Nigerians will kick out so-called big parties in 2023 – Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Lagos State LP guber candidate

By Daniel Kanu

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is the Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

The young, vibrant politician during this encounter with Sunday Sun, spoke on the problem with Nigeria, dwindling economy, security challenge, why Lagos State is not making the right type of progress, what he intends to bring to bear if given the opportunity to govern the state,  among other critical issues. Excerpt:

What is the magic behind the Labour Party (LP) in recent times, in view of the recent wide acceptance of the party by Nigerians unlike what we used to have?

I believe that Nigerians are tired of the status quo. Nigerians are tired of bad governance, they are tired of poor leadership. Of course, you can see where we are today with the government in power. Nigerians are groaning, they are tired of the situation where the leadership that came on board has really nothing to offer them aside from promises that are not kept. You can see the promise of change that this government said they will provide Nigerians and you can see where we are today. You can see what we are getting. So to answer your question, the simple reason is that Nigerians are tired and they are now convinced more than ever that this government has nothing fresh to offer, no new ideas, the ones they have offered are choking Nigerians and you cannot imagine the danger that will befall this country if Nigerians don’t make a statement with their votes by sending them packing. They have caused so much damage and do not deserve to remain after 2023. They represent all the things that are wrong about Nigeria, but we turn our eyes to it. As we speak, there is one potential candidate that has what it takes to do the job satisfactorily. I am talking about the candidate of our party (Peter Obi). Nigerians are tired, they want something different, they want a leadership of integrity and competence, they want a leadership that shows that they care for the people, they want a leadership that shows cerebral capacity, they want a leadership that shows youth energy and vibrancy. In a country that has so many energetic, young people it is wrong that we continue to parade some that some people say and it has been confirmed that are sick, those that their health is not 100 per cent compliant to the job they are seeking for. And these are the ones that want to take charge of leading the destiny of over 200 million people, 65 per cent of it young, vibrant  and healthy. Democracy should be representative of the majority of the population and their desires and wishes for leadership. You can see that Nigerrians are now very eager to take back their country and they see in Labour Party, that vehicle that can be trusted to undertake such task.

How do you react to critics that say Labour Party is more active on the social media. That it is the youths that are driving it and that most of them do not even have a PVC?

They are using such argument and propaganda to comfort themselves, so we understand. I am sure they saw the one-million-man walk that was done, At the NBA  conference in Lagos when our presidential candidate (Peter Obi) showed up, did you not see the reception? Was that social media? And the other candidates were there, but you noticed what happened. When he showed up at the Redeem camp programme, at the Dunamis church programme or the places he has visited in the North was the crowd, the rousing welcome, the excitement, the joy on the faces of the people social media cosmetic?  Nigerians not only the youths, our fathers and mothers are committed to this project of changing the narrative and they know that LP has the capacity, so they have all keyed-in. There are some of the presidential candidates, and Nigerians know them, that you will look stupid canvassing or supporting them because we know their history.   

What will you be bringing to the table if God’s willing, you emerge as the next governor of Lagos State?

We will have a government that is transparent, that is accountable, that will be run in the interest of the people and we are coming without a baggage of god-fatherism, of people trying to control government for their own selfish interest. So, we will be free to enact policies that will be beneficial to the people. It will not be a government that you are given opportunity because you are connected to so and so persons, no. It will be government that will be based on competence, that will work for everybody. We will build a Lagos that will work for everybody, we will deliver projects that will be in the best interest of the people and in record time. I promise that my government will not be the type that it is only during the election season that they start to build and finish projects. It is every three and half years that you see projects being completed. In an entire tenure they will initiate project at the beginning, but wait until the election is near before its execution and completion. But in most cases nothing is done as the projects initiated will never be executed to completion. It is deception, the more you look the less you see. With their political rhetoric they will promise everything, but deliver embarrassing result.  There  should be no excuse for Lagos not to work. During my government, from day one, we will strive to restore Lagos as the real State of Excellence. We have a blueprint on all that we want to do.

What is your take on the continued ASUU strike?

It is the problem with a country that does not value education. It is their resolve to constantly impoverish these young people so they are empowered now to take the bull by the horn, taking control of their destiny. There is so much more that needs to be done and devoted for our education, there is so much more that needs to be devoted  to healthcare in Nigeria at large and even in Lagos State. So, it is unacceptable that the government is playing with the destiny and lives of the people. They are constantly borrowing to pay themselves, to pay  their wage bills, they are borrowing to consume, they are not borrowing to produce and when they should be improving the human capacity they are not doing that. They will borrow money and be buying cars and doing father Christmas to other countries, while so many Nigerians are unemployed, not sure where their next meal will come from. These things are unacceptable and the sustainable solutions to this problem, one of them is in providing quality education which should be a priority, but for our education it is not a priority for them. It is when you are fighting or committed to ensure that your citizens get quality education and are in school, then we can start to move forward as a country.

The Minister for  Education (Adamu) has asked students to sue ASUU, take their teachers to court and claim damages. What is your take on it?

As I said earlier a government that does not priortise and know the value of education, you can expect any thing from them, including nonsense because they do not place any serious value on education. That is why Nigerians must vote for the right people that can do the job, that can accomplish what they promised they will do. This is why the 2023 election is crucial, we need to send them packing, replacing them with credible individuals that are committed to serve and to deliver service to humility, and integrity. That is where we come in as a point of departure from this incompetence. We should vote in people that value education, people that have a vision for education. Those that value education should not make the type of statement that the Minister for Education is making. How do you even bring in private wealth? How do you bring in commercial wealth, how do you partner with the private sector to make education more affordable, to make education have higher investment and to ensure there is harmony, to ensure you pay lecturers, keep agreements when reached and ensure there is quality standard in the sector among others. These are critical issues that should bother us, but when education is not a priority to the government in power, this is what you get. It is due to some of these sad narratives that Nigerians are kicking for a change. Nigerians are hungry to see the LP take over the reigns of government in 2023. All those so-called big parties will be dissappointed in 2023. Nigerians will throw them out. It is the reason they are now panicking, throwing muds rather than face issues. The truth is that if you consider where Nigeria is today, you will weep for Nigeria. We cannot continue to sustain this country on propaganda. Nigerians are wiser. ASUU is about the only organisation that cares about the education of citizens of Nigeria, so asking students to take them to court should not  arise.

How would you react to the nation’s economic situation and the argument from some government spokespersons that what is happening on the economy is a global phenomenon?

That is a complete nonsense having that line of argument. This government is epitome of disappointment and excuses. We have so many resources that we are not using. An oil producing country and we are exporting it as raw crude, refine it from outside the country and pay again to bring it back. What is so hard in fixing our refineries? We are spending so much money importing and subsidising. We are doing ourselves great damage importing petroleum products. And that in itself is something that should not be done. They keep talking about turn-around maintenance of our refineries, they have spent so much money on it yet there is no output, nothing significant to hold on to. There are a lot of corruption that the people in government are doing and it is the people that will suffer for it. And because of the pressure on our currency the value of our currency, the Naira, will continue to fall. This is because we are income dependent, we are not producing. There is so many low hanging fruits, you see so many foreigners come in and do business in Nigeria, even those that are not registering , they are excarvating minerals, flying out  of the country. There is no proper surveillance system, you have a situation where the government itself is stifling innovation, stifling industrialisation. Look at what the people are going through, for instance, in the mining sector when they are trying to expand the value chain ? Look at the multiple taxation of businesses and people are being taxed-out of business. Government is not creating an enabling environment and they ensure that whatever business you are engaged in, there must be kick-back to them and their cronies. You cannot grow economy this way, businesses cannot strive this way. So, government needs to do its part before equating itself with countries that have  done their part well, but experiencing minor economic downturn.

What is your take on the security challenge in the land and government’s usual claim that they are on top of the challenge?

They are not on top of it as government has been claiming. We all are witnessing what is happening. And we are seeing what is going on in the Southwest with banditry and all that. Are you not aware of the terrorism that is going on, people are not free any longer to move around in Nigeria. Can you move easily without great fear from one state to the other? Can you even move around freely within the state? Which place is safe in Nigeria now? Nowhere is safe. We have never had it so bad as what we are experiencing now and rather than bringing realistic solutions they are giving excuses, playing the ostrich while the blood of Nigerians are wasted in large numbers, each passing day. Are you not worried about the figures recorded everyday on killings in our land? So, on top what are they? As I said, you cannot run government on propaganda because you cannot sustain it over time. The facts that we are seeing does not show that the government is on top of the challenge. Can people go to their farms again?  People are being killed and murdered without any accountability. They are trying to create a narrative that can only work in their own heads and mind.They know the reality on ground. That boils down to what I said about corruption. You see the military, there is so much money as we are told allocated to them to buy weapons, to buy things that will help them in the fight against terrorism, but what do we get? Somebody will pocket it and at the end they are rewarded as ambassadors. Their failure comes with bloodshed of many soldiers, and of many other Nigerians. A country that should be focussing on protecting the country will rather be focussing on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or other things that are of no consequence. We need a decisive leadership, a leadership that can actually start to answer hard questions and ensure that we can secure our state again and funds are spent the way they are supposed to be spent and when they misappropriate money they face the consequences. Not where the funds that are recovered are re-looted again. That is why it is good that the LP  will be coming in. We will be bringing integrity, people with cerebral capacity not people that are just dullards. People you cannot hire to be your receptionist in the bank, you are now putting them over the destiny of over 200 million people.

Some of your critics say you have not got the experience to become a governor. That you should have tried the House of Representatives or the Senate before aspiring as the governor of a state like Lagos. How will you react to this?

The ones with the so-called experience what have they done? The ones with the experience is it their experience that made them kill people at the Lekki Toll Gate? Is it their experience that is making them have inconsistent policies where people will bring in foreign direct investment and they will mess it up? Is it their experience that allows for the people in Lagos to live in a state they stay in traffic more than 4 hours everyday in the last 20 years? Is that the experience? Is the experience of the one that we will do affordable housing and that affordable housing will never get to the people that needs it? What was the experience of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, he was a journalist  and he excelled when he was given the opportunity to serve. He simply wanted the best for his people, he was a humanist. Look I used to tell people that what we need is a person with high cerebral capacity, person with intelligence, the person must have empathy, that is, you must care for the people which will come to them naturally. Those people will form a team and because their goal is to deliver. What was the experience of Senator Bola Tinubu before he became governor? Okay, apparently treasurer, Exxon-Mobil, he picked Ambode, Accountant-General of Lagos State,  Fashola a lawyer etc, all of them combined did not achieve what Alhaji Lateef Jakande achieved. So what experience are we talking about?