‘Osun APC needs to put its house in order before poll’

The Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, is a governorship aspirant in Osun State. The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain spoke on his achievements as the chairman of Osun State Investment Company Limited (OSICOL), his manifestos and why the chapter should maintain peace, unity, and harmony ahead of next year’s poll. Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports

You have visited all the local governments in the state ahead of the APC primary. What is your impression?

I’ve moved round the entire local government to consult and I have discovered that there are lot of infrastructural deficits in Osun. And I want to inform our people in Osun that it will be addressed.

I’m overwhelmed and encouraged with the preparation of our people towards taking the government from PDP. I’ve seen that the APC members and supporters have worked so hard with love, wanting my humble self to be the flag bearer, so that we can send the present government packing. We won’t disappoint them. We will work hard to deliver, and by the time our leaders decide on who to run, all the aspirants have agreed that we will join hands together to support whoever our elders pick.

But let me emphasise that as a party, we must present a united front to reclaim our state. We must prioritise party cohesion. The stakeholders must place party unity and electoral success above personal ambitions. A united front is vital for the APC’s electoral success, because elections are won through collective commitment, mutual respect, and shared purpose, not solo efforts.

We must show maturity in diversity. As a party man, I recognise the beauty of diverse aspirations in a democracy. However, there is need for all of us the aspirants to show maturity, respect for party supremacy, and a genuine desire for the progress of Osun. To this end, actions capable of causing fracture within the party must be avoided. We must embrace dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation to resolve disagreements, while resisting provocations, since our ultimate goal is to ensure that the party reclaims the state by next year, In sha Allah.

Ila and Boripe local government areas, where Chief Bisi Akande and Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola hail from respectively, were part of the places you visited last. How were you received there?

My brother, the consultation visits to Ila and Boripe Local Government Areas once again reaffirmed the unity and strength of our great party, the APC. From Ila Orangun to Iragbiji and Iree, the excitement and massive turnout clearly reflect the people’s readiness to restore purposeful leadership back in Osun State.

I am profoundly grateful to our party leaders, elders, and members for the warm reception and unflinching support shown to me and my team. The love and enthusiasm expressed during those visits are not just about politics; they are a reflection of collective faith in a renewed Osun built on competence, integrity, and shared prosperity.

As we visited Ila, the home of our revered father and national leader, Chief Adebisi Akande, whose legacy of principled leadership continues to guide our party, we were reminded of the strong foundation laid by our founding leaders and the need to build upon it with unity and vision.

I deeply appreciate our party leaders from across all the other local government areas of the state for their confidence, steadfastness, and open endorsement. Their unity and encouragement strengthen my resolve to serve with humility, focus, and total commitment to the progress of our dear state, if given the opportunity.

We remain loyal to the leadership and guidance of our father and mentor, the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola. His exemplary leadership continues to inspire our unity and shared commitment to reposition the APC for victory come 2026. I must confess, the overwhelming support witnessed in Ila and Boripe and all the other remaining 28 councils plus the Development Area is another divine confirmation that our mission is people-driven and destined for success. With God on our side and the people standing firm, we will reclaim Osun and return our state to the path of progress, peace, and prosperity.

You served under former Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola. What have been the major achievements?

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I spent over 28years in the banking industry. I have worked as the MD/CEO of the investment arm of the government in Osun State before I became the commissioner. Honestly, I turned the fortunes of OSICOL around when I was there.

In OSICOL I was able to revive that company. when I came on board at that particular year, OSICOL shareholders’ fund was N300million negative and before I left to become the Commissioner of Finance, I increased that to N6billion.Together with other investments, I established a gas station for the company and till today, it is the best in Osun State.

I ventured into property for the state government, we have our property in Ikeja till today. We have almost 32 flats of three bedrooms which I initiated and delivered. We also have another one in Abuja. Also, I delivered the headquarters of Osun State Investment Company. I promoted the establishment of the mall, the only mall that we have today in Osun, I promoted it and delivered it.

How has it been so far at NIWA?

Well, so far so good. The increasing human population across the globe including Nigeria requires leaders with vision to evolve strategies to create avenues for revenue generation to cope with demands for basic necessities of life. For me, I believe the above reason informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to create the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. Mr President realised early enough that the oceans and their resources contribute greatly to global economy and societal development.

Based on the statistic released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the ocean economy contributed 1.5 trillion dollars to the global economy in the past one and a half decades and it is projected to double in another five years. And to pilot the affairs of this new ministry, Mr. President decided to appoint a vibrant and seasoned administrator, in person of my boss and leader, the former Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola to take charge.

Would you say the minister has discharged the responsibility well, so far?

I am not sure I am qualified to score my boss. But if the push, directives and counsels he gives to us as heads of agencies under the ministry are anything to go by, I am confident to say that he has done well. For instance, the first stakeholders’ meeting NIWA had with commissioners of Transportation from the 36 states of the country was the minister’s idea of helping to stem the tide of boat mishaps in the country. In fact, as he was handing my letter of appointment to me two years ago, the first charge was that ‘go and find solutions to boat mishaps.’ I can report to you that we are doing everything within our limit to achieve that goal.

If by your claim, the minister has done so well. How come there’s this perception of him not doing much?

For me, I think it is all politics. For instance, I am aware that the Honourable minister since assuming office has completed most of the projects he inherited from the previous administration and has initiated new ones. The projects that the minister completed are: the Funtua Dry Port, Port Access Roads in Onne and the rehabilitation of some access roads in Tin Can and Apapa ports. In collaboration with the Lagos State Government, an end was put to the multi-billion-naira yearly loss to Lagos ports traffic gridlock on the Tin Can port corridor.

He was in Lokoja to launch the Water Transportation Code after several years of not being able to pull it together. So far, I can confidently say that the minister has improved on what he met on ground. In terms of revenue, he has upped it by over 90 percent. As we speak, there is a reduction in both the vessel and truck turn-around times. It was all these efforts that earned the ministry overall best performing based on the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC). The truth is, the agencies under the ministry cannot be adjudge to be performing and someone will now turn around to say he has not seen what the ministry is doing. Does it add up? The ministry plays a supervisory role and it is the minister that leads the charge.

Talking about NIWA and Transportation code, what are the things you are doing in practical terms to eradicate or reduce to the barest minimum, boat mishaps?

Let me start with the transportation code. It is part of measures put in place by the ministry, through NIWA to significantly standardise water transportation, minimise accidents, and provide a structured environment for potential investors. We have 10, 000km of waterways, out of which 3,000 are navigable seasonally. So, we want to maximise the gains of water transportation, hence, the launching of the code. On the second leg of your question, we have embarked on advocacy on the need for Nigerians to avoid patronising rickety boats, night travels, and ensure they always put on their live jackets before embarking on any journey. Ninety percent of the boat mishaps are caused by human error. I was at a training session with some boat drivers recently and from my interactions with them, I realised that we have a long way to go in this country. Many of them are not only untrained but also get intoxicated in the early hours of the day. This is unacceptable, and we are already working tirelessly to reverse this trend. Thankfully, our advocacy is yielding results. After our distribution of life jackets across the country, passengers now wear their life jackets because we have also engaged Water Marshals that carry out the enforcement.

We have also taking steps towards phasing out substandard wooden boats, and to do that, we have intensified our collaboration with indigenous boat builders to phase out these boats from the system. The initiative is aimed at encouraging the production and use of safer, modern boats that meet global standards. We have visited the various riverine communities to raise awareness about the dangers of using unsafe boats and to promote adherence to safety protocols. However, for us to achieve comprehensive safety and security, let me seize this opportunity to appeal to the National Assembly to help prioritise and pass the Coastal Guards Bill into law. This will equip us with the necessary tools to regulate and secure our waterways effectively. Once that is done, Nigerians will find waterways transportation not only attractive but one which will in turn boost our tourism industry.

How prepared is Osun APC for next year’s governorship race?

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I can conveniently tell you that the people of Osun have tasted the APC government and they are experiencing that of the PDP at the moment, I believe they already know the difference. Under the Oyetola’s administration, where I served as the Commissioner for Finance, our boss championed a course for the development of Osun and better welfare package for workers. The capacity and capability of our boss to bring financial ingenuity and creativity to governance is quite appreciated and even commended by members of the opposition. His Midas touch in administration is top notch and as everyone can see, Osun under our boss, was on the path of resounding economic recovery despite the myriads of financial challenges that we faced at that time.

Our boss did fantastically well, merging and unifying forces together, strengthening the bond of our party, ensuring equitable distribution of political patronage and developmental projects across the State. Look at the Ede to Ejigbo road and Ede to Ara Junction that we constructed, they were in a state of disrepair for several years before our government intervened. We completed, equipped and made functional 332 PHCs, one per ward. The long abandoned Osogbo/Iwo Road also received attention. Road rehabilitation and construction has today made our boss the long-expected governor of the people. Virtually every part of Osun felt the impact of the Oyetola administration. Most of the roads that were built were the roads that had long been abandoned for decades before our administration brought them back to life.

For instance, the people of Asipa/ Yakooyo will not forget in a hurry the Oyetola’s impacts on their lives with the new lease of life given to their road which was abandoned for over four decades. Ditto the long abandoned Kelebe-Iragbiji, the Osogbo-Ilobu and Ada-Igbajo roads. The people of those communities are today enjoying fresh lease of life as a result of the Oyetola administration’s infrastructure renewal. When fuel subsidy was still subsisting, the Oyetola’s administration fed 30, 000 vulnerable Osun citizens. I can go and on. But because it is not time for politics yet, I won’t say much about that.