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Oyo people’ll repay Ajimobi with votes – Aboderin

Deji Aboderin

Newly appointed Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Social Mobilisation, Deji Aboderin, tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI the need to evolve socio-economic development and promote peace in Oyo State

What does your job entail as a Senior Special Assistant?

My duty is to convince voters and mobilise them to vote for all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the state and also the presidential candidate of the party in the forthcoming general elections. It is also my duty to bring together members of the civil organisations, institutions and all communities in a coordinated manner for the specific goal of supporting Ajimobi and the APC during and after the elections. It’s an honour having such an opportunity to serve the people and work for this government.

What motivated you to accept the job bearing in mind that a few weeks ago, you were in the Accord Party?

It is important to be fair to this government and the people of Oyo State who deserve the best. Governor Ajimobi has done a fantastic work in this state. For the first time in the history of this state, we have a governor whose performance cuts across the state. His projects are not concentrated in a particular place.

In the educational sector, Ajimobi’s government has done a lot through the payment of the West Africa School Certificate Examination fees for Senior Secondary School students, the establishment of a technical university, rehabilitation of 497 public primary and secondary schools, payment of scholarship and bursary awards to students in tertiary institutions, approval of promotion scheme for more than 1, 000 teaching and non-teaching staff and many more.

Ajimobi constructed more than 250 roads with many of the existing roads changed to dual carriage way in all the geo-political zones in the state. In the health sector many hospitals have been renovated while new medical facilities were provided. He also employed more than 500 health workers. These are just a few of his achievements and I am sure that the people of the state will like to show gratitude by voting for this government for a second term in office.

You were an aspirant in the AP seeking a ticket to contest a seat in the House of Representatives. Why did you dump the party?

I have personal reasons for taking my decision. Apart from that I just felt that as a citizen, I have a duty to contribute to the development of the state. It doesn’t matter who I work for, it’s all about serving our people to the best of my ability. I have been around for some time and I know what this state used to be before Ajimobi came on board. To be honest, Ajimobi deserves a second term in office so that he can consolidate on his achievements. Crime and violence have sent the best of our people away from politics but Ajimobi has provided a platform for everyone to take part in the government and contribute to the development of the state.

Did the governor contact you to dump the AP in exchange for a position in his government?

Nobody persuaded me to leave the AP and, in fact, I did not dump the party. What I am trying to do is to serve the people and help this government in what it is doing in the state.

Any magic that has brought investors into the state and brought safety to the society is worth being associated with.

How prepared are you for this assignment considering there are only a few weeks before the general elections?

When I came out to vie for a ticket in the AP, I did so because I was confident of my support base. Over the past few years, I have built a structure that boosts relationship with our people in several ways. That structure gets bigger by the day and I am convinced that the people are in support of what I am doing right now. What I am saying in essence is that by choosing to work for the APC in the state, I am only continuing with the project I began a few years ago.

How would you rate Ajimobi and APC ahead of the 2015 elections?

I am not going to predict the result of the election now. To be honest with you, it’s an open race but Ajimobi’s work and cordial relationship with the workers will give him an edge. He has done well at a time when the Federal Government allocation to states of the federation has diminished drastically.