A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Mr Femi Babalola, bares his mind to TUNDE AYANDA and SEGUN ADEBAYO on the Bola Tinubu administration, the state of affairs in Oyo State, among other issues.
Are you happy with the state of the nation at the moment?
I am not happy because, as far as I am concerned, the solution we eventually used, or are employing, is not the only available option. There are better options that could have lessened or even eliminated the sufferings of the people, and we could have provided a better solution. I mean, when the president and this government came in, I believe that there were two main concerns around the economy. First is the disparity in the exchange rate and what causes it. People access forex and then go ahead and sell it at a premium. It is so simple. We know the number of banks in this country. We know their owners. Call them in and warn them. Moving forward, anyone who defaults will have their licence revoked. [Former President Olusegun] Obasanjo did it, even to his friend, the then owner of UBA, and he brought sanity to the forex market. Why does this constitute a problem? Why must we follow what the banks want us to do?
Number two, even with the issue of forex, let’s look at the inflow. We need a steady inflow of forex first. What are our major sources of forex inflow? We have Diaspora remittances, forex from petroleum sales and forex from exportation of goods and services by citizens. Let’s examine these three one by one. First, regarding petroleum products, we’ve been saying since [former President Muhammadu] Buhari’s tenure that crude oil production has declined drastically. Even where production remains, theft is preventing companies from benefiting from their labour. As they produce, people are stealing the crude oil, puncturing pipes daily. Are you telling me that it’s beyond the government’s capacity to stop that? Just because some people are stealing oil, which is the police’s duty to prevent, does the whole country have to suffer? It doesn’t make sense. It is like we are looking for an easy way out. Are we saying that we can’t effectively guard the pipelines in this country? What is the length of these pipelines, and where are they located? Were they not made by humans? I don’t believe they can’t be effectively protected from puncturing and crude theft. This would help us immensely since we need forex.
Number three is remittances. We know what [Godwin] Emefiele did. He had a policy encouraging Diaspora remittances, and it worked. People were given naira for each dollar remitted. It was successful until, for some reason, it was halted. We need forex to defend our naira, especially as this country isn’t production-friendly. People say we need to encourage exports, but have they ever run an industry themselves? They don’t realise how challenging it is. I once bought 20 tons of shea butter from Oyo North, and my truck was seized by the police because one of its headlights was out. The light could have gone out just before that spot or even a week prior. Did that justify confiscating a truck delivering raw materials to a factory for export? Why didn’t they just say, ‘buy a bulb and replace it here before moving on?’ That’s the reality we’re dealing with, and yet people keep talking without understanding.
Now, on the issue of security, if we had solved the security problem in this country, production would be up. People would go to the farms. I’m a farmer, so I know what I’m saying. Many farmers have left, and I’m not just talking about the North where there’s frequent violence against farmers, but about here in the South West. Farmers are abandoning their land because there is no security. To boost production, the government needs to ensure security and reassure people.
Then we approached the subsidy issue. Is subsidy good for the economy? It depends on how you look at it. Some things have to be subsidised because they have multiple ripple effects. Are you subsidising education, health, or electricity? The government must subsidise certain things otherwise there will be social insecurity and the problem goes back to the government, especially when we talk about smuggling to neighboruing countries. Should Nigerians suffer because of smuggling to neighbouring countries? What is the role of customs? If customs aren’t doing their job, should Nigerians be punished for that? It is not the duty of Nigerians to suffer because of customs’ laxity. No. And we can all see the effects.
Now, we have seen the reality. No one can tell me it is working. It is not working. The World Bank was talking nonsense, saying it is good for the country. During the 2007 recession in America, why didn’t they let economic forces take control? Why did the American government step in and support their companies with funding? They gave money to companies like Mobil and Nike; they practically supported all the major companies. They said they wouldn’t sit back and watch their economy collapse. If that recession had happened in Africa, the World Bank would have told us to let economic forces take their toll. That is what they would have advised. But in America, they refused to let companies like Boeing fail. They provided funding to keep them afloat. They said, ‘Forget about economic theories; we are talking about people’s lives.’ So, what kind of economics did someone suggest we should practise for 20 years? Why didn’t they practise that approach in America for 20 years?
You mentioned the issue of oil theft, if you were to speak with President Bola Tinubu, what would you tell him to do?
The people stealing are those in power. They are stealing for themselves. Anyone who helped you ascend to that position would have an understanding. The bottom line is that they want to be part of the government; they want to protect their economic interests. If their economic interests jeopardise the general welfare and the overall economic wellbeing of the country, then you have to cut them off and offer them alternatives. A country cannot be producing 20,000 barrels of oil and, by the end of the day, be unable to export even 10,000 because the remaining 10,000 has been stolen along the line while you fold your arms. I think we tend to forget at times that we are no longer in the 1980s when Nigeria was practically the only country in Africa producing oil. Now, nearly every country in Africa has oil, so if investors leave Nigeria, they can go to Ghana, Mozambique, Angola, Chad, anywhere. We just have to sit tight and know what we are doing.
What is the simplest way you think the government can address the aforementioned issues?
All these issues have solutions and I have talked about them. It is just about putting the right people in the right places.
You have talked about the government needing to step on toes to solve some of the country’s problems. But there situations where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured convictions against some high-profile individuals. Would you say stepping on toes has really helped the country? Don’t you think there is an underlying problem that the government is not addressing or is shying away from?
I have always believed that Nigeria has a systemic problem. We need to address the system itself. We have to sit down and tell ourselves enough is enough, this country has to move forward. The time is now because if we are not careful, we will lose this country. That is just the truth. It is a systemic issue. We need to evaluate so many things: the constitution, the civil service rules, the way budgets are made and executed, the security architecture. We need to sit down and ask ourselves: ‘are we practising a system that suits us?’ And I would say no.
Politicians will say it is easy to criticise from the outside when you are not in government. Don’t you think what you are saying now may change should you have opportunity to get into government in any capacity?
I will tell you what is happening: journalists are the problem. I’ve said this several times anytime I have the opportunity to address the people and media. Yes, I believe the people, the electorate, have their problem, but journalists need to do better. Profile these politicians before they get into office. Let the people know them and their antecedents. You need to help the people know the people that are on the table. Out of five bad candidates, one will be electable. Journalists are not doing that.
Don’t we have people that have never worked in their lives as governors? Don’t we have people that have not done anything, that don’t even have local knowledge of the community or people they want to represent in the National Assembly? Don’t we have people that never lived in a community before but are now representing that community? What did journalists do? This man has never lived in your federal constituency before, why is he contesting there? He has never worked anywhere before, have they come out to say this man doesn’t have the prerequisite knowledge to lead these people? Why must people get to know about the past of a politician on ly when he gets into office? People need to know all these things and make their choice before people are allowed to get into elective positions. This is where the problem started. This is the reason why people don’t have quality representation where it matters most.
Even if people are given information, politics involves so many things, including money…
I agree with you, but play your part first and let the people decide. Give us the information we need and the parameters. We don’t want to be hearing about somebody submitting fake results or somebody not having certificate at the tribunal. We should know about these things before aspirants clinch political parties’ tickets. Is it not embarrassing that it is at tribunals that you hear that an elected politician did not go to school?
The same problem is happening in your political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)…
I am not talking about any political party here. I am saying that it’s the problem in the country. The people that should do it are not doing it. Journalism is about getting to the root of everything and presenting facts to the people. If you don’t want people to know about your dirty past, stay away from politics. That’s what Baba Adedibu of blessed memory used to tell us; that he believed that the moment you enter politics, everything about you gets brought to the fore.
How would you describe Oyo State under the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde?
The state is better than what it used to be. It is better in terms of infrastructural development. The people like the governor. He is my friend.
If you had the opportunity to take a shot at the governorship of the state in 2027, would you take it?
It depends on what the parameters are. We will sit down and look at the parameters and speak with the people.
You met with the governor recently. What did you two discuss?
We talked about the PDP and the election coming up in 2027. We talked about ensuring the unity of the party because I am a foundation member of the party.
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