Ekiti, Osun guber polls, litmus tests for 2015 –Elebute

Public affairs analyst and chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Lagos Mainland Province, Dr. Moses Tunde Elebute, in this interview with PRODUCTION EDITOR Ejikeme Omenazu speaks on what should be major issues at the National Conference and the importance of celebrating Nigeria’s Centenary. Elebute also discusses the expectations from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections as well as the recent suspension of the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Excerpts… 

As the National Confab took off last Thursday and Friday, what is your view on the ‘No go areas’ decreed by the president?

Dr. Moses Tunde Elebute

The ‘No go area’ is on the unity of Nigeria. The president does not want the nation to be broken under his presidency. I believe that Nigeria should remain one. If for nothing, the ‘No go area’ will keep the nation together. It is a welcome decision. Otherwise, I would have wanted a situation theethnic groups will sit down together, take a decision on whether they will live together. I believe Nigeria should remain one and we settle our differences, work out ways we can live together in harmony and love.

What is your view on the large number of people going to the National Conference through the appointment of the president?

I believe that was wrong. That he is president does not make him the most intelligent person in the nation. While I agree that he should be given someslots, it should not have been too many. The people he nominated can provide stability and unity during the conference. But if they are larger than the other groups, it will no longer be free for people to speak their mind. Most of their opinions will be what the president wants.

What do you think should be the major issues for discussion at the conference?

It has been my view that the issue of indigeneship should be on the agenda. We are Nigerians. Nigerians should have the right to live anywhere they like in the nation, acquire properties, practice the religions they choose, have the right to vote and be voted for where they live. In USA, we have Nigerians who are Mayors. Even naturalised Nigerians should be allowed to vote and be voted for during elections. The situation whereby people are driven away to their states of origin, wrongly termed as deportation, should not arise. They should also be careful in deciding on resource control. They should discuss what will unite the country and encourage Nigerians to be patriotic and contribute in any part they live without fear that one day their properties will be confiscated, or they are asked to leave. They should also discuss the essence of leadership, who should be our leader? We need to know who should be allowed to lead, the process of selecting leaders. They should also discuss the issue of corruption and how corruption will be reduced. They should also discuss the wages of public officers and how our politics will be an avenue of service. They should also discuss how people in government will not be stealing money and how we can develop our export.

President Jonathan recently said that the centenary celebration is more important that Democracy Day. Do you agree with him?

We should celebrate the centenary. It is in order. Things are not as bad as people think. We will benefit from it one way or the other. We have gained from being together as a nation. Majority of people do not worry where everyone comes from. People have been living together in parts of the country. It is our leaders that are fanning the ambers of disunity.  Average Nigerians are not tired of living together. Leaders should watch what they say and do. We should also celebrate the Democracy Day Both the Centenary and May 29 Democracy Day are important to the nation, even as the October 1 Independence anniversary is equally important.

Some people feel that the fund being spent on the centenary celebration is a waste. Do you agree with them?

Wherever human beings are, do not expect perfection. I do not consider structure, establishment of structures and buildings of markets as waste. Look at Festac Town in Lagos and other things built by the government during the FESTAC 77. They are still useful till today. Through the Centenary, businesses will be created for people and a lot of people will be gainfully engaged.

Ekiti and Osun states will hold their governorship elections this year. What do you think INEC should do to avoid a repeat of Anambra State experience?

The INEC should learn from mistakes of the past. They should look at the areas they did well and improve upon them. Where they made mistakes, they should correct themselves. They should do what is called SWOT Analysis. By SWOT we mean S for Strengths, W for Weakness, O for Opportunity, T for Threats. They should look at the dangers and prepare to mitigate all problems. They should prepare their staff, materials required far earlier than what they did during the Anambra election. The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and their teams in the states, Ekiti and Osun, should familiarise themselves with the terrains in the states and know how and when materials should leave their stores and the particular areas they are meant for. The question of materials not available should not be there. If they mess up in these elections this year, people will doubt their ability in conducting free and fair election in 2015. They should make elections the best so far.

What is your view on the recent suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi?

The suspension of Sanusi is a step in the right direction. It is a step that should have come earlier. But it is better to be late than never. If not for the time the president did it, many people would have agreed with him. But now, it seems he is being punished for revealing the corruption in NNPC. There is no doubt that he made some achievements. He is bold and can speak his mind. Nigerians benefited from his tenure. However, there are some actions he took and decisions he made that did not go down well with Nigerians. And he embarrassed the government on several occasions. This is nit the time that the country should be embarrassed when we are expecting investors to come to Nigeria. There were some expenditure he made that seemed questionable. His banking reforms made many people jobless. Reforms are good, but his efforts were not the best. He played to the gallery by the removal of some bank owners and put them in jail. His donation of money on religious reasons was questionable. No one would have questioned him if he had donated to universities for researches in areas of banking and finance, his core area.

What do you mean that the donations he made were questionable?

The donations he made because of Boko Haram were questionable. He could have sponsored and organised trainings for bankers. He should have spent money within his area of jurisdiction. One would advise government to be careful when appointing people. They should not appoint religious fanatics to positions because they will be bias doe to their lopsided views of the society.  We need fair minded people in every section of the country.

However, one has to express reservations over the nominee submitted to the Senate for confirmation as new CBN Governor. Why I have nothing against the persons he nominated as Sanusi’s successor and his deputy, one would have expected the president to nominate someone from South West. It has been a long time someone from the geo-political zone occupied that position. If he had appointed someone from South West, that would have helped to neutralise the allegations of marginalisation of the zone by the Jonathan administration.

Worship centre’ll boost Ibodi, Osun economy –Adelekun

HRH Adedoyin Adelekun is the Loja of Odo-Iju-Ijesa in Atakunmosa-West Local Government Area, Osun State. Recently, the Loja-in-council donated huge expanse of land to the Osun State government to construct worship centre for Christians as a replica of the one at Redeemed Camp and others along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.  Adelekun, who is currently National Vice President of Ilesa Grammar School Old Students Association, bares his mind to Correspondent Gbenga Faturoti on the proposed worship centre, how his domain was brought into the project and gains for his subjects.  Excerpts:

The opposition has mounted criticism against Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration for planning to build a worship centre in Ibodi, Odo-Iju in your domain, what is your take on this?
I don’t know the cause of their criticism. Anyway may be it is because I don’t see anything unusual in what the government is planning to do.

In your view, is it appropriate for government to dabble into such venture?
What is inappropriate about it? I don’t see anything inappropriate about it.

How did your community come into the project?
That is a different thing entirely. I am a member of Ilesha Grammar School Old Students’ Association. I graduated from that school in 1964. Some of my seniors the set that graduated in 1960 celebrated 50 years of graduation in December 2010 just a week after Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola became the governor of the state and he was invited as a guest. Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God happens to be a member of that set and he was there. During the celebration, Aregbesola was invited to give his remarks as the governor. He used the opportunity to appreciate members of the association for their innumerable contributions to society and since Pastor Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God was there, he took the time to appreciate the man, more so for what is happening at the Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Was there any particular comment concerning the project?
He said he wished something like that could happen in Ijesha land. He went into the history of Christianity in Ijesha land and emphasized that such a development would yield a better economic increase for the state and its environs. Noting that though he was not a Christian, he observed that each time he passed through the Redemption Camp, millions of people would always gather at least once a month and this has a huge impact on the business of all those selling various merchandise.  So, if a quarter of that population could come into the state particularly in Ijesha land, it would boost the economy. I attended that event and noted that point as a salient one. I have no personal relationship with the governor, I hadn’t met with him before then, I just saw in him an interest to help the people. So I keyed into the request and on returning home, I discussed the idea with my chiefs that if we could provide a land for such a project to be domiciled here, it would help us a lot by improving the economic status of our people. The chiefs reasoned along with me and agreed that it was a well-conceived idea. I then wrote a letter to the governor, that we are willing to donate (in view of what he said), free of charge, the required land for the project. That was how the thing started.

But what was the governor’s response to the gesture?
Few weeks later, I received a letter from the governor thanking me for my letter intimating them about the land donation, and stating that the commissioner would come around to take a look at the said piece of land. I immediately informed my community about the response from the governor telling them that we must be prepared to partner with the governor and that the commissioner is coming to see what we have to offer them. The commissioner came in the person of Muyiwa Ige and the whole community was there to welcome him and they told him that they support the free donation of the land.
Assuming other religious bodies made similar demand for worship centre, what would happen?
Ah! If they demand that kind of Centre, if I have the land, I will give it to them. The main thing we shouldn’t forget is the intention of the governor. The governor is not a Christian and his intention is that he appreciated what Adeboye is doing and the number of crowd he is pulling. He is looking at the effect such would have economically on his people among other things. If there is a Muslim community that holds meeting like that too, that attracts a large gathering of people as well, and that has such economic benefits, if he talks to me, I will give him a land too. This is because he is thinking of his people and their economic gains as well.

You stress the economic importance and gains, but does it really make sense to destroy farmlands for the construction of a worship centre?
It makes sense. I will tell you why it makes sense. These farmlands you refer to, let’s look at it. Economically, what are these lands yielding compared to the end result of building a worship centre? Some of the people who cultivate these lands do not make annual returns and if they make at all, it is so little. As the monarch, I collect Isakole (royalty) from the people ranging from N1,000 to
N 2,000 per annum and I can’t even say I take up to N100,000 Isakole (royalty) from that district per annum. So, what I told them when I met with them based on the meager Isakole that I don’t even need in the first place but have to take as a monarch, was that when the worship centre is built, it would increase their earning power compared to the meager sum they realize from the maintenance of the farmlands. Take for instance, a man whose wife sells soft drinks and in one day of meeting can sell 20 crates of such unlike what peasant farming offers them. What are they earning from this peasant farming? So, I don’t see it as destruction of farmland. What are they earning from the farm? That is the question.

You said the land was given to government free of charge but it was reported that government paid N51 million compensation for the land. What is your take on this?
The governor is just trying to be passionate and kind to my people. There is a Land Use decree that says if the government wants to use your land for something that would be of benefit to all, that it could be acquired without payment. But the government is just being compassionate and doesn’t want a situation where people will say their lands were destroyed without consideration like the question you asked about destroying farmlands. So the number of cocoa, palm tree, and all the cash crops in there were counted and paid for, nothing more. This is allowed for because when the federal government is taking your land, they pay for cash crops. For which the people were grateful.

What then is the reaction and feelings of other two religious groups, traditional worshippers and Muslim faithful?
Well, my people and I are together. We understand ourselves. No one is complaining because any decision I take, I carry them along. We meet once a month and at the meeting, we discuss a lot of things particularly on the progress of the town and what we need and so on. The Muslims, the Babalawo, Christians and everyone, we meet for the betterment of our community and we take decisions for the advancement of the community. Since two good heads are better than one, we make decisions together.

What is your expectation on the proposed worship centre and your target from the project?
My expectation is that the economic status of my community is going to be better than even that of Ijesha land. My community is a small one and I know that if the project spreads and becomes a city, it will spread beyond the whole of Ijeshaland and we’ll become giants economically. We are not talking about profit but we are looking at the benefit to our people. The government is not making anything out of it. The governor is looking at the long-term benefit to the people. Give them another 2-3 years and you will see the difference.

There was a little misunderstanding between Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) and government over the wearing of hijab and other religious regalia in public secondary schools. Are the royal fathers comfortable with this and are they planning to meet with religious leaders to resolve this?
I believe something tangible is being done on the matter and very soon, peace will return to schools.

What is your take on the educational policy of the current government; do you agree that an aspect of it be changed?
Like I said earlier, I don’t have anything against his policy, he is doing perfectly well as far as educational policy is concerned. There is nothing more one could ask for than a governor who is doing what is good for his people.

Assuming government has a change of heart on the worship centre project, will you encourage it?
I said earlier that we see the governor as someone with vision and the interest of the people at heart, so why should he feel discouraged? You know what you want, you are focused and don’t get discouraged. It’s just like someone trying to discourage me from donating the land but I know that it is for the benefit of even the generations yet unborn. So, I will say to the governor, he is a visionary leader and he should not get discouraged, just carry on with your visionary leadership and when the results show, these same people who have tried to discourage you will come back to praise the work.

Osun rural people to participate in governance

Osun State government has stressed the need to make people at the grassroots actively contribute to the decision making and developmental projects through Community Information Board (CIB).
The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who doubles as Vice Chairman, State Planning Commission (SPC), made the remarks at a two-day training workshop on the use of Community Information Board organized by the National Orientation Agency, Osun State Government in collaboration with UNICEF in Osogbo.
Adeoti, who stressed the importance of collection of data for the benefit of the communities, said it is imperative to organize the workshop to train the NOA officers, key community operators and local government officers on the implementation of Community Information Board.
He explained that the information and data collected from the Community Information Board (CIB) will be used for community development.
According to him, “it is imperative to organize this workshop in order to train the National Orientation Agency (NOA) officers, key community operators and local government officers on the implementation of community information board so as to use information for community development and to enhance communication for analytical reports and collection of data from identified data sources to the benefits of their communities.
In addition, this workshop will build the capacities of the participants for systematic monitoring, documentation and to utilise information to bring about social change at community level and to get what they need to improve their own lives through the use of community dialogue.