Even if we want to go into debt, we should see the outcome of the debt the government collected on the faces of the people as regards the standard of living of the people
Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Prof. Oluwaseyi Fabiyi was until recently a consultant with the United Nations. He had also taught in different universities including the Federal University of Technology, Minna and the University of Ibadan before he formed a Non Governmental Organisation. He is currently contesting for the post of the governor of Osun State on the platform of the KOWA party.
READ ALSO: 2019: APC, KOWA offer free nomination forms to women, youths in Ebonyi
The governorship candidate said his decision to contest the governorship election was borne out of his desire to transform the state and make it an envy of others in the country.
Why are you interested in the governorship position, having attained a lofty height in your career?
My desire is to transform the state and make it greater than it is. I have the plan to improve on the programmes and policies of the present administration in the state. Osun State belongs to all of us and it is unfortunate that the state is not moving the way it should because the founding fathers of the stateplannedbeautifulthingsforthestatebutthe successive governments have failed us in this state.
I have my plans for the state and within the first one year of my administration by the special grace of God, I believe poverty, hunger and affliction will end in the state soon. I have designed my programmes and plans for the state and these plans will be implemented by the team of people who will join me in administering the state.
What are the positions you have held before and why do you think you are the best for Osun State governor?
I had a very humble background but with the grace of God I attained the height I am today. Right from the primary school, I have been holding sensitive leadership positions which groomed me early in life.
I attended St Patrick Modern School Gbongan and Gbongan Community High school and in these schools I held leadership positions before proceeding to the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife where I studied Urban and Regional planning.
I also proceeded to the Federal University of Technology Minna in Niger State where I bagged my Master’s and doctorate degrees. In all these institutions I held sensitive leadership positions and the records are there for anybody to check. Also, I started my teaching career in 1992 with the Federal University of Technology Minna, I later joined the University of Ibadan in 1998 and I worked briefly with the United Nations Population Fund, later I moved to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. After that,I started an NGO. Later, I was offered an appointment with Kampala International University where I left to come and contest the governorship. I am saying all these for you to know that I have held functional and sensitive positions in the past and I did well in every place I worked. My records are there for anyone doubt to check. I am over 51 and over 20 of the years I have spent in life were dedicated to serving humanity at different levels.
READ ALSO: NGO offers free Java training for students
Having said all these, I think I have all that it takes for me to govern Osun State and govern it better than others who are also in the race with me. Our credentials are major factors that can speak for us and these should be examined by prospective voters before they vote for the candidate of their choice on September 22, this year.
I saw the way Osun State is being run, that it is very horrible and so bad that some categories of workers have been receiving half salary since 2015 and there is no guarantee that their remaining money would be given them if we allow this government to continue.
Going by the assessment of Osun State, our debt profile has double the total annual revenue that we are receiving and this debt is being deducted from the source meaning that the next consecutive government in Osun State would be paying the debt. And when I look at the National Bureau of Statistics website, I discovered that for the past eight months consistently, Osun State has been spending 75 percent of the federal allocation serving the debt and it is being deducted from the source.
READ ALSO: 1,331 Nigerians die in road crashes in Q2 – NBS
Even if we want to go into debt, we should see the outcome of the debt the government collected on the faces of the people as regards the standard of living of the people, it would have been better but there is nothing of such. The infrastructure they said they are providing are only in Osogbo, the state capital, they do not spread to other parts of the state.