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Akindele Akanmu Ogunbiyi, chairman of Mutual Benefits Group, is one of the governorship aspirants in Osun State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He comes highly recommended among the number from the opposition side. Before joining the race, he had worked in the managing director/CEO capacity for 15 years, group managing director for more than 5 years and is presently the group chairman of the Board. He was the chief promoter/founding managing director and chief executive of VTL Insurance Brokers Ltd from January 1993 to September 1995. He has had several other public and private exposures. The aspirant parades an intimidating résumé. In this interview, Ogunbiyi speaks on his mission to deliver Osun from bad governance, which he says is very urgent; how he will bring his experiences in the private sector to bear on the economy of the state; tackle the insecurity challenge in the state, among other issues. Excerpts:
The way the country is today, regarding security vis-à-vis the herdsmen and other crimes, it’s as if people are raising their hands in helplessness. Looking at the security architecture of Nigeria and based on your own experience and exposure, how do you think this herdsmen issue can be solved, bearing in mind that two priests among others, that were killed were just buried recently.
It is really sad and inexplicable at this modern age that this is happening in Nigeria. I am sorry to say, yes, I am gunning for a political position, because I am convinced that leadership can make the difference in everything. They will tell you that people is the most important when it comes to factors of production. But, I tell you, it is having the right people, not just people, but the right people. I don’t know how a country so blessed when you see the biblical country flowing with milk and honey, I have not seen any country in the world that fits into that description but God just decided that we won’t have the right leadership.
Fulani herdsmen (or killer herdsmen as they are called), communal clashes here and there, religious war, for crying out loud, we have to talk about what people need. I will be 56 in the next couple of weeks. We grew up in this country. I am a village boy to the core. My primary, secondary, modern school, my university, everything was in the village. My father’s best friends, especially in my town, Ile-Ogbo, were from the Hausa community. My father was a herdsman. They thrived and they lived in harmony. You find Igbo community; you find in virtually every locality within the South-West. You say Kano is a no man’s land just as they say Lagos is a no man’s land and you get to Kano in those days and you find every ethnic group represented and they lived as if they were in Umuahia or Ile-Igbo. You get to Kaduna, it is the same thing. Is it not the same country? It is all about leadership. You have leaders who have the capacity to lead well but they choose to do other things. This leadership issue we are talking about, they have the capacity to do the right thing, but they’ve decided to do otherwise.
You said your father was a herdsman…?
Yes! My father was a herdsman. I grew up to know him as a herdsman. He would go – and buy with his friend from Ijebu – they would go to Kano and buy herds of cattle, 400 to 600, 1000; the two of them, they would trek, 90 days, 100 days to lead the cattle down to Oyo. There was no harassment in my locality; there were herdsmen. The three localities that make up Iwo land, Aiyedire Local Government, Iwo Local Government, and Olaoluwa Local Government, we had herdsmen. We never had these issues. If you come to my farm, about 25 kilometers from my village, you will see 7 or 8 year-old boys, two of them controlling about 400 herds of cattle. They pass through farms, they know when to stop them; they know when they see virgin land, they know when they see free grazing land.
So, what’s the way forward?
This is just political. The day our leaders would come together and say heck, we are one and let us line up as one. What else do we talk about? We are using ethnicity to divide ourselves. What do you say of India, a country of 1.3billion population; over 300,000 ethnic groups and their ethnic groups are as much as their religious beliefs. It is unfortunate. I can only appeal to our leaders. When people fail to give the deliverables that are needed for the common man to live a decent, peaceful life, they will look for alternative to engage us. This is exactly what is happening.
You’re a private sector individual going into politics, how do you hope to deal with the violence associated with political activities?
Am I going there to go and fight anybody? I spend an average of N50m every year, picking people from the streets, supporting indigent students, talent hunting. If you take these ones off the streets, who will the politicians use to engage in violent acts? And what do they give to them. If you give anybody N200 in my village, that is a lot of money. Our parents gave us quality education from their merger resources. When our leaders have failed to give us the deliverables to ensure a decent quality of life, they find something to engage us. Unfortunately, because of poverty in the land, they are able to use people to perpetuate violence.
We have always had people show so much commitment and passion about how to develop the nation when they are coming into politics, they espouse the same passion you are exhibiting now, but as soon as they get there, they, like you said, know what to do, but they refuse to do it. Why is this so and what do you think you will bring that will be more beneficial to the people.
There are a thousand and one people like me who are very passionate about leadership and know what to do. But it is either they are not bold and courageous enough when they get there or they get there using the wrong platform. Nigerian politics is dominated by some clear factors, god fatherism and monetisation. No matter what, no matter how principled you are, if you use the wrong platform to get into political office, unfortunately, you become crippled from day one.
