Seyi Makinde coming to liberate Oyo State –Bose Adedibu

Bose Adedibu

Alhaja Bose Adedibu is the wife of the late strong man of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, who is a prominent leader in the politics of Oyo State. She is one of the female leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who stood solidly with the Oyo state governor-elect, Engineer Seyi Makinde. In this interview with Olusesan Laoye speaks on the crisis in PDP and how those who were initially against Makinde eventually teamed up with him to win the election for PDP. Excerpts:

You are still one of the noticeable female politicians in the South West, especially in Oyo State what has been keeping you going and why you have not looked back since the death of your husband Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu?
I give glory to God that I am still able to carry on politically and still very relevant  at least in Oyo politics. I learnt something from my late husband  that you have to be contented, honest, firm, consistent and as well reliable and let people know where you stand all the time, so that when serious issues arise  they will trust you. These  are the factors that have helped me. You see, I have not for a day left the   Peoples Democratic party (PDP) where I have been before my husband died. This has made the politicians in Oyo state to respect me. It has also helped me to be relevant.

Have you not been tempted by other political parties  which may have wanted to use your influence as the wife of late strong man of Ibadan politics?
There is no doubt about that. I had many people from different political parties who came to me,  one of them even offered a position at the federal level  but it was turned down. I never allowed position or money to take over me  to deviate from the principles and ideals which I inherited from my husband and I am happy playing my politics that way and I thank Gos that  I am relevant today in politics. Again I set up an NGO in memory of my husband to cater for the needy. I also in my own little ways render help to people who come to me but not like my husband  because I don’t have that kind of resources he was having.

You are one of the people who stood by the new governor-elect, of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde who is he and your expectations?
To be very honest with you his victory was  not easy. We did a lot of work but I will say he has been ordained  by God that this is his time. Don’t forget that he has been in this game for a long time, even much longer than his rivals. We had a lot of obstacles and those who initially fell out with him during that journey are the ones God eventually used to pave the way for him. As for my expectations, Seyi Will do well. The people of Oyo will smile because he has a good mission and vision for the people of Oyo. He has already mapped out his action programme because he is a man willing to serve and he has exhibited this since he has been coming out and  campaigning to  govern Oyo state. What will also work for him is that, he is very humble and always  ready to listen to the people. Honestly he and our great party can’t afford to let the people down because the expectations are very high. Again we know the battle we fought to get to this stage. Engineer Makinde is a good friend of the youths who is equally loved by the old people because of his respect for elders and humility. He has a good upbringing. His emergence is to liberate the people and he Will accomplish His mission. One area which he would address is education. He loves education and he is going to create job opportunities and by the grace of God he will not owe salaries.

As an insider can you tell us what happened that made Ladoja left PDP when the issue of who gets what in the party was on before Makinde eventually got the ticket of PDP?
Like you said it was about who gets what in the party. It was the issue of the state executive and my brother-in law Senator Rashidi Ladoja said he wanted his group to have the position of the Secretary which  had already been zoned to another group. You know  that after the reconciliation and amonisation   of the Uche Secondus executive  all those who had left PDP during the prolonged crisis came together  and as such, there are people from  Accord where Ladoja came from, Labour, AD, even APC, and the positions were distributed along party lines. The secretary was not zoned to him but he insisted that he wanted it for his group. We begged him and told him that as the eldest in the party he should regard himself as our father and the owner of the party but he still insisted. We then asked if he wanted to contest again,he also said no. We then realised that right from day one that he decided to come back to the PDP, he had instructed those in his Accord party  to make sure that they get the secretary, woman leader, the chairman and the youth leader. Some of us believed that what he wanted was not possible because he was coming from Accord, which is a small party and questioned the rationale behind that motive and request. He  was in PDP and he knew that we don’t do things like that. The issue was on and dragged to Abuja where they promised that the position would be changed, but we knew it can not Accord already had the positions of Chairman, Youth leader and the PRO. The PDP proper, got the secretary. When he was adamant and for the unity of the party we in PDP decided to concede the secretary to him so that we can have the chairman he  refused . We then told him that his request cannot work. That was when he took some members to the African Democratic Congress. With the work of God we are now together and he is the father of the governor. Right now the future of PDP is very bright in Oyo State.

As a female and notable politician, do you think women have had a fair share in the ongoing political dispensation since 1999?

You know when we were in power during the tenure of former President Godluck Jonathan, he promised 35% and he did. let us hope that things go in the PDP favour with the Appeal am sure the party would do more than 30% because with Jonathan he was pushing it to 40%. If APC still retains power at the centre I don’t know what they would do. But let me emphasise this  we are lucky in Oyo State because Engineer Makinde has been saying it that he would ensure the empowerment of women and I am very sure there would be adequate representatives of women in his government.

How soon do you think Nigeria would produce a female President?
I think it would come sooner than expected. Before now, we are not anything. It was difficult for women to get nearer to the position of a Councillor but now  we are Deputy Governors, Minister, even contested for governorship and presidency. Very soon we shall get there.

Way forward in Curbing rampant crime rate among Nigerian youths?
I think government should create jobs and vocational centres, where youths can learn any trade of their choice. Parents too have a lot to do in this respect. Their wards should be properly monitored Youths should be able to move away from hard drugs. Good moral upbringing is very important to guide children from crime. As far as the  coming PDP government in Oyo state is concerned, Engineer Makinde has promised to put a lot of recreational  facilities in place to keep youths busy all the time, especially, during the holiday.