National Telescope national telescope newspaper
New Nigeria Peoples Party, Oyo State House of Assembly, Ogbomoso North Constituency Candidate, Hon.Dr. Paul Ajagbe Olukunle (Onirese), in this interview with OLUWASOLA OLATUNDE speaks on issues of development at the grassroot in Nigeria
Being a medical practitioner, what propelled you to go into politics?
When wise men fail to rule, people are subjected to the rule of mediocres, and when eagles fail to rule, the parrot will jabber, enough of the eaglet piglet. I have to engage myself in this political era because Nigeria’s glory will be ruined if wise men fail to rule. We cannot know the true nature of man until you give him power. So, I have to seek power from my people to rescue Nigeria from the brink of ruin and state of hardship which Nigeria found itself in. I am contesting because people persuade me to contest and I agreed to it because I saw the zeal in me that I am capable of changing the state of affairs of the country in my own little way. With the little wisdom of leadership, God has given me. If we are having good representatives at all phases(levels) of government, definitely Nigeria will be great again.
It was learnt that when you started your political career, you joined PDP but suddenly you defected to NNPP. What prompted the decision?
The People’s Democratic Party lacks internal democracy, and they run their affairs according to their choices and would not listen to any other opinion. They did a consensus when I was at the party, selecting an unexpected candidate without being carried along. The consensus was wrong because they decided on the candidate without the input of members. So I decided to leave such gathering and joined the NNPP, and I don’t regret my decision. The leaders in the NNPP are very accommodating and welcoming.
As a philanthropist, can you tell us some ways you have been impacting your community?
It’s all over social media, for several years I have been distributing exercise books to pupils and students at my constituency. I have done this three consecutive times from 2019 till date. So it’s not because of politics but a desire to impact my host community positively. I have been doing this through my foundation – Onirese House Foundation in my little capacity. I also do the same to people in neighbouring constituencies, such as Surulere Local Government, Ogo-Oluwa Local Government, Orire Local Government, and Ogbomoso North, but the main Local Government I didn’t touch is Ogbomoso South which is a nearly neighboring Local Government to me, I couldn’t understand why, because I even asked myself because I lived in Ogbomoso South before I relocated to Ogbomoso North, where I was born and brought up from and educated from. So, being a Hospital Proprietor, It has been easy for me to render free medical services because I had my hospital within the axis of Ogbomoso North Local Government, likewise, I have a Diagnostic Centre within the Axis of Ogbomoso North Local Government as well, and likewise, the four family house I am related with, Mooya’s compound is at Ogbomoso North Local Government. It is good to give because he who gives receives blessings from God, so it is something God required from everyone that we should be doing, by making it our habitual character, definitely we would receive it in many folds. I have given out scholarships to many students, and some of them are now graduates.
Good governance is very important to the development of a nation, whats your take on the need for good governance in Nigeria?
Anyway, to ensure good governance, one of the factors that abhor the emergence of a good candidate or the best candidate is rigging. So we have to do away with all forms of rigging and we have to stop the use of hooligans and thugs in the electioneering process, especially in the forthcoming election. We need to ensure a free and fair election, when there is a free and fair election the person that is ready to serve the people’s interest will emerge. It will be of great benefit to the people when a leader that is ready to serve as a servant emerges. The position of leadership is to serve. So we have to be answerable to the people in our communities. Not all garrulous leaders nor callous ones use the office for selfish interests. Public properties should be utilised in the interest of the public. Also, godfatherism is another factor that we need to end if we desire development in this country. This issue is affecting us to a large extent.
