‘Why there is party indiscipline’

Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Advisory Council (GAC) member and Olu of Afowowa-Sogade Oba Olatunji Hamzat bagged a Honorary Doctorate Degree of Arts in Public Leadership, Peace and Community Development from the European -America University at the weekend. The event took place at the Main Auditorium, University of Lagos, Akoka. The former Transportation Commissioner and father of Lagos State Deputy Governor-elect Dr. Obafemi Hamzat spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on the imperative of party supremacy, monetisation of politics and challenges that will confront the in-coming Sanwo-Olu administration in the Centre of Excellence.

What do you want the younger generation to learn from you?

The first thing is patience and tolerance. If you are patient you will take life very easy. What God has given to you as your destiny, you should follow it. Do not look at another man’s wristwatch to look at your own time on what you want to do. On tolerance, to live with people and live successfully, you have to be tolerant. If you are not tolerant with your wife and children, you cannot live very well. That is what I want this generation to learn from me because this is what I have given to my children too.

How can we return to the politics of ideology, which your generation played in the Second Republic?

It is the party themselves that have completely abandoned ideology which they stand for. Discipline is no more, they do not even award merit for those who worked. For us to return to sound party ideology we have to return to restructuring the political parties themselves to follow the part of discipline and merit in whatever they do. There are people who worked very hard for the party, but at the moment, politics to me is being monetised and it  may not allow us to get good candidates because in a situation where you want to run for the governorship of a state and you are looking for N20bn, where will you get it from? Even the habit of expecting money from politicians before they vote is a dangerous situation. Unless we try to change it, things may not work well. At the beginning of this dispensation, a lot of people showed interest to contest for elective positions, but at the end of it, they never got it. This is because they do not have money. I think we should begin to think of voting for merit and not necessarily money.

What are the challenges that you will expect the incoming governor of Lagos State to tackle?

The first thing is the pot holes on our streets and major roads, which I think is the major factor for traffic jam or gridlock. Every nook and cranny where you have roads in Lagos is full with potholes, they must first face that. The second is refuse disposal. The roads are not littered with refuse here and there, they must face those two challenges simultaneously so that the residents of Lagos will appreciate them.

As an entrepreneur, what challenges did you face?

The challenges experienced by an entrepreneur is common across board, but the new trend of fraud that has been added to business is now a major challenge. Every businessman now crave for quick riches, quick money, it was not so before. To get rich is step by step otherwise you will defraud people and land yourself in the prison within a short time.