Hon Olajide Olatubosun represents Shaki east/Shaki west/Atisbo Federal constituency of Oyo State and in this interview with RUTH CHOJI, the chartered accountant stated that, Nigeria should start with fiscal federalism because this country has so much potentials but the people are just holding themselves down
economy concern you?
I am not worried because I know we are headed in the right direction. Things might be challenging now but with the policies that are being implemented, I am hopeful that in the medium and long term, things will get better.
But some have blamed the state of the economy on changing policies of this government, what do you think?
Not absolutely, I think the main challenge on a scale of hundred is drastic fall in government revenue, it is difficult to manage scarcity. When there is surplus, even if you make mistakes, it won’t show. But in scarcity, any simple mistake will aggravate the situation. But I don’t believe that it is true.
What advice can you give the government on how to resolve the scarcity?
My advice will be one, ensure that there are policies that promote productivity at home and Nigerians should turn agriculture from mere subsistence farming to commercial business. In order words, there is no part of this country that does not have one crop or the other that if fully harnessed, can generate revenue. We need to ensure that instead of selling raw produce to the world, we need to process it which will add value. If we can do that, in another 5-10 years, agricultural export will become our major foreign earner. But in the short and medium time, we still need oil. Peace in the Niger delta is critical, we have to sustain it so that we can get money to get out of recession while we think of other sectors. Government should not put money in business any longer, let the private sector create wealth jobs for people and in the process, create wealth.
Is the FG doing enough for the agricultural sector?
I used to say that, the largest room in the house is the room for improvement, even if the only thing we have achieved so far, is that consciousness or awareness because people in Nigeria now are talking about how to own farms which wasn’t happening 2-3 years ago. Recently, we heard of the civil servant in Kebbi State who started with just one hectare of rice. He now has 10 hectares and the man said, although his salary is 35,000 in a month, he is contented because the proceeds from his farm is enough for him to take care of his family. I think we are headed in the right direction, but I want to sound a note of warning, government should never make the mistake of investing in farming. They should create an enabling environment. We already have enough people farming in Nigeria, what they need is equipment, access to impute, finance, and market. If you can put together a strategy to ensure the farmers can have finance as at when due, they can have impute and can sell the product after harvesting, then they are fine.
Are you in support of calls for restructuring?
I am in support. I want us to start with fiscal federalism because this country has so much potentials but we are just holding ourselves down. We need to allow every part of Nigeria to express themselves in terms of taking their destiny into their hands. What we have is guided resources control. We can do it in such a way that the raw energy or the entrepreneurship skill of the average Nigerian can be ignited. States that have comparative advantage in agriculture should be allowed to do it, process their produce and make money from it. States that have oil should have a level of control over it. Initially, it will sound like it will affect some parts of the country but if you do it, in the next 10-15years, every part of Nigeria will become financially viable. The restriction we are talking about is about resource control so that states won’t come to Abuja, cap in hand, looking for money. So restriction, to me, to a large extent is about fiscal federalism. Once that is sorted out, the issue of federal character will become history because concerning the few jobs we are fighting over, there will be so many that people won’t be there to take up appointments because they have other things that are highly lucrative.
Is federalism working in Nigeria?
What we are practicing is unity federalism. I love that coinage. In the first republic, we had a federalism that was working but the military incursion brought this problem for us. We need to operate a true federal structure.
How do we do that?
It has to be by continuous negotiations. I will not subscribe to violence or people taking up arms. We have seen what is happening in Syria and other places. There must be continuous engagement about how we can make it better. All this noise people are making, the IPOB, Biafra, Avengers and the rest is all about resource sharing, resource allocation. So if anybody has enough money in their states, Abuja will not be congested. Until Nigeria starts doing this, the black people will not have respect. Mandela said it. Nigeria can achieve its potential if we remain one under a federal arrangement that is working.
Coming back to legislature, some have suggested that we go back to unilateral legislature because bicameral is costing us much. What do you think?
I think the founding fathers that thought of bicameral legislature have their reasons. Bicameral is very costly but I don’t think we should throw away the baby and the bath water. I think bicameral legislature helps in ensuring that, even if there are acts of commission or omission at a certain level, it can be corrected. For example, look at the appropriation, in the house of reps, we have 360 members and the senate has 109. Even if there are mistakes by the senate, it can be corrected here. At times you will not need to look at the cost of maintaining them, but what you are having. Nigeria is a great nation that, what is currently being spent on legislature is insignificant and our potential is great.
Where do you see Nigeria in the next 10 years?
I see Nigeria coming out a stronger nation, no longer dependent upon oil. A nation of people that can stand and walk tall, the leader of the black world and an emerging black power.
What should Nigerians expect from the 2017 budget?
Because it is participatory in nature, believe you me, before a committee can submit a report, two-third majority must sign. So it won’t be like a one-man show like somebody did last year. Everybody is on it. We are doing diligent checking. The 2016 budget was passed in May, 2016, so it will not elapse till May 31 and the level of implementation has been good. A budget is a plan; it can only be executed to the extent of the revenue that you are able to generate. I think the government has done very well. Last year, we were faced with lack of resources, there were bombing in the Niger delta, oil estimate dropped from 2.2million barrels to about a million. The bench mark of $38 went down to $25.8. So there were so many issues but this year, things are different and a lot better.
Going to Oyo State, some parts of the state were also affected by the herdsmen rampage, are you worried with the trend it is taking?
I think the issue of herdsmen is criminality which has to be checked. I was talking to a retired general and he said most Nigerians are getting it wrong. Some of these criminals are not even Nigerians; they are from either Mali or Niger. People that were warlords before, maybe they were discharged from the army and they felt shortchanged now start attacking vulnerable communities. I must say the government is not doing enough to check it. I am sure 89 percent of them are not Nigerians, that is why they behave in a very destructive manner. I think each state should enact its own laws. I like what they did in Ekiti. They must also ensure compliance, and if they violate it, they should be dealt with.
Has being in the house giving you the opportunity to really impact on the lives of your people ?
Absolutel,y because I never wanted to be a politician. All my life, I have been in the corporate world. I didn’t know anything about government. But it’s God’s will that I am here and I thank him for it because, unfortunately, Nigeria is like a team that has a very important match but they lose that march for 10-11. We need our best and brightest to come to this place.