Buhari should grant Kanu, Igboho state pardon, Lagos Lawmaker, Abdulsobur Olawale

Hon. Abdulsobur Olayiwola Olawale, representing Mushin Constituency 2 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, has thrown his weight behind the planned peace walk by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

In this interview Olawale aka Omotiti, also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and the Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho amongst other issues.

Local government chairmen in Lagos State took over in July 2021, what is your assessment about them as Chairman of House Committee on Local Government and Community Affairs, though you have not done visitations to the councils?

If we have not done visitations to the councils like we did in March or April, we can see that the new chairmen have done well. We go through the roads and we see what they have done. Passing through Itire to Mushin to Isolo and passing through some roads in Ogudu area in Kosofe Local Government as well as Ogo Oluwa off Boladale Street in Oshodi, one could see that these chairmen have tried. All the nooks and crannies of Lagos State are being tarred by the council chairmen. They have one or two things to showcase for their 100 days in office and this is a good omen for our local administration. 

The issue of funding is one of the major problems in the councils, how are you solving this?

There is no fund that would solve all the gigantic projects that they have before them. What I will advise is that they should use what they have judiciously. They need to look inwards, their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) should be totally harnessed and they should make sure that they use it judiciously. We could see that they are using the little amount of money they have very well for the development of their local governments.

As a lawmaker, people look forward to you, so in what ways have you been able to touch their lives?

I have been with my people since 2002, when I was not even a lawmaker. That was when I established a computer institute. I had that foresight that a time was coming that computer would be the major thing and the mission and vision that I had then have come to pass.  You can see that the world has become a global village and whatever we do in Mushin could be showcased outside the area. Same goes for whatever happens in London, Europe, America and in other parts of the world, you can see them within the four walls of your homes. It has been my plan to assist the poor and indigent members of the public educationally. That was why I buy uniforms for students. I did that for many schools in Mushin. We have buses that convey students to and fro their schools free of charge from Monday to Friday. Educationally, we support our pupils with scholarship awards. We give out GCE and JAMB forms. Every year, it has always been our mission to help students. 

When we talk of empowering the people, we empower a lot of them. Recently, we taught our people how to tie "gele" and we empowered them with the tools that they needed and they ply their trades with that. We give N5,000 each to 125 people in our Constituency. It might be small, but it is something for them. We indentify with the needles and we make sure that we join hands with our leaders to ensure that we have enough security. We ensure that our youths are properly guided and it has been working. We have done many things for our constituents and they are appreciative of the fact that they have a responsible, responsive and a reliable representation in the assembly.

I usually attend plenaries and I contribute positively to issues and we perform our oversight functions regularly.

How will you rate our legislature on their relationship with the executive for the development of the country as many people feel that they are not doing much?

For those who know they will know that the executive cannot work without the legislators, we are the ones that legislate and we work on bills because before bills become laws, they have to pass through us. We use our acumen to ensure that whatever we pass to the executive would be of benefit to the people of the state. You can see that the bill on kidnapping that we passed into law has reduced kidnapping in the state. When you talk of kidnapping in Ikorodu and Epe, it is working for it as well as other bills that we pass. We work with the laid down principles and the laws that guide the assembly. We have not been going out of our ways to trample on the rights of the executive and they also work together with us. That is not to say that we are rubber stamp. But without the legislators the executive cannot stand. For instance, the budget that they brought we are the ones that would give them the go-ahead to spend the money. The executive cannot work without our inputs.

What is your view about the planned walk for peace by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State after the report of the EndSARS panel as some people condemn it, while some support it?

Personally, anything that would bring peaceful coexistence among Lagosians would have my support. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has really been trying. If after the EndSARS and the reports of the panel the Governor decided to stage a peace walk, every right thinking Lagosian should support him. I am assuring the Governor that I support him on that.

Arewa Consultative Forum said that the presidency cannot release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, what is your view on this and the call for his release and that of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho by the Igbos and Yorubas?

We cannot attack issue the way it happens. There is no way we would not look for solutions when there is problem. The Federal Government would be looking at it constitutionally that what they have done is bad. At the same time, we need to know that these people are representing certain interests, the President, as the father of the nation, should just show that fatherly love and release them. We know that what they have done is bad, whoever rises against the state has done a bad thing, but as the father of the nation he should just forget what they have done. There is nothing bad if the country gives them state pardon so that we can move forward. Time has come for all hands to be on deck for us to move forward. We need to key into what the president has been doing.

If you have more power what will you do for your people?

I pray that God should give us the grace to be secured and if we are secured we will be prosperous.