Encomium
ENGINEER Adedeji Doherty is a household name in Lagos politics and indeed South West. He is the acting chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South West and also a Lagos gubernatorial aspirant. The astute politician told ENCOMIUM Weekly why he is in the race again for 2015 Lagos guber seat and much more when we had an exclusive interview with him in his office at 10 Degrees Event Centre, Oregun, Lagos on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.
2015 is around the corner, and as an aspirant, how prepared are you to clinch the ticket on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
Thank you very much. Clinching the ticket in PDP is a robust one. The ticket can only be clinched if you have the majority in terms of the delegate that are being nominated in the various wards, local governments and in the state. And as such, it’s for me to work into the party’s structure which we have been doing as a campaign team, and which we will continue to do until the time the primary election will be announced. And by that time, we should be sure that at least we have more than 80 per cent of the delegates on our side.
When is the primary election coming up?
I think it’s supposed to come up sometime in October, 2014.
You’re in the Lagos gubernatorial race in 2007, what lesson or lessons did you learn from the effort?
The lesson that I learnt during the 2007 elections was that we have matured now in terms of politicking, in terms of reasoning, cohesiveness and structure. We have also matured in terms of communication with the party structure. The party structure at this particular point in time is the structure that will determine who at the end of the day the wards will pick to bear the flag of the party during the general elections. So, the lesson we learnt was that at that time, we’re a bit far from the party structure, but as at today, we’re very close and we’re working directly with the party structure.
Now, if you eventually win the ticket, and you become the governor of the state, what is the agenda you have for the people you want to govern?
The main thrust of our administration just as I have always said is a drive towards rural development. If rural development is achieved, every other thing falls in. And as such, we will have a revolution in terms of youth employment, housing, civil service, education, transportation and all that. These are all the areas of interest. But if you don’t have the rural development plan, every other plan will not work. This is because the urban areas of Lagos are already congested. And you have to decongest the areas. Once you do that, you will be able to move people into the rural areas. And once that happens, the development in those rural areas will automatically occur. So, in retrospect, what we are looking at is the rural development as the main front of our administration come 2015, which will be followed by education, youth empowerment, health, employment, urban development. Also, to enhance the infrastructure of Lagos State. These are just the summary of what we’re looking at. Definitely, if we say we should go into detail, we would be here till the next one or two days.
Can you highlight some of the flaws of the APC government that perhaps if PDP comes into power in 2015, will be addressed?
Definitely, there are a couple of flaws. Also, we can’t say everything the APC has done has been bad for Lagosians but a lot of things have to be adjusted. For instance, dredging, health in terms of cost, education in terms of quality and cost, transport in terms of mass transport and water ways, civil service in terms of welfare, taxation in terms of the private sector and the impact of taxation on the development in industries, profitability of the private sector, creation of employment in the state. Other areas have to do with tourism, agriculture, inter-state integration and all that. I can see that Lagos State is just trying to partner Ogun State at this particular point in time. This is quite overdue.
Governor Fashola is just talking about rural development, and this is his seventh year in office, about one year left to his tenure. He is already on his way out. The issue of employment is a big problem in Lagos State today. We cannot go into detail of the issues that are quite pertinent but one thing I will like to say is this, the PDP led government in Lagos State will immediately create succor for the private sector, and as such will create more jobs for the youths in Lagos State. It will create more opportunities for the teeming residents of Lagos State. It will reduce their taxes because we can always have a substitute for our income from taxation. Instead of increasing taxes in the private sector, private companies or individuals in Lagos State, let’s let them save that money and increase their productivity, let’s let them save that money and increase unemployment. Let them save that money and let’s go to the Federal Government and ask for 13 per cent derivation from the income from our purse. That is our asset. If that is done, your media house will flourish, we will be able to at least take in the revenue from the bulk of at least N30 billion a month. With that we will turn Lagos State to a Dubai. So, these are the areas we believe the Lagos APC had failed the people. That a PDP-led government, a government led by Engineer Adedeji Doherty will make sure that the Federal Government supports Lagos State and brings it to the forefront of mega city, not only in the West African coast but in the entire African continent.
We have issues also about education, especially in the universities. Why will anybody be paying N250,000 in a state university per session? And this is a government that believes in free education. That’s the teaching of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. We will make sure that there is free education in Lagos State from the primary to secondary school, and minimum payment of fees at the university level.
How would you rate Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s administration in terms of performance?
Fine, a lot of people had asked me this question. Let me tell you, Fashola is a very good man. One of the reasons I didn’t run in 2011 fully was that most of his agenda were just similar to mine. So, why trying to fix what has not been broken? If you look at my responses since Fashola came in, it was a situation where you have a right man for the job but in a wrong party. He couldn’t flow. He has not been able to do even 30 per cent of what he set out to do. If you ask him, he will tell you, I know him. At the end of the day, if at all I don’t know him one on one, I have seen him talk. I know what he has said and what he has not said. And I believe this is a man of integrity, a man who wants to do the job for the betterment of Lagos State but a man that had his hands tied for the past seven years. It’s quite a pity, but definitely with a PDP-led government, with a government led by my humble self, we will definitely perform better and do a lot of things that Fashola hadn’t done.
That means you’re going to surpass Fashola’s record if you eventually become the governor of Lagos State?
Definitely, I am going to surpass his record. I have my antecedent behind me. I have been in business in the private sector for close to 30 years. I have created wealth personally. I created companies that succeeded and those that have failed. I have gone through major crisis in billions of naira, and I have worked companies out of debt. Today, Lagos State is carrying close to about $20b in debt both locally and internationally. I have worked my own company out of N3b debt. So, if I can do that personally without government money, why can’t I do it for my state? I have empowered thousands of people that had worked through my companies. And I continue to empower people on a daily basis. So, why can’t I do all these for the state? Besides, I am a grassroots person. I have shops in Ebute Ero, Oja Oba, Mushin, Daleko. So, if you go to the market women, they know me and I know them. So, at the end of the day, what do you want to tell me? I know what they need and also why I should give it to them because they built me. I believe by the special grace of God, we will get to the promised land.
We learnt Lagos PDP is now in warm consultation with okada riders with a view to recalling them to the roads when the party takes over from AP. How true is it?
To be quite candid with you, we’re in consultation with a lot of people. But strategically it will be wrong for me to be listing out the groups and associations we’re talking to. Even, we’re in consultation with people in wings right inside the APC but we can’t tell you all these because strategically, it will be wrong for us to do so. It’s not every person in the APC that’s happy. We’re also in consultation with other parties as well, including Labour Party. I can’t say more than that for now.
We learnt that PDP is also wooing Lagosians with National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) jobs as a form of campaign strategy, how would you react to this?
If giving somebody a job is a campaign strategy, I don’t see anything wrong in it. At least, we’re not sharing money, we’re empowering people. So, I am not sure about what that has got to do with campaign strategy. If somebody is being empowered with a job, why not? A lot of people are being empowered with jobs, we have the SURE-P programme, we have the small scale enterprise and more which a lot of people have benefited from. Please note, all these programmes have been benefited by all irrespective of party affiliation, even those that belong to APC have also benefited. So, that’s the democratic side that APC doesn’t have.
What of the issue of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA). Some people believe that if PDP takes over Lagos State, it will fizzle out. What do you have to say about this?
To be honest with you, LASTMA is one of the most hard working parastatals in Lagos State today. I don’t think LASTMA will be fizzled out in my administration. To be honest, it will continue to be but will be enhanced. It’s going to be under a trained management. All the LASTMA officials will go through proper training so that they will be able to keep the roads as safe as possible.
As PDP National Vice Chairman, South West, what’s the chance of your party winning elections in the region going by the intimidating structure of APC?
Let’s take one step at a time. Let’s see the outcome of Ekiti gubernatorial election. You also can see the overwhelming support that PDP has in Ekiti. I don’t want to go to Osun yet because the battle is in Ekiti for now. You can see what has transpired in Ekiti, you can see the doggedness of our people, you can see the collaboration of the masses in Ekiti. You can as well see who holds the grassroots in Ekiti. PDP is the creator of modern Ekiti, that’s why the state is for PDP in 2014. It’s after then that we can now be talking of the entire South West.
What’s your view about corruption in Nigeria?
Yes, there is corruption in Nigeria but how do we rate it? If anybody tells you there is corruption in Nigeria, there is in Brazil, yet the issue still boils down to the fact that nobody can rate corruption. Look at Brazil, the country is burning because of corruption. Look at the European countries, Asia and almost everywhere in the world, there is corruption. That does not rule Nigeria out but there is a focus on corruption within the space where democracy has started in Nigeria. It has gone through Obasanjo, Yar’Adua to Goodluck Jonathan but Nigerians are talking about corruption. I believe there is no way a corrupt man will watch his television and won’t see at least a programme on corruption. If he has planned to steal N5m, he will reduce to N5,000. And that’s how corruption is being reduced. It’s by continuous creation of awareness within the polity within the civil service. When Dimeji Bankole was the Speaker of the House, he said N700b was not accounted for from the Federal Government revenue, that was when he started having problem. Those that are more corrupt are not even politicians but the whole of Nigerians. And let me say something which has always been my advice to the Federal Government, and which is one of the ministries I will set up when I become the governor of Lagos State, that’s the Ministry of Treasury. That’s the only answer to the reduction of corruption by 50 per cent in Nigeria. This is the ministry that will focus on all revenues that should accrue to the state or the Federal Government. That means all the sales of crude oil, royalties and all that will be strictly monitored by this ministry while other ministries, including that of finance will also be there.
– TADE ASIFAT
