AAREBINRIN FOLASHADE OLABANJI-OBA: EVERYBODY MATTERS IN THIS ERA OF RENEWED HOPE; PLEADS WITH NIGERIANS TO ‘GIVE ONE ANOTHER A CHANCE’
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
National Chairman, Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen (ALGOVC)/Vice Chairman, Ikorodu LGA, Aarebinrin (Hon.) Dr. Folashade Olabanji-Oba
Aarebinrin (Hon.) Dr. Folashade Olabanji-Oba is undoubtedly someone that needs no introduction among the top Nigerian women involved in politics. Her staunch loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, progressive politics, grassroots influence, untiring nature, uncommon energy, dexterity and eloquence stands her out as a force. It is this mix of strength that she ran with throughout the electioneering process which led to the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In this exclusive chat with Trek Africa Newspaper, the woman who wears many caps such as the Founder of the Asiwaju Distinguished Ambassadors Movement (ADAM); National Chairman of the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen (ALGOVC); Executive Vice Chairman of Ikorodu LGA; among others shared her passion for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, her experiences on the 2023 campaign trail as well as her expectations in the era of Renewed Hope.
Read!
Trek Africa: The 2023 elections have come and gone, can you share with us your experience?
Hon. Olabanji-Oba: For some of us, this 2023 elections started way back in 2019 when it was still like ‘don’t say it, don’t say it, another tenure just started’. But for us, we know that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prepared himself over the years, we felt it was time for him to be showcased. We received so much bashing, did Asiwaju send you but we believe so much in this great entity. We know that one of the key issues in Nigeria is to get leadership right so we decided that after Asiwaju is Asiwaju.
Trek Africa: you talk so much about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, why do you like him so much?
Hon. Olabanji-Oba: My President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is talk and do. We can see his blueprint all over Lagos, the centre of excellence. He is a leader who has built leaders. We felt Nigeria had all the potentials to be one of the greatest countries worldwide given the right leadership and orientation. The candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was an easy sell.
There were so many groups that I was part of and played various roles. The reason is for us to get to where we are today. I pray that these years will be our best years. But we also have to work hard to make success out of this government that our people will be proud.
Trek Africa: How was the campaign season for you?
Hon. Olabanji-Oba: The 2023 election was not easy. During the elections, some people played bad politics dividing us along many lines but elections are over. We know we needed more foot soldiers who will let Nigerians understand. We had to deal with it.
Youths are the treasure that we have but with the Endsars, it wasn’t easy to convince them that Asiwaju meant well and that he is one of the most empathetic leaders that we have. For Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, look at the COVID-19 pandemic if not for his proactiveness, Nigeria would have been in a mess. Lagos was able to go through all of that and reduced the number of deaths that we had. It is time for us to hug one another, say yes to ourselves and work together. Nigeria is for us all.
Trek Africa: Now that we are in governance time, what are your expectations?
Hon. Olabanji-Oba: Now that we are in this era of Renewed Hope, it must be a collaborative effort at whatever level we find ourselves. Everybody matters. We have to come together and see Nigeria first. It is time to give one another a chance. If we look at what stands us out among the comity of nations, it is our youth population. It is time to make them know that nothing can limit them.
I was raised by an uneducated mother who believed that your child must be greater than you and she paid the sacrifice to make me see that nothing can limit me as a girlchild. That value system of sacrifice, character, and fear of God, I think we dropped it at some point. We need to bring it back as it is germane. These days, we are faced with the idea of ‘what is in it for me’, of instant gratification, when nobody wants to grow through the process again. These are the things that our youths must learn.
Trek Africa: But the era of Renewed Hope has started with fuel subsidy removal, what do you make of that?
Hon. Olabanji-Oba: If we are able to get through this fuel subsidy removal, a lot of funds can be redirected into the economy for robust welfare system. We should collaborate. It is been tense for all Nigerians but we know that some palliatives would also come in place to alleviate some pains and at the end of the day, say 4 years, we would be glad that we have made this choice. It is a people’s project.
Trek Africa: We now have President Tinubu and Gov. Sanwo-Olu, what is your expectation for Lagos?
Hon. Olabanji-Oba: It is an awesome thing for us to have our former Governor as Nigeria’s no. 1 citizen and for Lagos to have one of the best leaders so it should translate to Lagos and Nigeria working for all. They have both said that leadership will work for all, whether you voted for APC or not.
The LCDAs that were created in Lagos have brought a lot of growth and it has made Lagos what it is today. If it works in one place, I want to believe that it should be reciprocated on a larger scale.
