As the governorship and state assembly elections draw closer, support and endorsement have continued to pour in for Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the recent being the endorsement of the governor’s re-election bid by the National Youth Consultative Council of Nigeria. The group also endorsed the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its candidate for the Ogun state top job position. The National Coordinator of the group, Prince Adesegun AbdulMujeeb Ogungbayi in this interview gives reasons for the endorsement of the candidates. Excerpts:
Can I Meet you, Sir?
I am Prince Adesegun Abdulmujeeb Ogungbayi, the Board Chairman of MIMS Educational Service, Shomolu, Surulere, Epe, Lagos. Am equally the Board Chairman of Calculus Comprehensive Schools, Itele, Ota, Ogun State. Apart from that am the Board Chairman of Likemind Model Academy, Obantoko Abeokuta, Ogun State. Am the Project Coordinator of one of the leading educational NGOs in Nigeria known as Academic Excellence Initiative AEI. I am a mentor to thousands of professionals who are doing great across the world.
Thanks very much, sir, but you didn’t inform us about your personality in the organization, National Youth Consultative Council of Nigeria, that has just held a meeting here.
Aha! Aha! Aha! I don’t think that is necessary.
Sir, I am here because of the Association I know you are one of the spokesmen of the Awori National Youth Consultative Council of Nigeria. Can I know who you are in the group?
I am the immediate past National Coordinator of the Awori National Youth Consultative Council of Nigeria. So, what do you need from me and my people?
Sir, I have known you for more than two decades as a champion of Awori for Governor in Lagos and Ogun State, what is your view about Labour Party taking over Lagos state because they defeated APC during the Presidential election and the PDP that your group want to support during governorship election because of Mr. Adeniran AbdulAzeez Jandor that is an AWORI man?
That is over my dead body. You need to know that our candidate during the Presidential election is His Excellency, the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For your information, my friend, the similitude of Awori for Governor of Lagos is Yoruba for President of Nigeria which we have won massively, our Presidential candidate lost Lagos to Igbo, Endsars, and Christianity. On the issue of the Labour party or Igbo Party or Zionist party plot to take over Lagos, they shall struggle in vain and collapsed on the 18th of March, 2023 and Babajide Sanwo-Olu shall win massively with 80% of the votes as the Governor of Lagos state. Though you thought that we are supporting AbdullAzeez Adeniran Jandor. We can’t do so again. Doing so is paving way for Igbo to take over Lagos! we can’t do that. And am sure our quintessential President-Elect, His Excellency, Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu would have seen the danger in abandoning the Awori at the expense of Igbo and other tribes from other states. The Awori of each Local Government is supposed to be given opportunity to rise politically. Its uncalled for that since 1999 that the party under the President Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been in power he didn’t strengthen the Awori Local Government by Local Government, rather raising others from other states of the federation there by turning Lagos to no mass land because he want to satisfy all. Go and check most of the Assemblymen, Chairmen, House of Representatives and Senator since 1999 how many are Aworis? But my group will not support AbdulAzeez Adediran Jandor again because it will divide Yoruba votes and pave way for Igbo as Governor. I can’t wait to be labeled as selling the Yoruba race to Igbo for championing the course of Awori. I believe our national hero and President-Elect will see why the Awori of each local Government in Lagos state must be elevated and strengthened politically instead of non-indigene or banishing our people to the palace and local areas. As far as I am concern only Awori has the right to be becoming Governor from one term to another instead of other tribes.
Are you sure you are leaving the Awori candidate of PDP for the incumbent Lagos Governor of the APC?
Yes. If my people voted for PDP and Igbo won the Governorship race, Awori of Lagos may go into extinction in the hands of Igbo Governor. The issue of Awori is beyond Adediran of PDP, it’s Yoruba race problem. When we all win as Yoruba, Awori will surely rule in the future. But if Igbo wins Awori has totally lost the future to Igbos. We have little reckoning now. All reckoning will be erased within one year in office by Igbo or Zionist Governor.
It’s quite clear from your submission that, your group is supporting Babajide Sanwo-Olu of APC for Governor in Lagos and the incumbent Governor of Ogun State Prince Dapo Abiodun MFR that has your sister from Ota as the Deputy Governor.
Yes and No.
Why yes and no, sir?
For Lagos, it is yes. Why I said no is that of Ogun State. The incumbent Governor and my sister are not quite well in Ogun State. Their administration is a big-time retrogression compared to the situation they met in the state. Could you imagine that all the projects that his predecessor was doing were abandoned? My sister, Engr. Noimot Salako has no power than to follow her boss’s wishes. And today my group is standing for Ogun West (Yewa-Awori ) for Governor. An Awori man can’t be a Governor in Ogun State alone than to join their Yewa brothers to attain the goal. Awori has only Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government while Yewa has four Local Governments. The only brother of ours from Yewa that my group support is Barrister Olubiyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Why Barrister Olubiyi Otegbeye?
The reasons are numerous. His profile speaks volumes and shows that he bagged his first degree in Insurance at the prestigious University of Lagos at age 20 in 1984. He bagged a Master’s Degree in Financial Management & Accounting between 1985 & 1987. He added LLB in Law to it by the year 2001. He has raised an Insurance Company as Managing Director from zero to the level of being quoted on the Stock Exchange Market. To me, he is the most worthy ambassador of Yewa-Awori to govern on behalf of Awori Youth and elders, even though he is Yewa. We have to do this because the whole of Ogun West has been underdeveloped to date by those that have governed us. The major income that the past Governors used in developing Ogun Central and Ogun East are from Ogun West. So, we need the governorship seat in form of a hoe to cultivate development to Ogun West in order to transform the industrial headquarters of Ogun State to strengthen other areas of Ogun State without stress. The higher the development of Ado-Odo/Ota, the faster growth of other Local Governments, and the lower the development of the most industrialized local Government in the state the lower the growth of other Local Governments.
Are you sure Barrister Biyi Otegbeye of ADC will take care of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government compare to the APC government that has one of you as the Deputy Governor?
The Barrister Otegbeye whom we in the Awori National Youth Consultative Council now sees himself as an Awori son and with red pen in his hand Awori of Ogun State will surely reach her status in Ogun State compare to my sister that can’t app approve project for Ogun West nor Ado-Odo/Ota than what Dapo Abiodun want. So, we can’t support APC in Ogun State, its ADC we want, and the legal luminary, Biyi Otegbeye is our Governorship candidate, ‘Dapo ti lule’ for abandoning the general development of Ogun State, and for abandoning Ado-Odo/Ota that gave him the winning votes.
