Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Osho Farotimi is chairman, Ekiti State chapter of the National Union Of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). He was one of those held for the murder of Chief Omolafe Aderiye, former state chairman killed in 2014 for allegedly supporting former governor Ayo Fayose.
What role did you and your members played in the last polls in Ekiti State?
I worked laboriously for President Muhammadu Buhari, all the senatorial candidates and all the candidates of the House of Representatives. I made sure every of the candidates mentioned won. I am grateful to God for the outcome of the elections.
We would always hold on to Governor Kayode Fayemi because he is a very good person, he is truthful and dependable. Since he came on board, Ekiti people have been enjoying, we can see all he has been doing since his assumption of office. All these things will, in the long run, bring development to the people in general and the state at large. We have unshaking support for Fayemi, Buhari and all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Why do you always have crisis among your members whenever a new government is in place?
What does cause it is that our people believe that, for instance, as I am in support of Fayemi and loyal to him, that when a new government takes over I will not extend same hands of loyalty to the new government, and this is not so, probably because they don’t reflect well on issues. Some are only concerned about what they will eat, forgetting the very fact that our union is responsible to the government of the day.
Now, as the current chairman in the state, people believe that, as soon as Fayemi leaves office and I still remain on this seat, that I will no longer be loyal to whoever comes on board after him which is not so, because going by the rules and regulations laid down by Gov Fayemi, after his four years in office, whoever Gov Fayemi puts down to succeed him, the same person we will support because God has agreed with Dr Fayemi’s thoughts, and we have taken him as our leader and we pray he takes us to the promised land and may God give him the grace for a fruitful administration.
Has the problem with those who supported former Fayose been resolved?
I don’t have crisis with them. I don’t have crisis with anybody, the reason being that God has vindicated me and whosoever God has vindicated, what else will such a person do?
I don›t have any crisis with anyone who supported former Fayose because since I came on board as the chairman, I have always allowed everyone in the union freedom to go about their businesses. But whoever wants to take me for a ride regarding the hands of fellowship extended to everyone, then, such a fellow will have himself to blame.
You were incarcerated for close to four years; can you shed light on this and how your release was secured?
The government of Fayose is not a good story to tell at all. It was not a good government and we pray never to have such a government again in Ekiti. I was imprisoned for four years over a case I knew nothing about. A case I was neither involved nor part of.
It was a murder case of Omolafe Aderiye, a former state Chairman of NURTW here. Seven of us were arrested, charged to court and landed in prison. But for God and Fayemi, who secured our release. I am really thankful to God and Fayemi.
Is it true that politicians use members of your union to rig elections?
No! Politicians don’t use any of our members to rig elections. We believe in one man, one vote, as the card readers are there to check electoral malpractices.
Against the rumour that your members went round polling units in the state during the February 23 polls warning anyone who failed to vote APC would be sacked from the union. What is your comment?
How possible is it for one to move round when you are not a security agent or an observer? When one is supposed to exercise one’s franchise too, so how possible? All of these are mere insinuations as they are untrue.
In what ways is your union planning to support the government of the day?
We were all aware that the elections initially scheduled for February 16 was postponed to February 23. For everyone who was in the country then and whoever had watched the television will reckon with how we contributed our quota nationally to the success of the elections.
By the directives of our president, Alhaji Yasin, that we must give 50 percent discounts to all travellers who travelled to exercise their franchise in their various states. In addition to the above, there are also so many good things in the offing we plan to do for the government.