excerpts:
CAN WE MEET YOU SIR?
Thank you very much. My name is Dr. Olutayo Olujuyigbe, by the special grace of God, I was former State Secretary of Labour Party, former Commissioner in Ondo State Local Government Service Commission, I am an elder in the Church and had served as head of various committees in Akure and beyond.
WHAT IS YOUR ACCESSMENT OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA IN THE LAST THREE DECADES?
We thank God that we are among the mortals that can testify about Democracy in Nigeria. It has been ups and downs. Nigeria has enjoyed lots of wealth and grace but leadership has always been our problem. So far so good; we are happy that we now have a leader who is well prepared for the work. This is because some of our leaders in the democracy of the past were not prepared. Fortune were thrown into the laps of some and some found it accidentally. Therefore, in all, everyone will claim to have done something but onlookers will see a dancer more than how he sees himself. We can access what each of them have done within a time frame at their disposals.
I will say in Democracy, Nigeria has gotten its own tests, challenges and victories. In the last two weeks now a man who understands what governance is has just been sworn in as the president of Nigeria. I am not being tribalistic, I am only saying it as it is; I am of the PDP and President Tinubu is in APC, he made history positively in Lagos and now he wants to transform entire Nigeria.
For those who have sympathetic views, he said that nobody should sympathize with him saying that he sought for the position and he got it. And from events unfolding in the past two weeks you will all agree with me that he is well prepared. So, it is a reawakening of hope for the country and I will only pray for the cooperation of all and sundry for him make indelible impacts in the country. People had suffered, can you imagine people buying money with money. I don’t think people above me in age experienced this kind of woe. We have seen a situation where subsidy never existed rather an organized fraud. For eight years nothing like subsidy and here is a man who just came and opened up everything for us to see, we are praying that God will help our president to be able to fulfill his positive dreams over Nigeria.
IN WHAT AREA(S) WOULD YOU LIKE MR. PRESIDENT TO FOCUS HIS ATTENTION IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS?
Thank you, one thing I am sure of is that whatever anyone does he has a conscience, even though the sycophants are there. Asiwaju mean well for this nation. His wife once said “We are already blessed and we are not looking for Nigeria money”. We are only praying that God will bless him with good health and enablement to actualize his good agenda for Nigeria.
Among his agenda which is all embracing is agenda for good life and we believe that every thing that are shrouded in secrecy will soon be exposed. Those who are sharing our God given fortunes will be exposed and be brought to book.
Because this Subsidy is one of the foundations of Nigerian poverty, what they used in servicing debt is more than what they expended on education, agriculture and others by concessessor support and cooperation we are going to witness a great Nigeria under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I must say that we are getting it right for the first time.
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR NIGERIANS AS PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU TAKES OVER THE REIGNS OF LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA?
I will like to advise Nigerians to give our president right support by not demanding extra that will corrupt him and his cabinet members, rather we should cooperate with him to enable him advance the course of the development of our dear country.