Ibrahim: I Have Cognate Experience to Return as Kwara South Senator

Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and other Financial Institutions and Kwara South Senatorial Candidate of PDP in the 2023 poll, Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, in this interview with Hammed Shittu speaks on wide range of state and national issues

What are your chances of winning the next election?

Myself and my party,the Peoples Democratic Party have very good chances in winning the election because the electorate will be comparing today as against yesterday and use that to decide the future. The people of the state have seen the difference in the delivery of dividends of democracy to their  doorsteps.

The PDP administrations  in the state lived up to the yearnings and aspirations during the period and the people can really see what the administrations did either during the time of former governor BukolaSaraki or former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.  The legacies of the past administrations are there and this has shown that the PDP remains a better alternative to provide good leadership come next election. The superlative performances of the PDP in the state during their time will serve as a chance to clinch all the seats during the polls.

Specifically about myself, my success imprints in Kwara South senatorial district is not comparable to the current Senator serving or any one that has served in the past. We have excelled in all areas of representation, accessibility, legislative imprints, constituency projects, vocational and business empowerments, educational supports of various kinds, Strategic interventions, employment of our youths in gainful and pensionable jobs, strong entrepreneurship drives, welfare packages for the less privileges, religious support, healthcare support, among others.

I had served my people diligently during my period. As a former lawmaker representing Oke-Ogun constituency in the state House of Assembly between 2009-2011, as a former lawmaker representing Ifelodun/Offa/ Oyun federal constituency in the House of Representatives between 2011-2015 and later Senator representing Kwara South senatorial district between 2015- 2019, the records are there and I have provided them with quality representation.

Infact, the people of my senatorial district have seen the diffence now when compared with the present situation in the senatorial area. I have used my influence to provide federal jobs to the people of my district and this can be attested to by many people of the area.

As a former member of the 8th National Assembly, what did the Assembly do differently when compared with the  9th National Assembly?

The major difference is jealously guiding the constitutional independence of the Legislature and the passion/strong will to say the truth to power as regards all aspects of national affairs. We did these many times not minding being politically incorrect when we had to offer political sacrifices.

For example, the 8th senate will never allow an eight-month strike of the universities in Nigeria. We always work with the national interest knowing fully that we are the representatives of the people that will give account of our stewardship to those that elected us. The recent national ASUU strike was a bad omen for us in the country. It has brought the education of this country down without minding the future of our students. The senate ought to have risen up on time and rally round the stakeholders in the education sector to avert the longer strike. It has not given the nation a good name at all. This kind of thing will never happen during the 8th Senate. This is because the  senate has a good reasoning and consumate leadership and this helped the 8th Senate to achieve good result and also put the name of the Senate in a sound footing for future reference point.

How can you rate the present situation at your Senatorial District when compared with your time during the 8th National Assembly?

I will beg to leave the comparison to the constituents and this will be the basis for deciding who and who to vote for in the coming election.

All I can say is that the present representation is far cry from what we offered when we were representing our people in all aspects such as accessibility, magnanimity, legislative imprints, projects facilitation, meaningful empowerments, welfare packages, interventions, etc.

I want to say that the next elections will provide another chance for the people of the senatorial district to elect good leadership that  would be accessible and also be up and doing to provide quality representation.

My own vision and mission is to put the senatorial district on world map of socio-economic development and growth. I have started this during my tenure in the 8th Senate and by the grace of God if elected come next election, I will do everything possible to consolidate on this agenda so as to uplift the lives of my senatorial district. I just wanted to appeal to them not to fall victim of those that have no positive intentions to uplift the senatorial district but rather join hands with me so as to bring much socio-economic development to the senatorial district by next election.

What is your perception of the “O To Ge movement” that brought the APC ruling party into power in 2019? Is there any lesson for Kwarans as the next election is around the corner?

The major lesson is that lies don’t last. All the propaganda they embarked on during the period were tissue of  lies such as N2 billion stolen monthly, Offa robbery, Ojoku killing, among others.

I want to say that, these lies have been  proven to be all lies. And true to the promise of Almighty all the conspirators were not able to stay together to defend the lies and continue the lying to Kwarans. The citizens of this state are now wise to the extent that only what PDP successive governments did are still the only projects standing in the state, such as International Aviation College, Diagnostic Centre, KWASU, Post Office Overhead bridge, Geri Alimi Underpass, Banquet Hall, Metropolitan Square, KWIRS that took the IGR to #30.1 billion, etc.Therefore “O TO GE” has been established as a scam and a sham strategy used to deceive Kwarans.

The people that concocted the idea have been distingregated and have fallen apart. They have been fragmented and cannot be together again. The people of the state have seen the light and they  will not fall into that kind of trap again in the political calculations of the state.

I want to call on Kwarans to shun all this kinds of people in the next elections and come out to return the PDP into power so that good and quality representation can continue.

Look, my representation at the senate has brought good to the people of Offa- Ojoku through the facilitation and completion of 13 kilometre road and this was achieved under the leadership of Senator BukolaSaraki at the National Assembly which is a feat that no representative has been able to meet.

The popularity of your party, PDP is increasing every day in view of various gale of defection into the party in the state, what do you think has made this to happen?

We are dealing with our people based on  truth. We are open and transparent unlike the present ruling party that is governing on social media. Our governments constantly brief the state on the state of funding and expenditures.

And we truthfully took the welfare of all categories of citizens serious, for example we have Local Government administration elected and functioning during our period.

This development has continued to ginger many people from various political parties like APC, SDP, YPP, among others to defect to PDP in the state. For example, members of the ruling APC in Ekiti, Irepodun, Ilorin West, Patigi, Kaima local government councils have dumped the party to PDP.

This achievement was basically on the competence, capacity and leadership qualities inherited by PDP leadership led by former Senate President, Dr. BukolaSaraki. The PDP administrations during their period have lifted the lives of the people and this will also be manifested again if elected come next election in the state.

Are you saying the next general election is about character and capacity and who you are?

Yes now. The kind of character that is leading a society will surely determine its delivery. Presently, the kind of character that is leading us both at the state and federal level have failed to rise up to the needs of the people.

See insecurity, the federal government has failed to protect lives and property of Nigerians. The reported cases of kidnapping, terrorism, banditry, among others are highly alarming. No one is safe in the country today. From north to the south of the country, life is no more important as people have been killed without any margin. Also, our economy is in serious crisis. Taking three daily meals among Nigerians is no more feasible and this is unfortunate. Our legal tender has become so weak when compared to other world legal tender. And let me say the next elections should provide chance to the kind of people that will lead us. We must shine our two eyes and not allow that lack capacity to lead the country. Nigerians should shun people with bad character and capacity so as to move the nation forward. However, let me tell you who I am. I am a 55 year- old financial and investment expert born in Ojoku, Oyun LGA and had my primary, secondary and early part of tertiary education in Kwara.

I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, had MBA and climax in academic qualification with a PhD in Business Administration. I am an alumni of Harvard Kennedy School of Government which I attended three times resulting in certification as Public Policy expert. I’m also an alumni of Lagos Business School where I studied entrepreneurship.

I am very experienced in legislative duties as I was in the Kwara State House of Assembly, the the Federal House of Representatives and then the 8th senate where I chaired one of the most strategic Committees in the Senate I.e. Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions. I have the required temperament and character of people’s representative and I am very accessible and have strong empathy for people’s plights.

I am married to two women with blessed children. So I have character, competence, knowledge, experience, kindness, magnanimity and strong will to take up this job that I have been adjudged to have done very well in the previous assignments. All these I will want to count for me to be voted for in the coming election.

In summary; I am very respectful, resourceful and noiseless, so I will be marketing myself and not promises.

What will be your vision and mission for the people of Kwara South Senatorial District in the next election?

My vision is to engender unity, development and peaceful co-existence of my people in Kwara South and Kwara state in general with all devisive tendencies being downplayed totally.

I have the mission to be able to influence more developmental and infrastructural projects, meaningful empowermens, interventions, pensionable employments, entrepreneurship drives, welfare packages and lot of love to my people. I have excelled well in the past assignments given to me and I will do more for the people if given