Honourable Bosun Oladele was a former commissioner for information and orientation in Oyo state during late Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s administration. He was also the Federal House of Representatives member representing Irepo-Orelope Olorunsogo Federal Constituency.
In this interview with Olakunle Yusuf in Lagos, he explained why a lawyer by training veered into politics; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed’s led government, Oyo state development and other sundry issues.
Excerpts:
Can you tell us reason for your hiatus in politics?
Once a politician always a politician. Silence moments are for reflections. Not only reflections but for strategizing. I was deliberately silent before we came out for South West agenda for His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our current president. Anytime one is supposedly kept mute it could be for the immediate or long time reasons. So silence at this moment is golden.
Barely two years in office, how would you assess President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration?
For the first time we have a president that is worth the name and the game. People would say different things especially in the negative. I wouldn’t blame them. The truth is that it is bringing something out of the ordinary. The kind of experience we are having under this administration is not the usual one. And you know the popular saying that only a fool keep doing the same thing the same way and be expecting a different result.
We have been used to mediocrity in governance. We have been used to people that would take on governance space and would just massage whatever they met on ground and it would always be business as usual. As much as we know that every government cannot solve all the problems of citizens. But this is the first time we are seeing government that is making concrete efforts to bring in orderliness, to address and solve problems and challenges, ensuring citizens are getting the best of governance.
I will say categorically that gold wouldn’t be gold unless it is fogged in fire. And not a small fire. That’s what makes its gold. And for you to get where we have diamonds it could take ages. Mining is not a child’s play. The same thing goes for the saying, all good things come in hardly and slowly. People wanted to live the way we had been living before. We were living on subsidy every time. Every aspect of our lives being subsidized and we were less productive. But now everybody has seen the realities.
Take for instance, petroleum subsidy, it took time for us to have Asiwaju Bola Tinubu but it didn’t take time for him to announce to us that subsidy is gone. Even though Buhari’s administration that prepared the budget for 2023 never provided for subsidy in that budget. Which means they already knew subsidy is gone. But they were only waiting to transfer the baton of governance and let the coming man face the task. And then, stake his head for the consequences of announcing subsidy removal.
Anybody should ask a question: when Buhari administration did not provide for subsidy, how come Buhari government did not announce to Nigerians that they have removed subsidy finally? But they wanted to leave in ‘’clean slate’’ so that nobody would remember them as the one that removed subsidy. But for the first time we have a very bold and courageous leader. A leader that is living to the true saying that a good leader takes people to where they ought to be not where they want to be. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu announcing to us that subsidy is gone was preparing us to guard our loins and bet up for the challenges ahead. Thank God it is over a year now and we can see the effect.
When subsidy was here, Nigeria was importing fuel and the fuel we were importing was smuggled to Burkina faso, Niger, to Cotonou, Ghana, to everywhere. But here we are: who are the people bearing the brunt for those smuggling activities? It’s average Nigerians.
Ok, I have just three, four cars. The thought of putting fuel in those cars alone, now that subsidy is gone, it a is herculean one. People that do not have any car although they will pay for public transportation, it is cheaper than for me to buy petrol, if I want to go from Lagos to Ibadan the cost of petrol to take me from Lagos to Ibadan will definitely double the cost of transportation on public channels.
So which one is better?
It is better for me to take the public transport. Now that train is servicing Ibadan- Lagos route so is even cheaper. So that is one aspect of the subsidy. We were wasting our foreign reserves in servicing subsidy. Neighbouring countries were benefiting from cheaper petrol from Nigeria. Now that subsidy is gone I would say that government should even allow people to export petrol in tankers because you’re buying at the real value here so whoever is buying from you in Ghana, Burkina faso, Togo, Cotonou, Mali, Niger etc, they would be buying at free market rates. And whoever is exporting to them would be making his money just like the way they would make from any other exports, so smuggling is gone.
It is no longer profitable. Why do you need to go and bribe somebody to take your tanker across the border when what you are buying, you are buying at the normal market rates. And I tell you what: those countries still rely on Nigeria’s oil. If you google Dangote refinery is already exporting even to Cameroun and other places. Because subsidy is gone Dangote make sure his own refinery came onboard. The NNPC also were challenged. They made Port-Harcourt refinery started working. Warri refinery started working and others are being worked upon. For the first time in so many years since the military days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, our refineries are now working and look at the situation in Lagos at a point we were buying at 1200 naira per litre. Now it is 860 naira. Now there is even a prediction based on accessible data and projections that this fuel we are talking about may even end up at 650 very soon. That is the work of competition in pricing and productivities.
I will give you an instance, when mobile phones and services came in, I was one of the few subscribers that first bought Econet sim card. Sim card alone was about fourty two thousand naira. I remember in my law office then we all bought. But before we knew it MTN came on board, Glo, Etisalat came on board. Now if you want to buy sim card you don’t even pay for it you will just ask to buy a recharge card. So that is the work of competition and free market economy and petroleum resources we’ve seen the effect of price war, it is to the benefit of the populace.
Am sure Nigerians are smiling right now in anticipation of more drop in prices to come, that is that with subsidy. If we didn’t have a bold leader that steadfastly implementing it, it would not happen.
On first day of inauguration President Tinubu announced that subsidy is gone. And in no distance time he floated the currency. How would you describe his leadership style and approach?
He doesn’t prevaricate. The critical things driving the economy were those things he immediately announced; that is a leader that doesn’t prevaricate. He never procrastinated. He knew where the challenges were and he quickly addressed it. If he had allowed us to be living like before and he’s now subjecting that to debate, nobody would want us to do that and we wouldn’t be where we are today. Look at the capital market, Nigeria’s capital market is better for it today. I was reading something from newspapers online, globally this government has been able to bring in not less than 50 billions dollar investments with the active involvement and resilience of Mr. President. Yes, he travels but at every point in time he achieved results.
Tell me when he had travelled nothing was announced. Am sure it cannot be up to the time he travelled and new investments come with the travelling. So each time he travels he has been able to drive new investments. He has been able to arouse global interests in Nigerian economy and then naira is appreciating compared to dollar just like petroleum products. You and I knew when naira was 1900 to a dollar. Is now around 1500 and the likelihood of its coming down more is there. Our productivity has gone up in this country. Now Nigerians are exporting more than before and for the first time in so many years under various governments we had Obasanjo, late Yaradua, Jonathan and Buhari, Nigeria started enjoying trade surplus. Trade surplus in the sense that the volume of export is now more than the volume of import. People now know that it is more profitable to export than to import.
In those days we used to have exile battery in Ibadan; we used to have Ferodo manufacturing company, all those companies are coming back.
A company has started manufacturing battery in Nigeria; another one has started manufacturing break–pads and look at the number of Nigerian automobiles producers, manufacturers. We have Nord, Innosons, Jets and Dangote has bought Peugeot automobile, Volkswagens, they are back. These are things that will indicate to us that economy is no longer on a life support. But it is vibrant, kicking and energized. So what are we saying?
This is the government that has done that. It has touched all aspects of our life. NELFUND is there… look at the number of students benefitting. Your school fee is paid directly to your school. And you’re credited I think 20,000 naira monthly living expenses as a student. Even those of us that went to University in 80s and early 90s, we did not experience that. The people that really enjoyed such benefits were those who went to University in the 70s. Now this is back with those in the 2020s. So if you have your school fee paid and you have twenty thousand naira, many parents could not afford to give their children twenty thousand naira every month. But now children on their own can access it from federal government and when you finish from the school there is a programme government has done. You will serve. NYSC members are now being paid seventy seven thousand naira monthly.
Though they said they are not getting it, but government has announced retroactive effect. Which means if they start paying this month, they would get the arrears that they suppose to get. Most of the people serving would even compete in terms of the cash they would have at hand when they pay arrears. I remember in our own old days I got three hundred naira from NYSC monthly. It was of value then. But it was better now you don’t need to be stressed before your school fee is paid. I also learnt some students would like to serve perpetually because of this benefit. Again, that is not possible.
Let’s narrow it down to the sub-national, you are from Oyo state, What is your assessment of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration?
well… after the tenure of late Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, I will say Oyo state has taken a bad seat in terms of our performance in education, environment, when I say environment, you will recall that Ibadan “Clean Up” was top-notch during Senator Ajimobi’s government. Ibadan is back to its filthy way. Again, the green area like Agodi Garden, Trans-Amusement, they’ve been devastated because most of these places are being turned to estates. To me, those are uncalled for. If you say yes, Seyi Makinde has done roads, didn’t Ajimobi do road? Most of the roads he did are legacy roads in all the five zones of the state. Oke – Ogun, your entrance into Iseyin, from Ibadan, Iseyin is gateway into Oke-Ogun. The dualisation was started and done by Ajimobi. Then entrance into Oyo, taking a spur from new Lagos-Ibadan expressway was initiated, commenced, and was ongoing during the life of Governor Ajimobi.
Then Ogbomoso, the major way, if you are going in from Igbeti into Ogbomosho or you are coming in from Ejigbo side into Ogbomoso cutting across Soun palace was dualised by Ajimobi. Then Ibadan, quite a few places… the major flyover in Mokola was done by Ajimobi. The Jericho road was done by Ajimobi… the old Ife road was commenced by Ajimobi. The one that traversed Academy Olomi… The list is long. It’s good for any government to build on continuity and foundation laid by another government. I would say in some aspects Seyi Makinde has been able to do that. He completed some of the other ones left by Ajimobi.
But the environmental degradation currently going on in Oyo state is an eyesore. There is no point dwelling much on Seyi Makinde, his two-tenure is about to end. What should happen after should be our concern. And that’s why I’m of the view as APC we should get our acts together and bring Oyo state back into the fold of the progressives.
Am much more concern about that.
If you take a cursory look at the scenario in Oyo state, would you rather conclude that Oyo state’s citizens miss Governor Ajimobi?
I will say so… because even if we say it in terms of the environment, orderliness, Oyo state is missing Gov. Ajimobi.
You’re a former parliamentarian. In your view, would you say your constituency in Oyo state is enjoying quality representations in Abuja?
First thing… the person representing us currently was the person I supported. That is the federal legislature from Irepo-Orelope Olorunsogo federal constituency of Oyo state. I supported him and I would say that I have not been able to interact with him to the extent of knowing what is happening. Because I don’t know whether it is by design or just a coincidence, we hardly talk. I won’t be the one that would be disturbing anybody in that position with phone calls or unwarranted visitations, no…
I had been there before I know how hectic it could be. But again, when I was there I always reached out to our leaders and supporters. I may not be able to say the same thing for him unless am able to sit down with him and he also involves me in some of his policies.
If you were still there what would you have done differently?
I have just said I would interact more with our leaders and supporters. That’s all. In terms of his programmes, I really don’t know much but I see some of them which I think was laudable. He has done some trainings. He has done some empowerments, which I see online. But if you ask me to talk about them, I may not be able to do so because I don’t know the details.
But definitely, anybody who is there at any appointed time could only do his best. It was during my own tenure I served accordance to my own best abilities. Immediately after, the seat went to Orelope local government. After, it went to Irepo local government which is there. So maybe when it has gone full circle and we have basis to do the comparation one would… next time the seat is coming back to my local government.
You’re a successful lawyer, but later veered into politics. What really prompted you?
As a successful lawyer I have impacted in my own way on my people especially those from my constituency. Quite a number of them will testify that I really don’t go into probing asking where are you from, which compound, which household… When they have issues they come to me especially legal issues. Most of them I do pro bono. I would rise up, step into the situation and assist within my capacity to resolve such issue in their favour or in a way they would be satisfied. I always do that and I count that as part of my own philanthropy to the society and my constituency. I give educational subsidy or if you like call it scholarship to indigent students. I do that from time to time. If I look at it, it’s been two decades I have been doing that. I’ve students that have gone through that with testimonials.
Some are even outside the country but it wasn’t me that paid their school fees outside the country. But the foundation upon which they built to go further for their Post Graduate and things like that, I had impacts there and then community service has been my strongest selling point. There are prizes I give to schools especially final year students. For some, I pay for their Jamb. For some, I pay for their WAEC. I have always done that. So I see my venturing into politics as an opportunity to do that on a larger scale.
At a point I initiated Bosun Educational Support Services. And then I remember I gave text books consisting of questions and answers prepared by the local teachers. Over four thousand of it printed, distributed, for primary school pupils so that they could prepare for their Common Entrance Examinations. My own children used the same textbooks because it’s all about questions and answers of the past exams. So I was able to do that and I initiated football competition within secondary schools and football teams within my constituency. I still did that up till last month. I still supported some of our schools in their inter-house sports. I have a foundation that is about tourism development because we have tourism site within my constituency.
For my tenure at the House of Reps, we always projecting that on TVC when we do mountainairing and other activities like awards night. The biggest awards that the constituency has ever seen I did that. I gave out mobility like motorcycles about one hundred and sixty seven of it in the past. I gave out Keke-napep. I trained farmers, I gave them certificates, gave them seedlings, gave them money to start up.
We did a lot of things in terms of provision of water with hand pump boreholes that is the much we can do but we made sure it went round. In terms of security of the constituency i supported a lot. If we continue talking we would spend the whole day on that.
Come 2027, are you planning to go back to the parliament?
Well, I’ve been getting calls, suggestions and I still need sometime to think about it vis –a- vis my current work as a lawyer. My immediate past activity as the National Secretary of South West Agenda For Asiwaju, SWAGA. My antecedent as a former Commisioner and Member, House of Representatives. I would need time to think about what next step. That’s why I said silence at this point in time is about reflections and re-strategizing.
