Ekiti 2018 Guber race : APC will not adopt zoning of candidates, -Orire

Rev. Dr. Adebayo Orire is an APC Chieftain, and a  governorship aspirant, Orire is a proprietor of the oldest and still thriving Private Hospital Complex in Ekiti State, located in Ado Ekiti, the state Capital. In this interview with Our Ekiti State Correspondent, Gbenga Sodeinde, Dr Orire  expressed his opinion on the much touted Zoning formula for Governorship candidates in Ekiti State for the 2018 gubernatorial election, he also expressed his opinion on sundry issues of political, situation in Nigeria, he expressed outright condemnation and dissatisfaction on the performance  of Governor Fayose in Ekiti, describing Fayose’s ruling style  as” a system full of obnoxious policies” Dr Orire among other things lamented the recent loss of six Ekiti doctors in a ghastly motor accident.

Question: You are aspiring for governorship in Ekiti in 2018. Why are you interested?

Answer: Even though it’s not yet time to come out, I have interest in the governorship position in Ekiti state, because if you look at Ekiti 19-20years after creation,it still remains a virgin land.  No single industry in Ekiti, no mechanised farming, no private enterprise firm that can employ people and pay hundred thousand naira, no good road. Although  Niyi Adebayo  Segun Oni, Fayemi did some job. but we need to take Ekiti away from penal level of livelihood. It is not about doing some roads that would wear out three or four years after they have left office, maintaining civil servant,the way they are not even maintained. We have to give Ekiti modern age. This is 2016!  An average civil servant is not even proud of themselves. We can make them proud of themselves ,we can pay them as and when due, we can rate their salaries according to their level. Look at Agriculture, even the farm settlements we have twenty years ago now are washed off. We buy things like pepper, tomato from the North. This is unthinkable. I know my people as farmers. We are the best producer of Cocoa during the old Western region, we cannot even rate ourselves as one of the producers of Cocoa now.
We need to go for industrialization -small scale, medium Scale. We are going to take Ekiti from this primary level to a level that can be envied. We are going to create wealth and labour.

Question: Looking at the issue of Ekiti APC zoning guber candidate in2018 election. How viable is your chance considering the fact that you are from the central zone?

Answer: My chance derives from my passion in Ekiti. I love Ekiti. I have stayed in Ekiti almost all the days of my life after graduation from school.  The issue of zoning is not in our constitution. There has been no time the governorship race was on, that a southern aspirant will not come forth. They were always loosing in the primary. When we agree for the Northern one, it was everybody from the three senatorial districts that sat down and made the agreement. But this time around, we are not in government. We cannot zone in a situation where we should be  looking for the best aspirant to become a candidate. We cannot  go and pick somebody living abroad  because he has some money to throw around and deceive people because he’s  a Southerner. The candidate must understand the terrain of Ekiti for good governance. All the APC stakeholders and other well meaning individuals in the party from National level to the state has declared that there is no zoning.
My chances are very high, because I have what Ekiti wants.  I want them to see it from my life history. Am I managing my life, businesses, health, successfully.? Am I a peaceful person? Am I dependable?

Question: Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has threatened to poison water in Ekiti for Fulani herdsmen,  What’s your reaction on that?

Everybody would go against the unruling attitude of the Fulani herdsmen, but posioned water is. one of the ranting,superficial and empty talks of the governor. There is no way you are going to poison water that people of Ekiti would not drink from it,you don’t know where the herds men could go. How many streams are you going to poison. He talks at times unprepared, so we have to excuse him.

Question: Senator Buruji Kashamu in a newspaper  Interview recently condemned governor Fayose’s criticism on Buhari administration especially the governor,s letter to Chinese government, describing the act as selfishness and de marketing Buhari administration. What’s your view on that?
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Answer: Any Well meaning, realistic, reasonable and mentally sound person would criticize Fayose,because its not doing the way a matured person should act.  Opposition to the extent of felony and treason, abusing somebody who is old enough to be your grand father, to the extent of going outside world inciting the society against government. What is more personal than saying some one would die. He should not limit himself to Nigeria, majority of people who. rule the world are between the ages of 60 and 80, that is where you have a bank of experience that is dependable.  Maturity,Sincerity, integrity, patience. Foresight would come to play. The governance is not for toddlers and all comers. As a governor, you dont just open your mouth and talk, because you should know it has a reverberating effects.  Writing. Letter to chinese goverment is the cake of the insult. It is Treasonable Felony. The Governor should have been arrested.
Governance is not an act of Kangaroo arrangement. Even there is legislative Process surrounding the recovered loots. So what is Fayose talking about.
This is democracy,occasionally you could get emotional,but in a normal country if a governor goes outside of the country to talk like that, he would be arrested before he comes back.

…… What of Immunity ?

Answer: Immunity is our bane in this country. Immunity is not against. Constitutional matter. He has turned against the integrity of this country. He has undercut himself,by destroying what gave him  immunity. Immunity doesn’t cover such act, immunity does not rate you above the country that gave you the immunity. Fayose has become a laughing stock. One day I was talking outside the state, discussing with some people. They said where are you from, I said am from Ekiti. They said we don’t expect Ekiti man to be talking like that intelligently,your governor is another thing. Also  a carpenter was scolding his apprentice. He said lazy,crooked,greedy man,go to Ekiti and be a governor, there is no day for you in my shed. That is outrightly ridiculous! we have to pardon this man and we have to pray that next time Ekiti would be better decide. Buruji, Bode George and other PDP National have disclaimed him, they have dissociated themselves from his senseless talk.

Question: Some people on the other side have said that Buruji is romancing the ruling party to cover up his court cases.  What about that?

Answer: But it is   better to romance somebody who can save you than abusing the person. You cannot crucify him until you prove him guilty that’s the problem on his money laundering case.

Question: On the political situation in Nigeria. Masses are yearning that politicians behave in sharp contrast to their  promises on improving the welfare of the masses. Masses claim that politicians in Nigeria get to power to turn politics to private businesses,alleging and attacking one another on personal issues rather than focusing on governance?

Answer: Nigerians are politicians. Politicians are Nigerians. There is a Nigeria factor in everything Nigeria which is which we have got ourselves to this callous state. There are some things we should handled officially and officiously all over the world. People have done politics for two reasons-the state and self. ,even in America,Britain. Nobody is excused for taking his own personal interest above the state interest. Nigeria in any political party has to re wake up. If Nigerians have been serving the state more than themselves.  Economy,Industrialization, Nigeria, as a nation would be better. PDP has done half of what APC is doing now. How can you imagine a single person stealing billions of naira. What’s he going to do  with it.  From what Buhari and his people are doing now,  we know we are putting a stop into it and we know it would stop.

Question:What’s your reaction on Fayose’s recent face off with some banks in Ekiti over alleged refusal of the banks to pay certain amount.  The governor was said to have issued directives to civil servants using those banks to  withdraw their  accounts?

Answer: It is a ridiculous thing.  Banking has regulations, the state has regulations. The banks,state and the people have been doing businesses together since inception. I have not heard the time when bank doors would be locked or closed by the government. They must pay tax,but there are way of doing it. If you are in court for five years, take your tax, interest and they would pay, now you are destroying their businesses. How are people going to have confidence in these banks. How are they going to make the wave to pay your tax. , these banks can sue the state, you can loose all the tax you have collected, because in such case they might win. In civilized country, you end up paying a lot of damages. These are the things that get us pieced off about that governor. We are not apportioning blame, but there are some things that are obscene. Even if you are taking it personal, you must be civilized with it.

Question: What’s your reaction as a medical Doctor to the incidence that happened recently to your colleaugues who lost there lives while travelling to Sokoto state  for NMA Meeting ?

Answer: Most unfortunate. I was in Israel on pilgrimage. A truck ran to a stationary truck around 4 am,  about fifteen kilometres away from the nearest village. Ten minutes later, there were about seven different vehicles. The medical,fire,road repair trains, to take care of the victims of the accident in a special way, they carried the patience with special ambulances with all doctors and paramedics. The road was diverted immediately.  As at that time,The patience was already undergoing surgery although before we took off, we were phoned that the patient died during surgery.   Here is a country where we lost six doctors  in a day to bad roads, driving, vehicle, hospital system, medical care, everything. People die all over the world from accident, but  the nature of our country is a sad story. If they had help early enough, may be some of them could have survived , its. Obscene, that is what happens everywhere in this country, and these boys never had insurance cover. During one of my interviews and recommendations. I  said every doctor and para medical should have life and accident insurance cover, everybody, even journalists should have it, because of the risk, to be used as a prompt to ensure our systems are tailored to what happen in a civilized way, best practices.  Its unfortunate that fine men like that, brains, harded workers, good people were lost unnecessarily in circumstances that could have been prevented.  Its our loss,  not their families’. God would give the family fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. I call upon the state to give the families what they are due upon on time.