INTERVIEW: Parts Of my Agenda If Elected As A Legislator Are To Ensure Full Council Autonomy, Reversal Of Chieftaincy Laws And to Deliver Quality Representation -Prince Oyefusi, ADC Assembly Candidate
Prince (Hon.) Kehinde Gbadebowale Muhyideen Oyefusi, is the son of late Ayangbure of Ikorodu Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oba Salaudeen Afolabi Adekoya Oyefusi, CON, who reigned between 1971 and 2014. A Prince of Ikorodu, healthcare professional, administrator, and security expert, Hon. Oyefusi has offered himself to represent the people of Ikorodu Constituency I on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The Prince of Ikorodu Kingdom, who is vastly experienced in both the public and private sectors, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Philosophy from the University of Lagos. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Criminology; Certificate in Public Health and a Certification in Forensic Analysis and Data Processing from CCN Forensic Ltd.
Hon. Oyefusi was born on 4th April 1971 into the illustrious Rademo royal family of the late Oba Salaudeen Afolabi Adekoya Oyefusi (CON), the revered Ayangbure of Ikorodu Kingdom, who reigned with remarkable discipline and dignity for over 44 years and transformed Ikorodu through visionary leadership, peace, and development.
The ADC candidate for the 2027 LSHA elections joined the Lagos State Government as an Administrative Officer in the Ministry of Health, in the Directorate of Finance and Administration. Through dedication and hard work, he progressed from Grade Level 8 to Grade Level 9 before leaving public service in 2005. Following his relocation to the United Kingdom he built an extensive career spanning over a decade within the National Health Service (NHS), gaining valuable experience in healthcare operations, administration, security management, public engagement, and community service. Beyond his professional career, Prince Kehinde is the Chief Executive Officer of Duke and Crown Solutions, a company involved in property development, project management, and business consultancy. He is also involved actively in charitable and humanitarian activities aimed at empowering youths, supporting vulnerable individuals, and promoting community development.
In this interview with Kunle Adelabu, the Publisher/Reporter -in -Chief, THE IMPACT newspaper and Oyewumi Adebisi, a trainee, Prince Oyefusi bore his mind on his failed attempt to join the APC, why he joined the ADC, agenda if elected and his request made to Ikorodu residents among others. Excerpts:
THE IMPACT: For the purpose of record, your name, the position you are vying for and on what party platform?
Prince Oyefusi: Good afternoon. My name is Prince Kehinde Gbadebowale Oyefusi. I am the candidate of the ADC and I am contesting for the House of Assembly, Ikorodu Constituency 1.
THE IMPACT: Well, I want to thank you for this session. Through your late father, Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi, the former Ayangbure of Ikorodu, your name is definitely a known name any time, any day it is mentioned and the public will be expecting you to be with the ruling party due to the nature of politics around here, but you are in the opposition. Let me ask, why are you involved in partisan politics and what do you intend to achieve with it? .
Prince Oyefusi: First of all, I would like to tell you my background. I am the son of late Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Salaudeen Afolabi Adekoya Oyefusi (Oguntade II) and, I grew up in Ikorodu, lived in the old palace with my father and attended my primary school in Lagos State.
I attended Mate Nursery and Primary School. I left there, and went to Mayflower School for my Junior and secondary school. After that, I went to UNILAG, University of Lagos, studied Political Philosophy, graduated, and did my NYSC. Thereafter, I got a job with the Lagos State Government, Alausa. I worked in the Ministry of Health from 1999 to about 2005- 2006 when Dr Leke Pitan was the Commissioner, My Permanent Secretary then, was Mr Dele Idris. I went to the United Kingdom in 2005, and did my Masters in Criminology, and worked for some time with the NHS. I was there for over 10 years.
I decided to come back home after the demise of my father because I know he has a lot of legacy that we must sustain. He contributed a lot to Ikorodu and I feel we can build on that and that is my reason for coming home so that the name and the legacy will live on. Therefore, I have been talking to ADC for a while getting to know them; what the party is all about and who and who are within the party. But while in London, I was with Baba (late Oba Oyefusi) before he passed on in London and I have the privilege to meet Asiwaju Tinubu then. Baba introduced me to Asiwaju then, saying this is my son, he wants to go into politics and I was introduced to him. He gave me his number, and email address for me to contact him whenever I come to Nigeria. When I got back to Nigeria after Baba passed away, I tried seeing him at Bourdillon, but unfortunately, it was difficult because he was not always around.
To be honest, I was actually interested in joining the APC then, because I thought it was the ruling party in Lagos, and after I was unable to see Asiwaju Tinubu, I started talking to ADC, after I even tried to get across to him through some contacts including Hon. Babajimi Benson. So, it was after that time I started talking to ADC because I have an interest in politics. At first, I was being careful but when I saw and spoke to the ADC LGA chairman, I felt that he is a sensible man. He speaks sense to me and I noticed the party was a good one to join. I know people are going to criticise me for going to ADC but I never mind and I wouldn’t mind joining the opposition because I had tried reaching out to the ruling party. After I joined the party, I was asked what my intention was then, but my response was that I was watching how political events are unfolding and when it was getting to the primary elections, I resolved that it was the time to declare myself. I went into the primaries and I got the ticket for the House of Assembly Constituency 1. That was how the political journey started. Since then, I have gotten a lot of messages from people that know Baba very well with positive responses from them. That means that the name speaks for itself and that is why I always have “The name speaks for itself” on my campaign posters.
Although, people have been asking me why I joined ADC and my response has always been ‘we will make good use of the opposition platform to impact on our people and sustain our own legacy since APC is not ready for us.’ Most of those representing Ikorodu and others that had represented Baba’s products including Jimi Benson, Abike Dabiri, among others are part of Baba’s products in politics today. That was why Jimi was the first point of contact for me. But I have started getting calls after my campaign was launched with banners and other publicity, with people asking me why ADC? But they should leave me alone and let me be on my own. I was ready for them but they were not ready for me and seeing the representative that the other party gave us in Ikorodu which is Ogunleye (Hon. Gbolahan Ogunleye), I know that he was not the people’s choice due to what he has done in the House of Assembly. Also, looking at Bolowotan (Prince Oluwatoyin Gafaar), the APC candidate for Ikorodu Constituency I, who aspired against the incumbent and won his party’s ticket, I knew that he is not going to be a contender.I feel that this is the right time for me. I just feel this is the right time to go into it as an opposition figure. That was what prompted me into ADC, and I think it’s an advantage for me right now because there is so much talk about it. Moreover, there’s fight going on between Bolowotan and Ogunleye’s group and other problems facing them aftermath their party’s primary. I will be the one to settle their scores at the end of the day. I feel it’s the right time to do that.
I am not in the game to play. I came out purposely to win the elections. The name is already known and people have been identifying with me. With this, I have about 50% advantage over any opponent because of that name, which is a privilege to me. That is why I am into the game and ADC is the party for me now.
THE IMPACT: Now, looking at the incumbent as an opposition figure vying to occupy the Ikorodu Constituency I seat, how would you rate Honorable Gbolahan Ogunleye’s performance and also, what do you intend doing better in terms of representation, and law making?
Prince Oyefusi: I would like to say one thing concerning Jimi (Rep. Babajimi Benson). Everybody sees what Jimi has been doing and I can’t deny that he has been doing a good job. There are some people that have been there for years that have never done what he’s done and that is why I think that the APC is bringing him out for the fourth term, because they believe that he’s a candidate that can win for them. But the same thing does not apply to Gbolahan Ogunleye and what I have heard about Gbolahan is like he; has not done anything visible for people. It was laughable when I was reading what he has done like I paid for this and paid for that. So, that to me is not it at all. What is the legislative thing that you have done in the House of Assembly? So, to rate him, he’s below five. I wouldn’t want to go down more than that, because and sincerely, he is below par.
To answer you, my own aspiration in going to the House of Assembly is to change some legislation. We are going to reverse most of the rules on local government. Local government autonomy is very important to me. The state is getting all the revenues the local government is supposed to have. When you want to talk about the billboards, the local government under the constitution is supposed to oversee it. There are some functions and duties assigned to the councils like primary health care, education board, all these are under local government. Also, market, abattoir, are areas that local governments are supposed to generate revenue from. As provided for by the constitution, these are not responsibilities of the state government but they took them away from the local government. Therefore one of my legislative agenda is to reverse those laws and ensure that local governments are truly autonomous. With this, local governments can generate their own funds, earn their own money, and there will be enough for them to spend and fix areas that they are most needed.
Another thing that I will be focusing on is women empowerment. This is personal to me. It’s going to be my own personal project. There will also be empowerment for youths and scholarship schemes for those in need. My late father did a lot in this regard and in other areas and this is what I want to sustain. I will also increase the salaries of the Baales and Obas. If the local government controls what is due to them they would have more money through revenues and they can also increase workers’ salaries. So, legislation, representation and oversight duties will be my priority. If I make sure that the money gets directly to the council, I will also ensure that they are being used where the people really need them. Monies are going to be appropriated properly to the areas that are needed. That constitutes most of my agenda.
Also, it is worrisome that most of the Obas and Baales are living in fear. This is what I have observed. They don’t have their own freewill to do anything. In my legislative programme, I will sponsor a law that regulates the removal of an Oba. The law will make it impossible for the government to remove any Oba no matter what. The state government will not have power to remove any Oba or Baale. It is because of the control that the state government has over them that is creating the fear and they cannot take decisions from their own freewill, especially to declare for another party or support a candidate from another party except that of the ruling party. If such a law is in place, it will be difficult for the governor to remove any Oba and if there is any reason to sanction any Oba, the matter has to go back to Osugbo, which will have the power to sanction the Oba. We are going to return power back to the Obas. They will have free will and they can’t be under anybody. They are the supreme leaders. They are supposed to be high above. How will an Oba be seconded to a local government chairman? It’s not supposed to be that way. All those things are going to be changed. If I am elected by the grace of God, I will move forward with these legislations.
THE IMPACT: I know that you are aware that the council autonomy is also core of President Tinubu’s agenda. So does that mean you aligned yourself with his agenda?
Prince Oyefusi: He is not pursuing that agenda properly. It is just on paper and he is not pursuing it in the way and manner he should have. I am saying this because most LAWMA, Abattoir, LASAA among others are supposed to be under the local government administration but they are not. Their money is going to the state. In practice, he is not implementing the agenda.
THE IMPACT: Let me ask you this, is there any of your agenda being informed by your background in health and security which are two important issues? Are you looking forward to changing anything in mthese areas?
Prince Oyefusi: I talked about primary health care. I have worked with the NHS for 10 to 15 years. I know how it works. The local area you stay in, there should be primary health care in each of the wards. Not everybody runs into the general hospital. Primary health care must be in every ward that everybody within that area will go to check themselves up and not everybody that is having a headache will go to the general hospital.
THE IMPACT: But we have these in many of the wards but the challenge is their functionality. They are not well equipped save for a few of them and they are not operating 24hours to serve the people…(cuts in)
Prince Oyefusi: That’s why I am saying the local government must be autonomous. If they are generating their funds directly the way they are supposed they will have enough to fund the PHCs, but what we are having are as results of the peanuts that they have been given by the state government. Ikorodu has the largest industrial area and I can tell you if the council is allowed to run properly, Ikorodu will be generating billions and with this, they can provide adequate PHCs in every ward and this will reduce the pressure on the General Hospital. People with primary or minor health issues can get adequate treatment at the PHC close to them. That is what primary health care is all about. People that need to be given Panadol, or any other small medication will be given and then they will go back to their homes. Through this, the government will have an idea of the number of people residing in a particular location and make adequate provision for them. This is because the operation will be computerised. We know each other like it is operating in the U.K. Once you input your name in an electronic device, it will tell you where you are supposed to be. You will not be going to the General Hospital in Ijede when you are supposed to be at Itamaga primary health centre. All these can only be made possible when they are generating funds for themselves. That is when they can take care of themselves and the people. So, for over 20 years of APC government in Lagos State, the state has been responsible for the revenues of the local government.
As I was saying, since everything will be computerised at the PHCs, they know this is where you were born; the area you grew up; where you are living and your address as well. They can easily trace you if anything happens. It’s intertwined with the security issue that you raised. If you are searching for somebody and you know the location where the person is living, it’s for you to get the records from the area and the best place to do that is the hospital. Once you can establish the last time he visited the hospital you can easily determine that he’s not far away from that location. It’s not magic or rocket science. When your details are on the database you can easily be traced. Even the bank card we use will tell you where you spent your money; where you collected money last; and at which shop you spent money last.
All these are part of the security issues that we will use legislation to address. This makes it easy for the police to do their job. I worked in the hospital in London and anytime the police personnel need information they contact the hospital sometimes for details. Once they type anyone’s details into the system, they will know the last time he checked. Still on security, every state must have their own police. Like the state police. London has state police. We have metropolitan police in London. In Kent, where I stayed, there’s Kent police. So, there are so many things that go on with primary health care, security and registration, once they are computerised.
THE IMPACT: Still on your agenda, you mentioned that you are going to promulgate law that will enforce local government authority to the fullest. But sir, there are concerns among people that even with the money that local governments are getting now, there’s no proper accountability. Gone are the days when we used to have local governments publishing the amount they are getting from FAAC, IGR, and publishing their IGR, and the allocation from the Federal. Gone are the days when we saw local government advertising whenever they wanted to do a new contract. Hardly do you even know their budget. As a legislator, how do you intend to institute accountability and transparency to make local governments be more accountable for the money that they are getting?
Prince Oyefusi: You see, that problem is from the state. Why I say it’s from the state is that the state is less concerned with what the local government is doing because they believe when they give them money, you can use the money for anything. Priorities should be taken care of. Like in my constituency now, what I intend doing is to identify priorities in all the areas. Some of them have been telling me that they need light because they have not had that for about two years and they have been contributing. In this type of area, a transformer has to be provided. Those areas of needs are to be identified and focused on. That is when appropriation comes in and you allocate money where they are needed. Accountability issues start from the leader. The leader or the chairman of each local government is held responsible for what is happening within their council. Recently, I can see the local government buying Jeep for the Councilors, whereas, they can buy something just for them to come to work with, less than what they have bought and distributed. When you buy the types of jeeps that were bought, it means that all the problems have been solved, unfortunately, there are still many problems to be solved. There is no light; many communities and Councilors in these areas are supposed to represent their people by taking their needs to the council and ensuring that they are met. Whenever money is appropriated for anything the chairman has to make sure that the job is done. But the issue is always that and norm is usually when ₦100, 000 is issued for a project, the officer handling it usually pockets ₦50, 000 and use the remaining sum for the job. You are given public money, if it’s 100,000, you put 50,000 in your pocket and the remaining 50,000, you do the job with. No accountability.
THE IMPACT: Don’t you think that there is a need for legislation to make them publish every contract and their allocations?
Prince Oyefusi: That’s where the oversight issue comes in. As a legislator, you have to tell them, okay, let’s go through your books. What have you done with so much money? What job have you done? Who did this job? What was the money allocated to these contractors? Hence, it is through oversight that we ensure that accountability takes place. When that is done, they will know, oh, it seems that this man is serious. So it’s because people are less concerned. Everybody is after what they will eat. That is why you need opposition parties in the House of Assembly. If there is no opposition party in the House of Assembly, anything the ruling party does just goes on.
THE IMPACT: Now, let us look at ADC in Ikorodu. You’ll agree with me that ADC is relatively less popular compared to the ruling party. Now that you are on the ticket, how is the party integrating itself into the system in terms of mobilising the grassroots for the election? And if I may ask, are you going into the March 2027 election just to have your name on the ballot paper, or you are going in to win? If you want to win, how are you mobilising the grassroots?
Prince Oyefusi: Yeah, I would like to say our party, ADC, is a small party. We are just growing and since I have arrived from the U.K., I have visited almost all the 11 wards under my constituency. We have 19 wards, but we have 11 wards under me. I have familiarised with the people on what we call the meet and greet. We visit each of the wards every two weeks, or depending on when the ward is ready for us to visit. I have done that, went to the grassroots, spoken to them as well, and told them the need for them to come out and vote. We have mobilised them and we are still doing that. We have also given our foot soldiers necessary support. Personally, I have done this because we are not getting enough from the party. We are the ones doing it. That is why you see that there is not enough publicity about the party. We are the ones trying to sell the party to the electorate. But with my candidacy, I think it has awakened the opposition party because of that name. So, I am one of the symbols of that party in Ikorodu because of the name alone and the party is happy to have a candidate like me. The possibility is high for the party to win and I have given them my all and I will continue to give them. In actual fact, many from the ruling party are now wooing me over things like what happened at the burial of my uncle, late Adeniyi Ogunsanya, where Jimi, Abiru and others met. They were asking why I went to the opposition party, which shows that they know there is an opposition. And since there is conflict of interests within their party between especially Bolowotan and Ogunleye, they are already feeling what will happen in the next year’s general election, when they will lose the Assembly seat.
I have visited a lot of people and most of them know that my father who was the late King of Ikorodu did very well and a lot for them and even some of them stated that it would be an act of ungratefulness to what Baba did if they did not vote for me. Baba, held Ikorodu in high esteem. Baba placed Ikorodu more important than his sons and daughters in the scheme of things. That is what Ikorodu doesn’t understand. When I was with him during his last days, he would talk about Ikorodu and whenever I asked why, he would always state that Ikorodu was his baby and that he kick started the developments that we are all seeing today. He explained that there is only one vehicle in those days that will take people out in the morning to Lagos and bring them back in the evening. Today, Ikorodu is what it is because of Oba Oyefusi’s leadership and grace of God. So, if elected, I will also not let Ikorodu down and contribute my quota to its further developments.
During his last days, Oba Oyefusi would always call Oba of Lagos and others and ask them to help him take care of Ikorodu. I know how passionate he was for Ikorodu. I will also do everything to make Ikorodu better than what he has left behind. That is the purpose and the drive, because I know how passionate he was about Ikorodu. It is a priority for me. Ikorodu is a priority for me. I will try my best to see to it that we win the election. I have gone around and there have been positive responses so far. So, in 2027, I can boldly say that victory is assured by the grace of God.
THE IMPACT: Lastly, what Is your message to Ikorodu people?
Prince Oyefusi: The message is deep. People always say this everywhere I go that what Ikorodu is today is because of my father and I think that it’s time for Ikorodu to pay back, so that the good work the man left behind will continue and they will enjoy my representation. Ikorodu is in our hearts! We are Ikorodu and anybody coming from outside will not love Ikorodu more than we that were born and bred in Ikorodu. I know that I can recreate my dad for Ikorodu. Therefore, that’s the message for Ikorodu people; to vote for us and continue the legacy of Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi.
THE IMPACT: Thank you for your time.
Prince Oyefusi: Yeah. Thank you.
