Being A Professional In Politics, Ondo State People Will Leap For Joy When I Become Governor–Barr. Morayo Lebi, APC Governorship Aspirant
One of the leading aspirants vying for the highly esteemed Governorship position in Ondo State, a barrister at Law and a successful Businessman, Mr. Morayo Lebi has stressing the need for true federalism in Nigeria instead of godfatherism, which he said made it difficult for core politicans to allow technocrats become governors. In this interview with the Democrat News Magazine, Barr. Morayo Lebi made known his good intentions for the people of Ondo State if he is given opportunity to become a Governor and many issues of national interest.
Excerpts:
I’m also a public person. I came into this position of wanting to contest because we have deliverables for the for states. We want to take this State to the next level.
LET US MEET SIR?
I’m a technocrat. I’m a professional in politics. I am somebody that I’ve seen a lot. We have a enough to cater for our needs or not for our greed we want to develop with our own internally generated revenue. We have a lot of industries, we have resources everywhere in the state. But what we are doing is to just align ourselves with a godfatherism that has been going on in Nigeria instead of federalism. They stay for the for 30 days not generating much. They wait for Federal allocation which is about 6 or 7 billion naira monthly. I want to take the state to the level of thinking outside the box. We can do it. I know we have more than enough to do it. So that’s what I just want. I want to come so I can begin to get people behind me so that we can deliver the deliverables.
WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN DOING, IF YOU COME TO SADDLE OF LEADERSHIP IN ONDO STATE?
I will tell you a story, I told you that I want to think outside the box. Sometimes they ago I had meeting with the then MD of the Power Holding Company as you know that there is no power in the Southern Senitorial district of Ondo State for the past 15 years. He said we are owing and he said we should come and pay part of debt to restore light in the area but they have been playing politics with us because if they coordinate our people people like me and other public spirited people will come out to make contributions. If we deposit 300 Million naira we will get light. But are they ready to be? No. They’re not even ready to even coordinate our people to start contributing.
I feel the pain of our people and I am using this opportunity to tell the people that my Government will priority power generation and distribution.
You know, I don’t even know how people are surviving. I’m talking about the people that are using power as a means of their livelihood.
One of our agenda to stablish our own power generating company so that we can improve on that by generation and distribution.
We are going to bring up private investors to generate power and distribute to our people for so that their businesses can thrive.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TACKLE UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION IN THE STATE?
l was talking to an old man that has two graduates a male and a female. the male has gotten married and he is living with his parents and they share the food to old man has after labour to send him to school.
That was what I said in my opening talk. It is very important to tap our resources for the benefits of our people. The process of tapping our resources there is going to be massive employment for our youths in Ondo State.
I have a law firm and the real estate firm. That law firm engages lawyers and other graduates in our admin department. The real estate engages the real estate professionals like surveyors etc I provide jobs for different categories of people.
the former governor of Ekiti give us a license in 2017 when he was a Minister of Natural Resources; if we commence the job Ondo will become the richest state in Nigeria instead of waiting for six to 7 billion every month and not do anything.
Dr. Adewumi Adesina, the president of ADB, African Development Bank said in one of his works that Ondo State alone can feed the whole of Africa by the virtue of the resources we have.
IT IS CAPITAL INTENSIVE TO CONTEST ELECTION IN NIGERIA DO YOU HAVE FINANCIAL MUSCLE?
Of course I’m not a poor man. At age 20 I already had four houses in Lagos. Today I live in banana island. Right? Everybody knew that banana island is not for poor man.
I have all it takes to contest with any one.
Let me say that I am not going to drop my ambition for any reason and I trust God that I am doing to win at the primaries.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TACKLE INSECURITY THAT HAS BECOME NATIONAL PROBLEM TODAY?
Thank you very much, we our blue print on security architecture of Ondo State. But we don’t have to divulge our plans as regards security. We must keep our gunpowder dry, waiting for the right to implement it.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP IN GIVING BOOST TO EDUCATION IN ONDO STATE ?
Education is one of our heritage that will attract our deliberate attention. Purposeful education that’s tailored to meet the 21st century challenges is the way forward. We will change the curriculum of our education. We will move about 55% of our educational budget into technology education because that’s where the future lies. ICT is the 21st century crude oil and we must tap into this by revamping our education.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR THE PEOPLE BEFORE YOU COME OUT CONTEST?
We started with giving money to reduce stress of widows from age 55 and above. We’re giving them money to do their businesses, we also give them rice, beans and other stuff because we believe in taking of the less privileged and we will not relent. I like to give. I enjoy giving. I want you to have that spirits.
My Ministry is giving to the needy in the society. By the grace of God people in Ondo Southern Senitorial district know and they have been calling ATM without PIN We have enough for the states to feed on. So we will operate into such a way that there will be a ministry for such that will take care of the downtrodden our society.
Let me tell you, my ministry is welfarism. My ministry. I’m not in pastoral ministry.