Ajoke Obe – Moromoke Aminat aka AMA is a multifaceted woman who works to empower herself and empower others. The brave and courageous grassroots politician and mobilizer in this interview with AlimoshoTV bares her mind on her chairmanship ambition and the crisis rocking Alimosho APC.
AlimoshoTv: For the record, your name please?
AMA: My Name is Ajoke Obe – Moromoke Aminat. That is where I got the sobriquet ‘AMA’ from. It sticks perfectly.
AlimoshoTv: Can you please let us into your background?
AMA: I was born and breed in Zaria where I had my primary school education. My secondary school education was in Niger state. I had a northern background and I can speak Hausa fluently.
I studied Art at Yaba College of Technology (YabaTech), Lagos. I obtained BA in English Language at the Lagos State University (LASU) and also has my Law degree in the same school.
I subsequently proceeded to Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) where I obtained post graduate certification in Public Relations and Advertising. Basically, I love to go to school. I read alot as you can see. I also enjoy traveling and beyond all of these, I like community development. Anywhere you see ‘AMA’, my impacts must be felt. Even during my school days, I love to make things happen. I’m a service driven person. That is who I am.
AlimoshoTv: A background check on you revealed that you like politics alot. Tell us more about your political journey?
AMA: I was the first woman to contest for the Chairmanship position of this local government ( Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA) and that was about 12 years ago. I contested the party primary with the late Pastor Kenny Okunmuyide. He was eventually picked while we were told to step down for him. We were about 14 in number and I was the only woman among them. I was very upset about the decision because no superior argument was put forward.
Sola Popoola, myself and two others formed a group, G4 and we went to meet Argegbesola to express our grievances. Meanwhile, I was very close (up till now we still relate very well) to Arebesola. He likes me alot and I like him too but when I told him about my ambition he said he said it was too late as at the time I made my intention known. I asked him why was it late, that everyone has a rigth to contest.
He spoke with the group and addressed me personally that i was too young, that we should allowed the late Kenny have it. Till date, we are still very close and he had asked me severally what I wanted but I always told him I wanted to build my business first. So, if you really want to help the community and be functional politically, build yourself and your business first.
Argegbesola was sceptical of my person to be in the council because of my bluntness. “You are too fresh. how will it be easy for you to cope with the people there?” these are his views of me but between then and now, I think I have grown, more exposed and more matured for the challenges ahead. The best place to serve is the grassroot. If I choose to go to the state assembly, one would just be speaking English and making laws but let those who are good at that do it but for me, impacting lives at community level has been my own area of strength.
I believe I am a mover and shaker of people. I know how to make things happen. Even if I’m not in the council, one can still be very active in impacting lives at the grassroot. Most people see politics as a meals ticket. They are jobless and the next thing on their mind is join politics to make money and be comfortable but that notion is bad. Be comfortable in your private life first and be in a good corner. Joining politics should be to impact the people more and positively.
It will interest you to know that when I contested, Mr. Shodiya asked me what would I do… I told him the first thing I will do is to get the data base of the people of this local government. With data, you will be able to plan. And for me, I like to do more on women development or the youths. The data base will help in achieving this so fast.
With help of the data base, one would know how to make scale of preference on planning and what need to come first, next and in that order. That is how it is done in saner climes but do you know what his response was? he said it was not possible as that would be too expensive to achieve.
I told him things are getting easier with technology. Meanwhile, there was no LASRA then and here we are today. He then asked what next, I told him I love reading and there is a need to build standard libraries with computers because kids of today are in tune with technology and this would assist them in carrying out researches. It will also help grow reading culture.
When we were growing up, books are part of what we are used to. We also shared novels between ourselves and maybe that was why we were more richer in knowledge and our depth of characters are better than this generation. If you are interacting with someone who reads alot you would know within minutes because everything thrown at him/her, he/she must surely has something to contribute but he (Shodiya) doubted that also by asking where will I get the money from.
I told him i don’t need to depend on JAAC and IGR. You need to expose yourself. Come up with good ideas. Make partnership with people , companies and all. They will support you when they see you are geniue. It is achievable. I have done it before. When I was in school as the sectary general of my organization (department) Art & Culture, I brought coca – cola and 7up to our week celebration. It will amaze you to know that it was the best departmental week in that school during our time because they also came with sourvenirs and lots more and were distributed freely to the students.
So, if as a small girl I did that, I can do more if given the chance now because there is no place I can’t enter to make things happen. He then asked me if that was all adding that it is not everybody that is reading. I also told him that i will build hospitals and women centers to stop our women from singing around ‘alaga dada la ‘la aga awa’ ( Our chairman is the best…), but engage and train them. Giving a woman one tailoring machine isn’t an empowerment, it should go beyond that.
I told him the women center is so dear to me. There should be a follow up on empowerment and advanced training be giving to them from time to time in order to upgrade thier knowledge rather than giving them a tool and concluded you have empowered them. We kept criticising these women. It should not be like that because they are not getting proper support.
As a matter of fact, there was no much of internet like this then. I planned to bring them together under one umbrella to sell their products to the world and that i later realized I was seeing into the future. Let me tell you this, when I was in Saudi, if the men had gone to mosque, I used to visit the women at homes seeing what they were doing. It surprised me that you see them weaving with their hands making classy bed sheets and carpets and sell them in America, making money right from their homes with no shops. The Saudis are the maker of the most expensive carpets in the world.
These are the kinds of exposure our women need. It will interest you to know that all of the things I said, I was going to do then, I did everything without been in office and with no kobo spent.
The hospital was built at Agbelekale. After the primary election upsets, I met and keyed into Ganiu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS) agenda. I told him about my need. I went to him with the old picture of the health center, he gave us three – hundred thousand naira cheque and I took it to the palace. I’m a Chief in the LCDA, the Iyalaje of Agbelekale land. We debated over it because the money was not going to be enough for the project.
Meanwhile, when GOS issued the cheque, he added that if the community could wait for a year he would build the hospital as it would be included in his constituency’s project but If we cannot wait the cheque is his contribution.
I picked the cheque knowing fully well it won’t be enough but just to update the community. During the debate, some were of the opinion that we should make do with the cheque because you can never trust politicians and that a year is long a period. Some palace chiefs and myself were of the opinion that the cheque be returned while we wait for a year as promised by Senator GOS. I asked if they could trust me because they were not there when I got the cheque which I could have easily diverted.
GOS was suprised seeing me returned the cheque. I told him my people said they did not want the cheque that they prefer he build a health center for us. Lo and behold! The health center was built. A solar powered motorised borehole was added to the health center but due to space, I took it to Baale Anisere to be built in his community serving two streets. Even as we speak, I had built another Borehole there also.
Like Oliver Twist, I approached Senator GOS again, this time for the library. Remember I was not holding any public office. I raised the issue of the library with him, that I’m planning to bring and instill reading culture in the people of Alimosho especially the younger generation. He quickly interrupted and said library ke!
It is expensive oh! But I was able to persuade him based on the political strength of Alimosho and why he should give us the library even it is a mini library. He asked where I want it built and I mentioned Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA. He asked why Agbado -Oke Odo and I jokingly said “Soon you will turn me to Senator of Alimosho.”
He agreed to build it and I flew to Abuja for a follow up. Mind you, constituency projects are not as easy as we thought. It involves so many things amongst which is the land to be used. If you are not fast at securing land for a project it might be moved to another place and money returned to the ministry.
I spoke to my council in chiefs at the palace and they were happy about it and very supportive. Our Baale is well read with good exposure. They gave me a land for the library but unfortunately the day the contractor came to lay the foundation for the library, some people came claiming the land is theirs and the contractor left angrily.
Sola popoola who was to be my political rival, I never saw him as one because he is a young and brilliant guy. So, i do key into his programmes and as he does to mine. I called Sola and told him about the situation and he said, “so you are the one that brought the project” .
He made me understand that there is politics around the land meant for the library but he won’t tell me adding that the issue was discussed at the council’s exco – meeting. I appealed to him that the LCDA must not lose the project and that it is a must we get a land to get it done. It shouldn’t be politicized.
We went to Meiran secondary school, the principal said she cannot on her own approve it but suggested that we contact the deputy governor. I swung into action, drafted a letter and took it GOS to sign and at the same time he should help us call the deputy governor. Summarily, the land was approved and the library was built and equipped with twenty computers with internet.
Unfortunately, I handed it over to the LCDA thinking they would be able to maintain it. Inside the library, we created a newspaper reading section for the elderly who do read papers at vendor stand at twenty naira per copy to also have a place to read for free and even relax. The council could not provide the agreed two copies daily, and there were lots of complaints that the workers there doesn’t come to work on time.
I acted as an undercover for close to a week disguising to get the true picture of things. Sadly, the complaints were true. The workers does resumed at work at past 12 noon on daily basis. Without wasting time, I went to the then commissioner of education that there is a community library I needed to hand over to the State government. She directed me to the Special Adviser on Education. I called him and asked if has a budget ( on running libraries) and addresses of the libraries under him. To cut the long story short, I handed over the library to them and wrote the council to the effect since they cannot run it.
AlimoshoTv: You appears and sounds more like an elitist than a political grass rooter…
AMA: No, I disagree with you. If you are not up there as a leader or a politician, how would you bring development or facilitate people oriented projects to your community ?
Let me tell you something. A bridge on governor road collapsed. If there is a good communication link between the people and those in power ,all things should be done faster. The councilor of the ward should be the first to be contacted alongside the supervisory councilor for works , then the chairman up to the governor but that isn’t the case.
So, as a private citizen, I made contacts and efforts to get this fixed. I contacted the then Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello. Big drainages were constructed to link the area with other LCDAs. Infact the whole of Alausa was brought to my estate but funnily, on the day we were to have meeting with the state officials on the project, the council officials acted as if it was their efforts but I facilitated it. Therefore, how much can one be closer to his people (grassroot). Of a truth, I was the one the people called when the bridge collapsed.
AlimoshoTv: Let’s talk about Alimosho politics. Is there crisis because there are conflicting reports on wether there is or not. How would react to this?
AMA: My brother there is crisis. If anybody tells you there is no crisis the person is not being realistic. There are people agitating. The leaders should call them and ask about their grievances. There is a crisis. For instance, in my LGA, there is a video making the rounds where Mr. Shodiya denied asking people not contest for the chairmanship seat of the LCDA.
But he said it once at LGA meeting and he said it to me personally when I went to meet him to brief him of my intent to contest.
He said it that the seat is meant for Famuyiwa and it is not vacant. But this is what we are saying, their arrogance is too much. How can a supposed father of all talking down his other children. There are ways you talk to people even if you are not going to support them. Everyone as a member of the APC should be treated equally. But if he is coming out today with a glass of beer in his hand saying he never said people should not contest against the incumbent, that is a joke taken too far.
On the issue of G18 formation, it is okay to me because without such a check machinery in place, one drug baron can come tomorrow and hijack the party with money. But denying certain people the right not to contest is bad and is the bane of the crisis.
AlimoshoTv: What are your chances of clinching the party’s ticket?
AMA: My chances are very high. I’m bringing a breath of fresh air to the system. I want to create a good communication system, that is my first agenda. Interactions with the people as well as create a high sense of belonging.
If you fanatically create a clean environment, no one would try to litter the streets with dirt. Sports is a good avenue that would bring the people together. I am a sport person, a table tennis player at that. We should have sporting events periodically. As a Chairman, your office should not be your comfort zone, go out of it, mingle with your people, disguised at times to get their need and make yourself accessible.
AlimoshoTv: You have been asked to step down before if same happens now, what will you do?
AMA: That won’t be easy this time, but if it must happen, there should be a superior arguments. It should not be about imposing a candidate all in the name of satisfying a leader. A level playing field is all that is needed, then, no one would hold grudges.
AlimoshoTv: What can you say about the insecurity happening in the country presently?
AMA: This is emotional to me most especially the fulani issue. I grew up in the north, I can in all sincerity tell you the fulani I know are not violent, they are good people and civil. But those ones causing crisis are not Nigerians.
Having said that, the government hasn’t done enough. With insecurity, businesses won’t succeed. Things need be done urgently because people are leaving the villages for the cities due to the fact that the city is the safe heaven for now but if in few months to come, things are not done rightly, it will go awry even in the city.
AlimoshoTv: Your last word for the people of your local government.
AMA: I’m bringing new ideas to the system. I know how to get things done. The people know what I can do. But to the leaders they should be fair. Now, we are standing to ask questions, no more hiding. No leader should think we will keep quiet this time, no. Let me quickly add this too, people do say Hon.Bisi Yussuf is stingy but immediately we completed the library I called him and it was even once and he supported us with books.
