Hon. Johnson Sunday Babatunde, Chairman of Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, has been in the murky waters of politics for decades. In this interview with ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, he recalled how he suffered two devastating political blows in the hands of late General Sani Abacha. He also spoke about his efforts towards delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the LCDA. Excerpts.
YOU’VE been in politics for a long time before emerging as a council chairman. You were once elected into the House of Assembly in 1997 but could take the seat due to the death of General Sani Abacha. You had to wait for decades before getting into office. What kept you going in politics?
Yes, there were a lot of disappointments and intrigues. But the motivating factor remains the fact that I saw a lot of thing I can correct in the system. I was determined to change the narratives of politics, especially at the grassroots level. I wanted to make impact.
So, the desire to serve; the desire to prove to people that public office is not to amass wealth but to prove what you can do for the people, kept me in politics in spite of the disappointments. I was saying one day, I will get there. As Vice Chairman for three tenures, there was never a day they settled any rift for me and my boss. It wasn’t that he wasn’t offending me. I was just focused on the goal. We both build the party in Agege. For me, it was all about service to the people. So, I worked with him to serve the people.
When we block the leakages, we can use it to do a lot for the people. Governments at all levels must pay more attention to education and health. I was at the General Hospital this morning and you needed to see the crowd. I told them that when we finish the health centre, we will help decongest the hospital. We must ensure the dividends of democracy get to the people. Two months ago, I went round the council to select fifty people. I gave each of them N100, 000 to support their trade. Last week, I repeated it by giving 100 people. And politicians were just 48 out of the 100. I don’t know them. There is a deaf and dumb vulcaniser at Funmilayo bus stop among them.
Recently, I bought 20 buses and gave to our boys base by base. I asked them to be using it for transport so as to support themselves. Party leaders are also being taken care of as at when due. So, our prudence is not in any way denying anyone of our attention but it is helping us to do more. And we will continually do all these. That is why people are talking about us.
How did you feel when you eventually got the nod of the party and the people to serve as the chairman of Orile Agege?
That was a trying period for me. I was expecting it. Having d the council as vice chairman for three terms. And having served the then chairman diligently and loyally. I thought it was going to be easy. I was loyal to his cause at all times. But he said I wasn’t a member of his group and he went and picked the then SLG as his candidate. so, we fought. People kept telling me it was my turn to serve as chairman. Well, with my trust in God, I fought for it. And God rose and used the present Speaker, Rt Hon. Obasa and some of his colleagues, and the late Senator Pepper to keep the hope alive. I recall Senator Afikuyomi too always reassuring me.
So, when I was finally given the flag of the party at the Governor’s office, I was elated. I said to myself, ‘truth has prevailed over falsehood and it is time to prove myself. I was looking forward and telling myself I must not disappoint God and the people he used to put me in office. The devil wanted to deny me the chance by God rose up on many occasions to perfect the work. That day remains a great turning point in my life. It was the period and time that darkness disappeared for light to shine and the light is really shining on Orile Agege till date.
You are a Pastor. How have you been able to blend being a Pastor with being a politician?
I became a Pastor in 2010. And I became born again in 2001.That was the period I was still waiting for God to put me in political position. Being a Pastor and being a politician are not similar. But let me tell you, among thieves, there is honour. Even in the dark, light will always shine. All along, people always say I am different. And it helped. Yes, some people will say ‘look, you are not supposed to be among these people.’ But the word of God has been helping me. And we are of the flesh, at times the flesh will want to show itself, but with the help of God, I have been able to stand firm. And I always ask myself, if our General Overseer, Papa Adeboye could manage the tithes and offerings in Redeem to build the Redemption camp into what it is today, why won’t I be able to manage public fund well.
I work in a manner that I will be a light anywhere I go. Coping with politics and politicians is by the grace of God. When God put you in a position for his glory to manifest, he will help you to overcome all challenges. It is not by might, I just found grace. I still have a lot I want to do. We have about 24 Primary Schools in Orile Agege today. And sixteen to eighteen of these are in good shape. We have been building schools and renovating schools. I want all the rest to be in the shape we have put the others. I want us to have health centres in all the six wards. We have done four and by the grace of God, we will do the remaining two.
My dream for the council is very high. I want to see a situation where I will empower about 3000 people who will in turn employ people. Governance is not rocket science. It is the heart of men that is the issue. If your desire is to embezzle money; that is what you will do. But if you desire to serve, God will enable you to do so.
You are from this very local government. Tell us about your growing up?
My father was born here in Alagbaa and we have our farm at Aboru. I did my primary school here at Zion Primary School beside my father’s house there. I attend Niger Secondary School and later proceeded to Yabatech and later University of Lagos. I did campus politics while in school but it was when I returned home that I was urged to join politics. Before politics, I owned a block industry here too. God has favoured me. I started a business with N1, 540 IN 1989. Five years ago, one of the properties we bought from that business, someone offered N35 million for it. God has been by my side all these while. I later joined politics.
It was one old woman we called mama Shagari who dragged me into politics. She was a politician back then. She was an Awolowo follower who later supported Shagari too. She lamented that we indigenes of Alagbaa were not in politics and feared that we will be shortchanged. She called some of us to come into politics and people suggested that I should be the one to go. That was how I started contesting for councillorship. I didn’t make it. During the Babangida transition, I was in National Republican Convention (NRC) then.
Then I ran for House of Assembly. I was pretty young then. I won and still remained humble and friendly with my people. Abacha dealt with me twice. When I got the ticket of my party as consensus candidate, that was when Abacha took office and truncated the process in 1993. And by the time I won the House of Assembly election as UNCP candidate in 1998, he died. So, he inflicted injury on me twice in politics.
In 1998, I could not muscle enough funds to finance an ambition for the House of Assembly election. In 1999, an in-law came with fund and we decided to run for the House of Representatives. We ran the race and we got the party’s nod. But when we got to Ibadan where the likes of Baba Adesanya, Bola Ige and others were to hand over flags, my name was dropped. And it was given to someone else. So, I continued till 2003 when I emerged Vice Chairman of Orile Agege LGA.
And politics have made my father’s name known all over the place. My parents are not lettered. My father was a junior staff in Water Corporation. But to the glory of God, they now say here is Babatunde from Alagbaa. My politics brought my father’s name and my town’s name to limelight. I am grateful to God for that. It has given us all some dignity and leverage in my family. It is something to be proud of. It has made it possible for me to enjoy the prayers of the masses. And that is enough for me.
Why are you referred to as Mr. Project? Is it a nickname or a political appellation? I’ve been hearing people saying that since I came in here.
When we came on board, we wasted no time. We just swung into action to provide the people with dividends of democracy. In no time, we were able to put up very impressive road projects at Omotoye Estate road and Coker road. After that, as money rolls in, we were carrying out projects. Within seven months, were have done so much that people marveled and started calling me Mr. Project. It was because we had project going on simultaneously in many locations across the local government area.
It was an election period and we were doing what we believe we should be doing. We were touching lives and the people were seeing it. So, they gave me the name themselves. Another thing is that I am always on ground monitoring these projects myself. I don’t want to have any abandoned project or failed project. So, I go out to monitor to ensure they are working according to specification and at the required speed. I will be on Okada so as to ease my movement and allow me move round to monitor the projects.
I enjoy doing these things and I am happy that my works are speaking for me. When people see me on bike, they happily hail me and tell me that ‘you don’t need security because you are performing. It makes me happy to see my people happy. For me, I always insist that local government is touching the lives of the people in Lagos state. And with these current crops of chairmen, with the healthy competition among us, the situation is better. When a council does something good, another council is eager to emulate it.
Before now, the norm is for councils to go and buy Molue and refurbish it as school buses. But when I wanted to buy those school buses, I insisted on a new bus. As a young pupil in primary school here in Agege, while we used to beg motorists to give us lift home after school, I’ve always said when I grow up, I will buy buses for school children. So when I had the opportunity, I stumbled on a contractor who could supply us with Coaster buses and I went for it. The chairman of Agege saw it and came to me to link him with the contractor. The chairmen of Bariga and Somolu too asked for the same.
Before you know it, many others also decided to do the same. That is the healthy rivalry in talk about.
Another thing is that I had the intention of building health centres. I was told that a local government that is already building one, so I changed my mind and decided to build those two ultra modern health centres. If you enter inside now, you will tell me these are more than ordinary health centres.
But the common saying is that the local government is always broke as it is usually starved of funds/ where are you getting money to do all these projects?
Given my background, I will say I am a very prudent manager. I recall that while in school, we learnt about leakages in national economy. It is the leakages I decided to block in governance. I did away with any form of flamboyance and approached government with a lot of prudence. For example, during my first tenure in office, I didn’t get an official car until about six months to the end of the term. That is after three and a half years in office.
It was even my cabinet members that forced me to get one at that time. They arranged with a dealer and they brought the car. They insisted that I must have it as my official car. That’s the car there, still pretty new. And now I haven’t changed it even since this new tenure started. That is what I mean by blocking leakages and managing resources. I told some people that the basic reason for being in politics is to serve. We are doing a road now, Okesanya, very close to Mapplewood Estate, there is a market there and it was a major problem, even while were growing up. We are laying the interlocking stones as I talk. People said it could not be done because it is a very swampy area. But we have done it.
On many occasions, at the government office, we have been told we undervalued projects when we go for approvals. But the majority of the profit goes to the contractors. So, I always beg the contractors to make sacrifices and still give us good jobs so that we can have money to do other things. And both parties will benefit from that arrangement. And since I am not the type that will ask them for returns, it is easy for us to agree. Look at the cost of building that legislative structure we are putting up, just N185 million. That is the structure looking like a house in London. You have seen it too. It has lift too.
Compare it to that other building that was built in 2011 or so. You cannot imagine the cost. Don’t let us go into that. It is the prudence and refusal to be frivolous that made it possible for us to use little resources to do so much.
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