Reconciliation does not include forgetting all stolen money - Oyo SSG

Chief Layiwola Ayoade OlakojoChief Layiwola Ayoade Olakojo is Secretary to Oyo State Government (SSG). In this interview with Debo Abdulai and Jackson Udom, he speaks on the PDP, reconciliation, the probing of the former state governor, Senator Rasheed Ladoja and the sales of government quarters among other issues.

Sir, written on the wall behind you is the governor’s mission statement where he said he will rule the state with the fear of God. Can you comfortably state to the extent he has done that?
He has been living up to that declaration since he took over the leadership of the state on May 29 last year. And that is why the state has been extremely peaceful. You can compare the situation in the state in the last one year with the six months before he took over as the state governor. Lives were not safe across the state, as thuggery was the order of the day. It is not the same now. That mission statement affects the character and style of his administration because I believe in that mission statement that is why you find it right at my back.

Sir let’s get down to basics by asking how sincere the reported reconciliation between Governor Akala and Senator Ladoja is
Let me tell you one thing. Ladoja did not really commit any serious offence against Akala. Governor Akala is so respectful by the background of his training. Till tomorrow he still calls Ladoja my oga. He respects him. He doesn’t see or keep somebody as his enemy. It is true that some leaders intervened and succeeded in settling the two of them. But when it comes to issue of reconciliation and we want it properly done, we have to look inward for those who have defected to other parties. Those that were helping the Labour Party to win election against Governor Akala, those that were either helping or sponsoring the ANPP against Akala. If they now want to come back to the party they should go to their wards according to the party’s guidelines and constitution and re register. You cannot just take the reconciliation from the top, because we are practicing grassroots politics and I believe that that is the first step towards reconciliation. But as far as we are concerned, we will keep an !open door policy because we want everybody back in the party

You said you want everybody back in the party, is it the party alone why not government?
This is a government that is already formed. We are running this government till 2011 by the special grace of God. Some of them worked against us. In fact, I heard from the grapevine that some of them were saying that myself and some others were very new in the party and government. But when we were struggling to make sure that we won election, they were in another party, how can they now dictate to us? For the goodies of this government, they have to wait till 2011, when they would have worked the same way we worked. It is the effort you put into anything that determines your reward. You cannot just come in now, having worked against us and you now say you don’t want Olakojo as the SSG and that the position should go to another person when I knew what I had put in, and as an Apostle of second term?

Second term of what?
Second term of Akala, 2011 to 2015.

But no governor has ever succeeded himself in this State. How do you hope to break this age-long jinx?
If he could break the power-shift jinx to Ogbomosho and with the visible democracy dividends everywhere, in just one year, and with it going on like that for three more years, it is the people that will call on him that they are satisfied with what he has been doing and that he should continue.

Are you saying that the administration of Alhaji Lam Adesina did not perform hence he was denied a second term by the people?
That was his own luck. That is why we call this one a man of destiny. That was his own destiny that he will not do more than a term. Our Papa too did not do up to four years, imagine Dr Olunloyo did only three months and he is an ex governor.

Still on the reconciliation sir, will the state government now forget the probe of the sales of the state government shares alleged to have been misappropriated by the last administration?
Could we say because we want the town to be peaceful, if a rogue is caught you now ask the court to release the rogue?

Then why did you reconcile?
It was on the political platform. For instance, if someone has defrauded, does that have anything to do with politics?

One would have thought that you should have recovered whatever you wanted before reconciling. Why is reconciliation coming now that what was allegedly stolen was recovered from these people who arenow back with you?
No. no. We have been trying to get the money and that does not stop reconciliation, that is politics. Politics is different from accountability. Immediately you are elected governor, you govern over everybody without bias or political leanings or affiliation. When we talk about PDP, that is reconciliation. The money that is involved is that of the tax payers in the state and not for the PDP alone. So reconciliation is different from governance. When we came in, we found out that roughly Two billion naira worth of shares were sold without being accounted for and members of the public cannot expect us to keep quiet, so we decided to systematically follow the process of the sales and at a point they said we were illiterates. They said they spent the proceeds of the shares for developmental projects in the State. Let them point to a particular project that they spent the money on. Now, every one of them is keeping quiet now.

One of them said the money was spent on the Mokola/Ojoo road dualisation.
No, no no. The money was not spent on dualisation. The money spent was entirely a different money. That goes into the general purse of government. The shares were sold and the documents are there with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the documents are there with the Stock Exchange, they are there with the CSCS. And let me tell you, EFCC has been able to recover about 800million cash. I am happy one of your reporters was good enough to have delved into this matter and he wrote a comprehensive report on the issue. The recovery is still in progress and we will make sure that we get in touch with the EFCC everyday. Our priority is to get every Kobo back to government. After that if there is any need to prosecute them, that would be solely the responsibility of the EFCC.

But the governor also has a case with the EFCC
Governor Akala has no case whatsoever with the EFCC. They are talking about an interim report and that was why I am shamed of some supposed national dailies publishing falsehood. I am so sorry for them. Why didn’t other newspapers carry the report? As the chief executive of the state, normally, the bulk stops on his table. There is what is called collective responsibility. The books thatwere printed by these publishers were customised books. They made sure they pegged the price. It is not a competitive tendering in any way. And ifthere were any faults,that should be on the former chairman of the Oyo State SUBEB, Professor Taoheed Adedoja., who recommended the whole thing to the Executive Council of the State and the governor did not unilaterally award the contract, it was the decision of the state exco, and it went through due process, so how can they now be labelling the governor because of that?

They believed that if they planned that anything could have happened. My boss is not under any interrogation by the EFCC and no report of any type or kind has been written against him to my knowledge, to government and to anywhere.

Should we therefore believe that both of you are using the EFCC reports as blackmail tools?
What happened is that we were investigated and that was the point the newspaper was trying to capitalise on. For your information, the former administration decided to punish me by publishing a white paper indicting me, without even inviting me to give evidence before the so-called panel. I saw the last administration as highly vindictive. It is the spill over of what happened then that that newspaper is still capitalising upon. But let us thank God that destiny has played its part. Akala is the governor today, and he will continue to be.

One major flashpoint in the state is the crisis between the government and a section of the Obas which recently led some of them rejecting car gifts...

(Cuts in)Let me tell you, they are playing traditional politics. The Olubadan can never go to Ogbomosho to install any Baale in Ogbomosholand. Likewise, the Soun of Ogbomosho can never come to Ibadan to install any Baale and none of them can go to Oyo to do the same. That is why I am saying they are playing traditional politics. Government is very careful about the development and for the mere fact that anybody rejected a car gift is an indirect way of playing traditional politics. But all other goodies from government, they do not refuse. Government on its part is doing its best to make sure that it relates to the Oba of a particular area for the security and progress of the place and for the delivery of democracy dividends to their people. Government is not in any way interfering in the politics. This administration did not establish the laws relating to traditional council, we met it there. As far as we are concerned, to us in government, we believe it is an indirect none issue when it comes to the administration of governance.

Workers in the State are also angry with your government over the alleged biases in the sale of government quarters.
You see, the workers cannot really kick against it. We took them on, we educated them and we held series of meetings with them and that meeting was always chaired by the Head of Service. The previous administration was not as transparent as we are. When they advertised, they shared the quarters among themselves. But by the time we came in, we decided to be transparent. We did not really mean to drive or dispose the civil servants of the quarters, rather we told them that, okay, there are reserved prices for these quarters and the civil servants would be the first set of people to be considered. Let me illustrate what has been happening. If a quarter has a reserved price by the estate valuer and the reserve price for instance, is Ten Million and a civil servant now bids Ten million, and another person outside bids Ten Million definitely that quarter will go to the civil servant because we give them priority.

But if the reserve price of a quarter is Ten million and the civil servant now holds a million as the asking price and he deposits one hundred thousand naira will you now advise that such a quarter should be reserved for the civil servant because he has been living in it? Whereas, they have forgotten that whatever money we collect from all these quarters will go into the pension scheme, in fact it is all for their future and I don’t know why the hues and cries. Out of the very many civil servants that bidded for the quarters about 65 of them were successful.

There was a particular case where a house member bided the same amount with a sitting and legal tenant and we made sure that the tenant had the quarter and even when we made a mistake, we corrected it. Let me also tell you that the bid process was transparent and was supervised by and chaired by the Head of Service. If there had been any misgivings, it would have been a misunderstanding of the facts by the civil servants by themselves. How can I expect a civil servant to now say that if the reserve price of a quarter is Ten million, he has to bid one million for such a quarter and deposits Ten percent of that amount which is one hundred thousand and expects the government to now say, Mr X civil servant, until you get Ten Million, continue to stay there, and the civil servant continues looking for buyers ,is that in order?

Few months ago, this administration sold out application forms for employment into the civil service, and nothing has been heard about it up till this moment.
Nothing has been heard because we are trying to sanitise the system. We found out that some people were in the service with forged certificates. We also found out that a bit of fraud has been going on as regards the payment of salaries and wages. We really want to clear the table before we inject fresh blood into the system. And as a step towards that, the governor recentlyinaugurated the civil service commission and it is coming up with a programme of recruitment any moment from now.

If eventually teachers agree to negotiate with States, is Oyo ready?
I want to assure you that this is a listening government. This government will be ready to negotiate with them at any time so that they will go back to work in the overall interest of the pupils.

Has the governor made any offer to meet them?
That would be through TESCOM and SUBEB. I was in Owerri last weekend for a retreat for all SSGs in the country and the SGF told us that they have directed that each state should go and discuss with them. We are so friendly with labour and once they come there will be no problem

We are hearing that the state House of Assembly is heading for a collision with the executive over the demolition of a church building in Akobo area...
(Cuts in)We are not at all at logger heads. I can assure you that if that church was illegally built and causes obstruction, if the House decides the governor will support the House. I have not got enough fact on the matter, but I can assure you that there is harmonious working relationship between the two arms of government The House invited us about two weeks ago to deliver our stewardship in the last one year and after the governor concluded his delivery, we wined and dined together.

In the next three years what should the people of Oyo State be expecting from this government?
In the next three years, by the special grace of God , the people will enjoy a lot of democracy dividends whereby they will voluntarily say Akala, you have done well, and he will even be returned unopposed by the PDP as the candidate for 2011 that is when you will know that I am a true Apostle of second term.

Are you not even bothered about this Appeal Tribunal thing?
Oh my God! Let me tell you, he has been destined to be there and by the grace of God we won at the tribunal we will win again at the appeal. You see, this people decided to be flying the wrong kite, so that when people read some rubbish they’ll now be fidgeting about the outcome of the Appeal judgment. I can assure you that by the special grace of God, I am not pre empting what the judgment would be, since we have won at the lower tribunal, we will also win at the appeal. He is a man of destiny.

AS the Oyo State SSG what would you say are the challenges you are facing daily?
It is highly challenging and hectic. You can see on my tables the files I am yet to treat. I don’t have my time and a times I don’t sleep until about 2am.

That means you are capable
Well, I enjoy doing the job. I have been used to it.

Used to it how?
That was the training I was given when I was in the civil service before I came into politics. I won’t praise myself, but I think I am doing my best.

So you believe that the governor has really benefited from your wealth of experience?
I will say we have all benefited not him as a person. You see, he is the captain of the ship. I have benefited, he has benefited and everybody has benefited. The most important thing is that there is substantial progress in the state and most importantly, the state is very peaceful.