Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, former lawmaker and former member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in this interview with TOBA ADEDEJI speaks about national issues, economy and politics in Osun, Edo and Ondo States.
Ahead of future elections in Osun State, what are the measures your party has put in place to reclaim the parties in 2026?
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State is currently embarking on accommodating new members and reconciling existing ones in view of building a stronger team that will give us victory in the next election.
The results of these pragmatic efforts of the leadership of the party in bringing all the aggrieved members together through conflict resolution and mediation are now yielding positive results.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

In a couple of weeks, the party will start welcoming a large number of decampees to APC in the state.

In addition to that, the party, under the leadership of Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, is not leaving any stone unturned through engagements and consultations.

Just recently, there was a state-wide tour led by the party Chairman in the state, Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal to review, appraise and evaluate the strength of the party and to know its challenges across the local government to reposition it through critical analysis of areas of strength and weakness to improve and implement the recommendations of the reconciliation committee, for the APC to remain a formidable party in Osun State.

How will you describe the tenure of former Gov. Adegboyega Oyetola ?
The administration of former governor Gboyega Oyetola witnessed tremendous advancement in terms of good governance that impacted the social and economic lives of the people of the state.

During His Excellency’s four years in office, there was an unprecedented transformation in health, education, agriculture, infrastructure and rural community development, etc.

Despite the fact that the federal allocation at that time was meager, Oyetola, due to his rich experience from both private and public sectors, was able to utilise the meager resources in such a way that every sector was touched which affected the lives of the masses in the state positively.

Read Also: Osun State varsity gets acting provost
The former governor also ran an open and participatory government through the creation of Civil Engagement and I was appointed as a Special Adviser to run that office. The idea was to bridge the gaps between the people and the government’s policies and programmes. The civic engagement created a window where all citizens are regarded as stakeholders in decision-making and execution.

Do you think Oyetola’s policies had a human face?
Yes! The policies and programmes of the government had a human face, well appreciated and embraced by the people of the state and that is why till today, the achievements of the immediate past administration is still standing tall for all of us.

In a nutshell, the administration of former governor Oyetola was eventful, impactful and witnessed a total transformation of all sectors of the economy and the benefits of the masses.

You were a lawmaker, who represented Obokun Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly. Could you recall the relationship between the legislature and the then- executive arm of the government?
As the Chairman, the House Committee on Information and Strategy, working with other liberal, productive and experienced legislators in the 6th Osun State House of Assembly, I can say unequivocally that the parliament had a harmonious relationship with the executive. Although we used to have strong disagreements based on principle, the situations were managed by mature elected stakeholders who knew their onions. They did not allow our disagreements to get noticed by the public. Being a high-performing assembly, issues were rather resolved through dialogues and negotiations. We reconciled all differences that existed between the executive and the legislature. Such disagreements were necessary for the development of our dear state. As a representative from my constituency in the 6th Assembly, I contributed my quota in the areas of good representation, lawmaking, and community development. I made myself abundantly available to my people, awoken hope among the youths, ameliorated poverty, created opportunities, built confidence, empowered rural farmers, and inspired change, which up till now I am still sustaining.

As a former member of the defunct APC PCC, do you think Nigerians are getting the dividend of democracy they voted for?
With the utmost sense of humility, dignity, and modesty, I wish to thank all Nigerians who freely gave us their mandate to govern this country.

Although the task is herculean, we are gradually navigating through the storm and challenges the country is passing through.

In the real sense of it, this present government is working tirelessly on how to stabilise the economy, foreign exchange rates, inflation and Price control.

What we are witnessing now on the issue of the naira to the American dollar is a pointer that we are getting to the coast of self-sufficiency and economic stabilization.

Our people should believe in the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration. In due course, we shall laugh last!

Are the state governors doing enough to revive the nation’s economy as Tinubu is doing?
Some governors are already setting the pace, while others are still foot-dragging in complementing the efforts of President Bola Tinubu in the process of the nation’s building.

In December 2023, the Federal Govern ment approved N5bn for each state and the Federal Capital Territory to enable them to procure food items for distribution to the poor in their respective states.

Apart from the considerable windfall in revenue allocations, the governors have also enjoyed considerable support from the Tinubu administration, as they recently received N 78bn, and also N2bn each for infrastructure support and fuel subsidy palliative, respectively

Going by what was accrued to states after the subsidy on oil has been removed, state governors have been collecting good money that should have been used to make Nigerians happy.

My position is that the governors need to support various initiatives of the president in fixing the economy by utilising their monthly allocation for poverty alleviation in their various states. That is what should be paramount now.

What the state governors are earning from the federal allocation since the removal of the fuel subsidy is enough to put smiles on the faces of the people, if judiciously used. If governors can judiciously utilise what they are currently earning, the impact of inflation will be minimally felt by the people. We have the figures and facts about what these governors are getting.

But some State governors are still lamenting over security among others which the federal government ought to provide.

With the aforementioned, the state governors have no reason not to impact the lives of the people because the revenue available to all tiers of government has increased significantly since June 2023.

State governors must be ready to give dividends of democracy to their people. They should account for what they are getting.

People are displeased already. Citizens are watching and waiting patiently to see what their governors will do.

But if they fail to do the needful, then they should be ready to face the wrath of the people at the appropriate time.

They should do the needful and complement what the President is doing at the federal level and by doing so, everyone, irrespective of political affiliations, will feel the positive impact of the initiatives introduced by the President.

If the governors do the needful, the living standard of the people will improve and there will be less disaffection towards the government at the centre.

However, we will continue to encourage them to meet their obligations to workers, pensioners, and to the people in general.

What do you think the government at all levels should give priority to now when Nigerians are lamenting ‘hardship’?
The government at all levels must look inward in the area of agriculture, industry, and services to contribute more to the Gross Domestic Product at the national level.

In revamping the economy we must invest more in Agriculture by encouraging the use of modern machinery and equipment, such as tractors, harvesters, and irrigation systems to significantly boost agricultural productivity. The government can provide subsidies or loans to farmers to facilitate the adoption of mechanisation and promotion of efficient farming practices, draw up policies and programmes, they make regulations for those concerned with agricultural development, create finance research, establish farm settlements, and supply vaccine and quarantine service.

By investing in infrastructure, increasing access to finance, and implementing favourable policies, the government can leverage manufacturing to transform the economy, create jobs, reduce poverty, and improve liv ing standards.

Support for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) can be used to foster entrepreneurship and innovation.

They can streamline trade processes and reduce trade barriers to boost exports and Invest in critical infrastructure, such as transportation, energy, and technology, to reduce bottlenecks and improve overall productivity.

Also, they can implement social safety nets to protect vulnerable populations and improve health care systems during economic reforms.

⁠Do you think local government is alive to its constitutional roles, Don’t you think governors are killing local councils?
The local government has been disempowered and arm-twisted from its constitutional role since the return of democracy in 1999, by the action and inaction of the state governors, and this has resulted in a decline in the delivery of social services at the community level.

Due to overwhelming corruption and weak institutions, facilities at the grassroots in the areas of health, environmental services, potable water, and primary education are in shambles. Teachers are not being paid adequately, and public infrastructures are poorly maintained.

State governors are the ones crippling the third tier of government by tampering with their allocation leaving the local government, which is the closest to the people with inadequate funds to develop their communities.

Despite Executive Order No.10 signed by the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari and a follow-up directive by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit for them to desist from tampering with the local government funds, most of the governors are still in the act, relying on Section 162, sub-sections 6, 7 and 8, of the Nigerian Constitution which state, “Each state shall maintain a special account to be called ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ into which shall be paid all allocations to the local government councils of the state from the Federation Account and the government of the state.”

So, with this, successive governors have failed to allow the local government to operate in their full capacity as the third tier of government.

If the aforementioned are not well addressed, the local government will continue to function at its lowest.

What roles do you think Dangote refinery will play in improving the economy?
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery will no doubt have positive impacts on the economy of this country through its production at reasonable and affordable prices.

The refinery, which has the capacity of producing 650,000 barrels per day, has the potential of alleviating financial strains on banks and since it can be exported, it will boost Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

Nigeria will also stop the importation of diesel, petroleum products, and petrochemicals which help the country billions of dollars in foreign exchange

The refinery will also reduce pressure on our scarce foreign exchange. You know when we export crude oil and import refined fuel; we export jobs in a way, which will further put pressure on our foreign reserves. But indigenous refinery will save us from this. Another benefit of the refinery is that since the payment of the refined product will be in our naira, this will reduce the pressure for the demand of US dollars.

Looking at the lamentation of Nigerians, do you think APC will win the Ondo and Edo elections?
I commend Nigerians for bearing the situation with faith in our party. We also note their perseverance during this global economy challenges.

The leadership of this country is seriously working to reduce the impact of this economic downturn through various public-oriented policies and programmes that will minimise the hardship.

In lieu of the understanding of Nigerians regarding the present situation, our support base is unshaken through the length and breadth of this country.