Professor Adeolu Akande , one of the leading gubernatorial aspirant in Oyo state has attributed emergence of accidental leaders in governance as one of the fundamental problems militating against advancement of Nigeria.
Akande, a political scientist in an interaction with online publishers in Ibadan , said , we have been producing leaders who are not prepared to for the offices they hold, so because they want to learn on the job and the job is just for a tenure of 48 months which implies they cannot even acquire enough knowledge about governance before the expiration of their tenure.
He said the political instability and slow phase of development in the country and the need to change the system and take the country to a greater height is forcing people like him who have acquire political and leadership experience to throw their hats into the rings of gubernatorial race in the state.
“I am in the race because of my passion to serve, if I don’t win I will go back to my job, I am not in this race because I am looking for a job, I am in it because I have a passion because I have a duty, and I knows that I cannot live happily as a member of this society complaining about what is wrong , when I have not done my own part to participate”.
“ I am prepared for office by the virtue of my education, I read political science and since 1984 everything I have done has been around governance and politics as a lecturer in political science and public admin, as a journalist covering the political beat and government , as somebody who have serve in government at a federal and state levels, so I’ve seen it I know what the problems are”
“I have worked as a journalist, what does a journalists do, probity transparency in government that is what we do .So if you have a background in the media it comes naturally to you that you want to maintain minimum standard in government about probity, transparency , about compassion for the less privileged members of the society, that is the beauty of the media. Those things that the media concern themselves with those are the issue of compassion in government that is missing in our government in Nigeria in most cases, so I believe that by my education and my experience I am eminently qualified much more than most of the other people in the race”.
Akande who hails from oke ogun region of the state maintained that coming from that region is not an hindrance to his ambition “ I am not constrain because I am from Oke Ogun region, I don’t see any hindrances and with the conversation I have had so far .Those fears are always perpetrated by those who cannot contest on merit especially those who are not from Ibadan, take Niyi Akintola for example, he doesn’t need to say he want to be governor because he is an Ibadan man, he is a senior Advocate of Nigeria, Bayo Adelabu, former Deputy Governor CBN, those caliber of people cannot hide under Ibadan to be governor because they can speak anywhere and the same goes for people from other region, if you take Debo Adesina, he became the editor of Guardian at the age of 26, he is my cousin, and he is the most decorated editor in the history of Nigerian journalism and since he now says he want to be governor will you now say he is from Oke Ogun he is not qualified it shouldn’t look be like that, we should raise our politics to the extent that people will be supported base on their idea and vision for the society, so that is what is driving me and I don’t see those hindrances and I have been proved right by the consultation I’ve made so far’.
“ I have consulted people all over Oyo state and the issue of Ibadan, there are some candidate who think that is their trump card because that is what they can use to win but most candidate don’t see it that way, Niyi Akintola, Bayo Adelabu will tell you let the best candidate emerge because they can compete and I have very solid support in Ibadan , if they are going to determine where Ibadan will go, part of the people who came here today were among the people that will take decision. Politics of Oyo state is not segregated to Ibadan or non Ibadan and I believe it is the duty of candidate to market himself, a serious candidate should have substantial support from everywhere in the state”
