•Says Makinde is on positive mission for Nigeria
The former Director General of the Oyo State Liaison Office in Lagos and Abuja, Engr. Wale Ajani, has said that he experienced a very good relearning during the almost 10 months he spent in the office.
Ajani said that though he knew what he was going there to do, he went with a very clear vision and focus, as he understood the job assigned to him by his boss, the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, as a Liaison Officer.
Ajani stated this when answering the question on the change he was able to bring to the state as a DG, during an interaction with media practitioners in the South West Guild of Online Publishers (SWEGOP) at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.
According to him, representing his state’s interest at the Federal Capital Territory was like being a mini ambassador.
He said that being a youth ambassador in Nigeria in the early 90s, with the privilege of travelling round the world representing young people at different global platforms, made him to know what the job of an ambassador would entail.
“The first thing I did after I assumed duty was to change the image of the Oyo House, which is the Embassy of Oyo State in Abuja. I discovered that a lot of things were not on the right track, and one has to put things in order because image is everything; perception is key.
“How would you perceive the state of Oyo House when you look at those of Katsina, Rivers, Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos, among others, on the street? it is only Oyo House that urgently needed a facelift internally and externally.
“Secondly, I was able to restructure working administration of the staffers of Oyo House that were posted from Ibadan to Abuja. We had a meeting, everyone got a clear schedule of duty, so no one was inactive.
“I checked the office files and discovered nobody had been engaging the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on behalf of the state government. With the permission of His Excellency, Gov Seyi Makinde, I was able to lead the state team to more that 40 MDAs for proper engagement on what Omituntun 1.0 was about, as well as the achievements of Gov. Seyi Makinde. We also tried to make sure that we opened conversation on short and long term interests of the Seyi Makinde administration.
“The third aspect was that one of the missions of Abuja and Lagos liaison office is to issue the Certificate of Indigeneship to people from Oyo State in the diaspora. Before the dissolution of the government, I had started the plans to make it seamless, leveraging on latest technology, thereby making it possible to acquire it without travelling a long distance.
“The truth is that there are over 300 federal agencies in Abuja. All of these agencies have one thing or the other that they are doing and we have 36 states in Nigeria. So, the liaison officers’ responsibility is to make sure that you go and ask: ‘how does my state benefit?’ They won’t come and tell you because you are a liaison officer or DG. You are just DG in your pocket.
“So, you have to go and look for opportunities for your people and engage them, because it is not the same grammar that one speaks at Energy Commission of Nigeria that would be spoken at Rural Electrification Agency. Most times, before you go to the people, you need to research and know exactly what you are going there to tell them, otherwise, they would just rubbish you or think you are there just to meet and greet them,” the former DG explained.
He continued: “So, for me, it was a privilege to do what I had been doing before because as a former President of the National Youth Council in Nigeria, I was able to do a lot of things and they are similar. I was talking to government agencies and development partners on behalf of young people, so it is easier for me to as DG, Oyo Liaison Office.”
He expressed appreciation to Governor Makinde for the opportunity given him to serve.
On how his efforts on job creation for youth in Oyo State yielded fruits, Ajani said that he was able to secure employment for some indigenes at the federal level during little sojourn in the office. And this, he stated, could not have happened “without the support of the God -sent man, His Excellency,Governor Seyi Makinde.
“At our level in Abuja, we deal with the Federal Character Commission. They base things on quota. Oyo State has a representative who is a Federal Commissioner. We need to keep pushing for more slots that are due to Oyo State as there are over 300 parastatals.”
Responding to the question whether he regretted missing the senatorial ticket he targeted during preparations towards 2023 election, Engr Ajani said: “Of course, I felt bad as a human being, but no single regret because it is not over until it is over. For me, God rules in the affairs of men. If it is the will of God, it might even be something bigger than that, so, I am not afraid and I am not in a rush. Don’t forget: Governor Makinde was also deprived of his Senatorial ticket at one point, but, today, he is the number one citizen of Oyo State.
“For me, exactly June last year, I was appointed by Governor Makinde to serve under his administration and, by extension, work for Oyo State Government. Let me say this unequivocally that the first thing is that I wouldn’t have joined any government if it is not performing. Governor Makinde was and still doing very well ,and some of us were encouraged to work with him.
“It is the basis for me to join and contribute my own little quota because if you look at my antecedent, I contested in 2019 as a candidate under the ADC. If you know what happened, those of us that contested for the House of Assembly were the canon folders. So, if there is anybody that should be looking for appointment, it is people like us, because the National Assembly candidates already lost the election before the coalition. But you can never see me around government circle seeking for any favour. I just went back to my professional work after losing the election.
“However, I will say this categorically: if I was given the ticket, I might have done better, because the truth is that politics is not rocket science. Politics is engagement, and it is about interest. No matter how much you and I are brothers, if your interest is not captured in what I am doing now, you will work for someone else. And politics is about negotiation; I might have done it better because I understand the game of negotiation and interest.
“I am not a full-fledged politician. I am a professional in politics. There is a difference between a politician and a professional in politics.”
Ajani delved into his attraction to politics, saying that it started when he was as a high school student. According to him, he never knew that the blind attended school. “As the President of my school JETS Club, I saw a young man that was using Braille in those days and thought this must be a ruse; it must be packaged, so I picked one of my textbooks and I was reading to him. And when I finished reading, he also read everything that I had read from his braille, so I said ah! This thing can work,” he said.
He stated further that this led him to joining the movement under Sir David Osunde Foundation for the Handicapped then. “It was through volunteerism that I found myself in politics,” Ajani disclosed.
He reminisced his being in the executive of the University of Lagos Engineering Society (ULES), and said: “But I was running for Oyo Amala politics. This was because there was this fearful news that we used to hear then as upcoming ones, so I didn’t want to join Oyo politics fully. I was eventually invited to do so when, as a delegate to National Conference (CONFAB) of 2014, myself and Baba Rashidi Ladoja and I met and because of my vibrancy within the National Conference and among Oyo delegates in particular. He encouraged me to come and do the local politics. That was how I joined politics.”
He said that though there are a lot of graduates in Oyo State, “from statistics, I want to say there are more artisans in Oyo State. As a state, what are we doing about these clusters? It is not the same equipments they use to sew dresses 10 years ago that they still use now. Whoever fails to upgrade will join the unemployment class. We need to actually help our people in that area. What are we doing about our technical and vocational education? There is so much in that area to help reduce unemployment.
“As a journalist, if you go to the Chairman of This Day newspaper that you want a job, he would not ask you to bring your certificate but some of your past works/publications, and if you are good, he would give you job. For me, it is about how do we update and develop those skills in our youths.?
“Today, the educated guys have taken over almost all the industries. You will see big outfits specializing in sewing of local caps. Also, for example, the print media are gradually going paperless. Very soon there won’t be hard copies of newspapers, and the vendors will go jobless. We keep upgrading. So for me, economy knowledge is the best anytime any day.
“I look forward to Oyo State that will be built and developed on knowledge of economy. If you have been to the Facebook headquarters, it is not so big, but you can imagine the kind of things that are going on there. So, you don’t have to build a big factory before you become a billionaire.”
When asked about his concern for youths, with the rate at which they are derailing, and what can be done to reverse the dangerous trend, Ajani said: “First, it has to do with the issue of value in our youths. We always believe that when you always go to church or mosque, you actually know God, but going to church or mosque is just a religion. Values are from homes. Unfortunately, with the kind of value system we are running now, fathers and mothers don’t have time for the children anymore.
“You will even see young ladies whose mothers would say, “Look at your mates who are making money. You can’t bring anything on the table. They are thinking that because you are a fine girl, you should go and do anything. It is a serious issue.
The value is missing in homes. It is the responsibility of parents. You should not wait for teachers to help you train your children. I told my son that if I knew what I know now, I would not buy that car then. It wouldn’t have been my priority. I told him this when he was 10 years old. Some of us would not tell our boys these things. I call my boys and say come, let’s talk about masturbation, cultism et cetera. They need to know them before one friend will deceive them and introduce them to wrong groups.
“Teachers are just doing their best. You see what some students do; they drink and do all sorts of things. When my son told me he wanted to have a necklace, the question I asked him was: ’what value will the chain add to you? For me, value is key, but we are losing it day by day. Parents have the responsibility while pastors preach it. It is not what they preach on the pulpit but what you say to your children.”
On his defining moment in politics, Engr. Ajani said it was when he sat with the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. “My defining moments in politics are many but if not for politics, I would not have sat with the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. As the President of the Nigerian Youth Council, I don’t know how many young persons of my age then that had opportunities to enter the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as much as I did. It might not look like an achievement, but I had a boss, a senior professional colleague. The day he was meeting the President, he was shaking, with all his money.
“I had been privileged to speak in different platforms locally, regionally and nationally, so there is nothing that would scare me from talking to great people. I have plenty defining moments but my most defining moments are when I talk to the president of Nigeria and presidents from other countries on behalf of young people. Many people might not like Mugabe, but he was my friend.”
Finally, Ajani told Oyo State indigenes in particular, and people in general to “watch out for that man (Governor Makinde); he is on mission in this country, and the grace is sufficient for him.”
