Chief Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi is Renewed Hope Ambassador for Agege Federal Constituency in Lagos State, mainstream campaign group for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
The former Chairman of Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State in this interview with selected journalists shares his views on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration among other sundry issues.
Q: As one of Renewed Hope Ambassadors what is your take on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration?
A: President Bola Tinubu has done a good job. Nigeria under his leadership is getting better in many facets. It may not be Eldorado but we have left Egypt enroute to the promised land. Students in public tertiary institutions and their guardians have never had it so good.
Prior to this administration, it’s common for indigent students to drop out of higher institutions due to financial constraints. But now the narrative has changed — thanks to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), a creation of this administration, that now pays tuition fees of students in public tertiary institutions.
Once upon a time, government treated technical and vocational education with disdain leading to the dearth of youths equipped with practical education and employable skills. But under the watch of President Tinubu, technical colleges and vocational institutions are getting the attention they deserve from government in terms of upgrading them and encouraging youths to enrol in them. As I speak, the federal government gives free education to students in its technical colleges and vocational centres across the country while each student gets N45,000 each in monthly stipend.
Beyond students’ welfare, this government also came up with the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund, which gives non-interest and unsecured loans to academic and non-academic staff in tertiary institutions.
There is also the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation, CREDICORP for the public at large that’s established to lend uncollaterised loans to every Nigerian. In the area of infrastructure, this government is opening up the country with good road network like the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway which is under construction. On completion, the 750-kilometer project will pass through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom. While it will reduce travel time and increase trade efficiency in those parts, the economic and social benefits are huge.
The same as the Sokoto—Badagry road, a six-lane highway with a rail line in its median to enhance trade and connectivity. I must not forget to mention the unprecedented increment in monthly allocations to local and state governments, which enable the two tiers to have more war chest to carry out impactful projects and programmes.
Given all the compelling evidence that President Tinubu has done well and the prevailing absence of opposition parties means this reelection in 2027 is assured.
Q: Can you throw light on your assertion that there are no opposition parties?
A: We are all living witnesses to the wave of defections from hitherto opposition leaders to our party, the All Progressives Congress. PDP won eleven governorship seats in 2023 election but the last time i checked only Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed who is rumoured to be on his way out of the party are still there. Others except Ademola Adeleke have joined us in APC swelling the ranks of governors in APC to 31.
In plain terms PDP is in the throes of death. Same as Labour Party that’s equally polarised and the African Democratic Congress. Lately a faction of ADC denied the so-called National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi. They claimed Abdullahi is not a member of the party and accused him of impersonation. Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party is also in the same shoes. The only governor elected on NNPP platform, Abba Kabir Yusuf is now in APC. In fact it is safe to say that Tinubu’s reelection is cast in stone.
Q: Would you agree that APC has its own share of crises as evidenced by the open hostility among members during the recent congress, particularly in Ondo where two party members were killed?
A: That’s your own opinion. As far as am concerned there’s no crisis of note in APC. Like they say ‘there’s no perfect relationship,’ which is also true of APC family.
There is rumour that you want to contest for Agege Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives currently occupied by Dr. Wale Ahmed. How true is this?
Yes, it’s true. This is not my first time of having that aspiration. While I was in office as Agege Local Government chairman I declared my intention to run for it but was told to drop the idea by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudasiru Obasa who is the leader of both politicians and non-politicians in the whole Agege. His contribution to Agege in terms of bringing developments to the area is unmatched. Now am in the race again, and I hope to get Obasa’s blessing.
