Olaosebikan: Govt Should Involve Traditional Rulers in Sharing of Palliatives

Former Oyo State All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant, and member of the dissolved Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council, Kehinde Olaosebikan, in this interview with Sunday Aborisade bares his mind on some salient national issues including what is expected of the newly constituted cabinet of President Tinubu.

Many people believe that the reforms and policies of President Bola Tinubu are causing excruciating pains and sufferings for poor Nigerians. What is your view and what should be done to ameliorate their plights?

I live with the people especially in the grassroots and I cannot deny the fact that people are not just complaining, they are groaning. The removal of fuel subsidy has led to monumental increases in virtually all the daily needs of the people. It has brought pains.

But, courage and decisiveness are great attributes of a good leader and this is what our President has displayed on the issue of subsidy. We all know that subsidy has become a cancer which must be dealt with decisively. Prevaricating over its removal would have complicated our problems and that is why leaders all over the world including all the leading financial institutions across the globe commended the courage with which our President removed the subsidy in his first speech as the 16th President of Nigeria.

As the President is wont to say, all the pains being experienced now are like pains during childbirth which would bring joy and permanent happiness for all and sundry ultimately. In the same vein, the President is showing empathy and compassion by not just directly speaking with us but rolling out meaningful palliatives to cushion the temporary pains.

To what extent do you think the palliatives have been effective?

One major thing a government policy requires to succeed is the buy-in of the people. What I first noticed after the government announced the removal with its spiral effects in the market is the general acceptance and ownership of the decision by the various sectors of the society.

For instance, the private sector, banks, small and big size companies, multinational companies etc, responded immediately with the introduction of a series of measures as palliatives to their workers and critical stakeholders.

More than any other government, the present government places great importance on the states by directly involving them in the overall management of the policies and programmers post fuel subsidy removal.

Just last week, the federal government announced the release of N5billion to each state of the federation with substantial quantities of food items, farm implements and fertilizers. 

However, the fear of the people generally now is on the reputation of governors who are more like emperors running their states like their personal estate. I commend President Bola Tinubu for giving them this recognition which is on its own a form of restructuring and devolution of power, while I appeal to the state governors to replicate the policy by sharing the N5billion among the local government areas in their states and allow traditional rulers play active roles in the arrangements.

Are you sure the council Chairman won’t divert the palliatives?

The local government councils must ensure that the money allocated to them is used for the welfare of the various wards in their areas.

In summary, as the federal government announced the exact amount given to each state, the state governors should advertise the amount given to each local government council while the council also make public the amount allocated to each ward.

This would make the palliatives very effective as each tier and level of government would be held accountable for the palliatives. President Tinubu is depicting good leadership, carrying all the tiers of government along. The restructuring and devolution of powers has commenced.

How will you rate the performance of the Tinubu’s administration in the last two and half months?

Knowledge and clear understanding of a problem is critical to solving it. One palpable fact about the current government is that it has shown sufficient evidence to confirm that it understands the country and its challenges, perfectly. 

Evidently, the government is evolving new methods and approaches to tackle the challenges. On the economy which is a major problem confronting the country, the President has risen to the challenge with the enablement of committees and capable professionals to revive and revamp various aspects of the economy.

The appointments of experts like Zack Adedeji as Special Adviser on Revenue and Taiwo Oyedele leading the team to reform our taxes are cogent steps taken in the right direction.

Similarly the choice of a great patriot, Nuhu Ribadu, as the National Security Adviser is strategic and commendable.

Also in this category is the appointment of a core professional, agile and resourceful officer in person of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi as the Acting Comptrolloller General of Customs.

To tackle insecurity and improve on our security, the service chiefs appointed based on competence and national spread now enjoy greater cooperation and loyalty from their services and the civil populace to perform much better. In the last two and a half months, President has been able to build a strong foundation for a more cohesive, united and prosperous Nigeria.

Do you think he has assembled the right people into his cabinet?

Oh! It is a good cabinet, a cabinet of hope. Although some people are complaining that some of the ministers are not well positioned, I think we should give the President benefit of the doubt that as an established master strategist and foremost grandmaster in leadership and administration, he has good reasons for the few seemingly not too apt positioning among the ministers.

President Tinubu, apart from his legendary talent of discovering and developing talents, is a master in appointing with precision.

The cabinet is good and as you and I know of the position of the leader in any team especially in government, President Tinubu would lead the team to success.

I see Asiwaju Tinubu surpassing the unmatched accomplishments he recorded in Lagos as the President of Nigeria. 

People argue that technocrats instead of politicians should be ministers. What’s your reaction?

I totally disagree with that. It is a puerile argument.  Who are the technocrats and who are the politicians? Some people are merely promoting this to cause confusion and promote certain personalities. I am afraid too, these people want to stifle our democracy.

Nigerian politics is daily evolving and I can say without any equivocation that there is no degree or level of technocrats lacking in the political circles. Most of the people in politics today are professionals, many highly successful professionals.

We have them here and in the  diaspora.

I think those promoting the so-called technocrats above politicians and professionals in politics should have a rethink on this. If we cannot outsource a technocrat to be President or governor why then do we need to outsource largely uninformed technocrats as ministers and commissioners.

At best, if a president or governor desires the services of  particular apolitical  technocrats, the best he can do is to make such persons special advisers or absorb them into the relevant ministries at the directorate cadre where he can rise to become permanent secretary.

What we are practising in Nigeria is democracy, politics and it is being nurtured by politicians. Let’s take for example the Minister from Oyo State, Bayo Adelabu, who is an accomplished, highly cerebral professional in politics. Out of love to serve his people, to better the lots of Oyo State, he quit the post of Deputy Governor of Central Bank to join politics.

That is dedication, commitment to the growth of our democracy and Nigeria. With his experience in politics, his closeness to the people and the grassroots he would perform far better than an uncared technocrat who is kind of coerced to come and serve.

There is even a big danger there, when a president or governor surrounds himself with non-politicians who would not understand or see the need when it comes to defending our hard earned democracy.

There is no gating in politics. Anybody is free to join and participate in it. It is very unfair to put people that scorn politics and deride politicians to benefit from politics when there are many better qualified professionals sweating it out in politics.

For democracy to grow, we need to seriously encourage the participation of professionals who truly have the interest of the masses at heart in politics. We need lovers of the masses and consistently patriotic Nigerians  and not the aloof  technocrats who cannot effectively relate to the yearnings of the masses.