An ex-technocrat and former General Manager of Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency, Engineer Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan has given a clear picture of how the next governor of the state will emerge from the Oke Ogun section of the state.
He also faulted the submission by certain class of people that other sections in Oyo State apart from Ibadan cannot produce the next governor.
The Oke-Ogun born engineer and pioneer GM of OYSTROMA gave this landmark submission during this week’s edition of Breakfast Media Chat of the South West Group of Online Publishers (SWEGOP).
Engineer Olaniyan, who is also a farmer cum businessman explained that the emergence of anybody, particularly from the Oke-Ogun zone of the state will depend largely on three criteria of marketability, reliability and credibility of such a person.
Explaining what prompted his movement from the Accord Party to All Progressives Congress (APC), he stated that the whole scenario was prompted by love, confidence and the belief his people have in him. He added that he could not be distracted by the number of people already showing interest in vying for the governorship position in the state.
According to him, “my decision to move from Accord to All Progressives Congress was not because I had any kind of misunderstanding with anybody or Senator Rashidi Ladoja, rather, it was prompted by the love, confidence and belief my people have in me.
“It was strictly my people’s idea, the idea was that I should move from Accord to somewhere I can be more useful. When I say my people it cuts across political parties including the ruling All Progressives Congress” he noted.
Engineer Olaniyan reiterated that he maintains a good and cordial relationship with traditional rulers and political leaders in Oke-Ogun and the state in general “about the determinant of who becomes what, I have a good relationship with everybody, the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleosho and others.
While speaking on how agricultural practices can be enhanced in the country, particularly as it is concerns Oke-Ogun as food basket of Oyo State, the former Accord Party chieftain noted that there is need for the federal government to establish agricultural processing industries in the zone in order to open it to more development and utilize all its potentials.
Olaniyan, who claimed to own the biggest cotton farm in the entire South West emphasized that he is more interested in bringing back local government farms and school farms to the system with the hope of restoring the agricultural sector in the state back to its original status.
The business man also took time to discuss his Olaniyan Foundation. According to him, the foundation has been in existence since 2003 focusing on providing free health services to the people. He added that the foundation was into partnership with the Catholic Hospital in Rome and Atupa Eye Clinic in Iseyin among others.
While specifically speaking about his political ambition he said “Yes, I have every right to think of gunning for the number one political office in Oyo State but then, the time has not come for that to be made public. We are still consulting and very soon, we will announce our stand”.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
