By Yusuf Adua
The Oyo state gubernatorial candidate under the platform of Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN), Mr. Ojo Olayinka, has enjoined Nigerians to rise up to the challenges of turning the challenges into fortunes.
He said the predicaments eating up Nigeria as a nation could be a blessing if youths build their capacity to tackle them.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondents on Wednesday, the Olivet Baptist High school Alumnus said although, he ran for the governorship seat to contribute his quota to the development of Oyo state, he also had a second motive which was to convince everyone especially the youths that they can run once they have the capacity.
According to Olayinka, he knew he could impact Oyo state positively and he can’t continue writing about it, he needed to take action which he did but it was a pity he didn’t win even though it was a pleasurable experience.
Commenting on the election, the Oyo_born bundle of talents said ” about forty-two of us contested, Engineer Seyi Makinde won, every other candidate spent money, had supporters and people who believed in them. Winning the election is far out of our hands”.
Assessing the present Oyo state government, he said “the governor is doing fine because there are some dynamics that come into development and governance that might not be envisaged totally. When I was campaigning for election, I never thought that there would be anything like a pandemic which has held the economy of the nation and the world by the jugular for five months and still counting”.
He however admitted that the GSM-led government might not be doing well as expected but these dynamics are beyond his control but he is hopeful the governor is doing everything possible to overcome it, adding that there’s every possibility he, Olayinka, might have done better if he were to be the governor.
Mr Olayinka also berated the prevalence of hate speech and its use in politics and struggle for power. He said, ” hate speech is bad in all ramifications and there’s no justification for it. It’s still good if the fine for every broadcast station found wanting of hate speech is five million naira”. He added that civility in our public space must be taken more seriously. To him, maligning people to bring them down to score cheap political points is not required in modern politics. He said ” if there’s anything you want to present, do it objectively. The line between criticism and hate speech is not blurred, saying Oyo State’s debt index is disproportionate is different from saying the governor wants to impoverish the state.”
However, Mr. Olayinka when quizzed about what his candid advice was to the youths said ” right living is the only right way to building a right society. Nigerian youths need to build their capacity. Although money answereth all things but money isn’t everything. Be the best person you can be even if you will be a sweeper”.
He did acquiesce to the fact that the Nigerian economy is not the best but charged Nigerian youths that it is only when they have problems that they will need solutions. In his words “Nigeria has so many challenges but that should leverage us to prospect. When there are so many problems, youths have the responsibility to come up with affordable solutions”.
Mr. Olayinka charged every youth to be a solution provider and that they could grow with the solution citing a perfect example of Facebook. He also enjoined the youth to scale their opportunities and maximise them saying that ” if you are a farmer and farming on a plot of land, build your capacity so well that when you see 10 hectares of land you’ll be able to maximise it and don’t forget to bring integrity and digital skills to the table “. He pointed out that a business survives through integrity but to measure up with their contemporaries across the world, they need digital skills.
The sole_prppietor also advised businessmen to be prepared for every eventuality that confronts businesses. He said ” aside from the pandemic which we are not prepared for, we should be prepared for other things that disrupt businesses and when they do, new businesses will evolve. There was a time where photography was the big industry, telecommunications came and disrupted it, killing the whole industry”.
He advised every goal_target individual to look into how to triumph in the post COVID_19 business world which digital skills will help enhance. To him, education, entertainment, and every other sector are not going to be the same way we used to know them. He said, “don’t be surprised if a burial is to hold and they ask all attendees to join zoom, the musicians performing and they will even spray money virtually”.
In Mr. Olayinka’s opinion, COVID_19 is like a war and in war, everybody can be affected even by the instigators. So, he urged parents to build themselves in order to be able to sail through during this trying time. He said ” as far as parenting is concerned, you cannot give what is not in you. That’s why it is easy for children of good parents to turn good and parents that complain have children who complain. A child’s heart is a tabula razza and so parenting is an art, a bigger task than it has ever been which parents need to rise up to that challenge”. The educator prescribed the internet for the parents but warned them to be proactive and protective so as not to find solace in it because it is an insecure shady place.
On whether the gubernatorial aspiration is dead, Mr. Olayinka said “the ambition is alive and God lives, we will continue to pursue it. We are prepared for the dynamics of the future. We are looking forward to a future that leadership will be determined by capacity, manifesto, and template you want to run with. But that won’t stop us, we have to trust the process. The break with come, I am preparing for this. I’m into it full-fledge”. He affirmed that he would still run in the next election chasing the rather unshakable helm.