Hon. Bimbo Daramola is an Ekiti politician. He is also a former legislator in the House of Representatives, who represented Ekiti North Federal Constituency, Ekiti State, South West Nigeria, from 2011 to 2015.
He was born and bred in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State by Francis Adebayo Daramola, a former chairman of Oye Local Government area of Ondo State, out of which Ekiti was carved out in 1996 by the Military Government of late General Sanni Abacha. His mother is late Joan Taiwo Daramola.
Bimbo Daramola has carved a niche for himself in politics. In 1998, he met with a team of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation, which was then responsible for co-ordination of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was contesting for the governorship seat of Lagos State under the platform of Alliance for Democracy, to canvas the use of mobile billboard proposal to the campaign team of then yet to be elected president Olusegun Obasanjo who was the professional aspirant of People’s Democracy Party.
Lately, he has been on social media, TV and radio talking about his plan to contest for the coming governorship elections in Ekiti State.
Three weeks ago, City People’s Senior Reporter, ISAAC ABIMBADE met with him in Lagos and he revealed his ambition on being the next Governor of the State.
Your dream is to become the next Governor of Ekiti State. Tell us some of the things you have been doing lately?
I have not started full blast campaign. What I have done is to sensitize the people to the fact that in the best of times or in the worst of times, Ekiti can be better than the way it is today. I am rest assured about that. At the worst of time, no matter how bad things may go, I am rest assured that we could have a better Ekiti. And that is why I have “A Greater Ekiti Is Possible” as slogan.
You are once a member of House of Reps, but for the benefit of some of our readers, who is Bimbo Daramola?
My name is Bimbo Daramola like you said. I was born in 1967. I went to school, I had first degree in Geology and then went to University of Ilorin for my second degree. I lived the first 23 years of my life in Ekiti State. I was born and raised there. My parents were teachers. So, I am in the position to contextualize the Ekiti when I was born, the Ekiti growing up and then the Ekiti we have today. And I know too well that, there is a disfunction somewhere, there is a link that is falling off. I would expect that, somebody who is intuitive, who is perceptive, who is introspective must come at this point in time to string together our past, connect it with out present, so that we can sharpen our future and that is what we need at this time.
I can tell you that when I was in school, Ekiti State was part of Ondo State at the time, so it was a bigger state and the resources going to the state was lesser than what it is today. You can say money has been devalued and all of that but the truth is that, for the little amount of money that was shared between the present Ekiti State and the then Ondo State, they were able to achieve more in terms of better rating on HDI (Human Development Index). For instance, I went to school. I got free Uniform, free house-wear, I got Modern Biology, Akinsanmi for Agriculture. I got all that for free! And the education we had at that time was very qualitative. It was education that would liberate you. We didn’t just get that title of the state that breed Professors for nothing, we earned it
How did you impact the lives of people when you were still in the House of Rep?
By the grace of God, I can challenge everybody to go and look at my records. For instance, let me just give you a synoptic overview, No 1, we got 64 people jobs in different organizations. We empowered so many people I can’t count, we gave Laptops to more than 200 people. I don’t want to talk about the number of people we assisted by giving them cars. Not only that, at the end of my tenure I built a 32 bed hospital, AmericaN Standard. I didn’t only build I also equipped it. I dare anybody to point anybody who have done that in the history of political of the state and I say that very respectifully and very humbly. And those are not my jobs, those are not the things I should be doing. But I must also tell you that I have moved over 40 motions and I raised about 4 bills and I supported several.
What are your plans for an average Ekiti man, interms of job creation, putting food on their tables and how do you want to make life better in general?
I expect you would have seen it. I have 5 steps to recovery and restoration and it models after Ekiti, which is, for Empowerment, K for knowledge driven economy, I for Infrastructural development, T for Tourism Development and I for Industrialisation.
2.3 million people look up to Abuja for 1.5 billion naira for their means of survival. Until we begin to introduce fresh dynamics, that ensure people can earn income via enterprise and commerce, that state would not go beyond what it is today and they will continually remain in a situation where they will remain vulnerable.
A hungry man is one of the most vulnerable people on the planet. So, you must ensure a different economic dynamic that will ensure people can create wealth. The primary purpose of government is to ensure wealth is created and when wealth is created, people can take advantage and take out of the cake. I have told you two of the things. I will do within 90 days, one of them is to focus on the diaspora Ekiti. I was in the house of representative committee on diapora, we have Nigerians in the most American States, from Medical Doctors, to Nurses. Imagine a Scenario or a system you have in place that ensures that these people by Mortgage, by attracting them by saying we will put guarantee behind you by owning your own houses in home land, send 5 thousand dollars in a year or 10 thousand dollars, it depends on the types of house. Multiply 5 thousand dollars with 5 thousand Ekiti people there.
Through that alone I would generate within 90 days of being the governor of Ekiti 5 billion ‘Fresh’ fund into that economy and that is the amount you will probably get in 3 months from Abuja. I would also have industrial park and then create system that would ensure people can transfer knowledge.
People are creating wealth in most dynamics manner now by as a function of knowledge. People are doing things very differently now. Another basic thing in Ekiti, all our produce from the farm perish on the floor. the lifespan is one day. This is the Chain; the farmers go to the farm, bring the oranges, bring all kinds of farms produce and give them to the woman who sells by the side of the road, the element begins to hit on those things, the sun, the rain and before evening time, most of them will perish. So, I have proposed and I have put that on facebook that integrated Farmers market. I want to systemize farmers market in such away that if you are going by Ekiti you would have a customer that you can call in advance and tell him I need I gram of oranges. It would be a structured market. By time I structuralise that market it becomes another business entity. All of these things we have to do but it would demand a governor who understands that need of people. So, I’m going to revisit what is in the hand of Ekiti. God did not create anyman to be useless. What you need in time is a thinking governor. And we should focus on education we are known for. Do you imagine what we can make from training. If we decided to focus on IT in Ekiti State, we would make a lot from it. I have pointed out 4 things now that I plan to do and that’s to tell you I’m prepared for this job and I have said it is my promise. I put my hand on my chest, if in two years I don’t point Ekiti in the direction of growth and development I will resign. I swear to Almighty God I will give their job back to them. I told you that even at the worst time Ekiti can be better than what it is.
We heard that the Governor Ayodele Fayose would like to install his deputy as a successor. What do you think about this?
I won’t be able to speak on who Ayodele Fayose would field as a successor. I’m not privy to his mind but he would also have to understand and connect to that reality that Eleka is not Fayose, no matter what he does.
Eleka has not had any brand status that Ekiti people can say we are voting this man.
What can you say about Governor Ayodele Fayose?
He’s a very energetic man. People should also know this, because we have different political philosophy, I will not be saying he’s not this or that. I disagree with him on some of the things that he feels work for him. So long as it works for him he has to do it. Even though I may not agree with him but Ayodele Fayose as a man is an energetic man, a focused man. And we should not forget that there is an Ekiti spirit in him as well.
Are you comfortable with your party (APC)?
Absolutely! There is no alternative to APC, and I dare anybody to say his party is alternative to APC.
Talking about the zoning of Governor in Ekiti State, a lot of people are saying South should produce the next governor, what do you have to say to this?
Have heard it before and I have said my opinion about that if zoning is about justice and fairness, I will support it 100 percent. How come the issue of zoning comes up everytime there is election. That is no 1. No 2, with the challenges that we face today in Ekiti, you will need more than the credentials of where you are from, your place of extraction to be a good governor zoning cannot make you a good governor, you will need more credential that will tell us I have done this before. You can say the only credential you are parading is your place of extraction. I would have also respected zoning if we have had Southern economic summit. Tell me one election that has been conducted and that zone did not field a candidate?
If you fielded a candidate in an election , that means you have subscribed to the principle of that election. So, if you lost that election you have partaken in that election. It would have also made sense to me that, I’m from the South but beyond that, I’m also good enough to run on the basis of what I have done before. And guess what? Zoning has a potential to divide us, Ekiti State is the only homogenous state in the entire country. Ekiti state is the only state where from Omuo to Ishe will speak the same tongue.
We love that state. “Awa Omo Ekiti”, we are one. We love the state. Our forefathers have conquered division a long time ago when they named us.
