By Banji Ayoola
The senatorial aspirant into the seat of the Ondo South Senatorial District in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate, on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the forthcoming 2023 elections, Mr. Mathew Oye Oyerinmade, popularly called MATO, has unveiled the motive which propelled him to join the race. He anchored this on his passion to fight for and implement meaningful programmes that adequately address his people’s welfare.
Noting that the overwhelming calls and appeal on him by his people fired his aspiration, he said: “Part of the task I am taking now is to come home to heed the calls of my people who have long before now, been persuading me to come and seek an elective position to compliment what I have been doing for them on my private capacity. As a good listener who is ready to serve his people at any time, I start to engage my family, friends and close associates in my new venture. It was after their positive responses and encouragement that I went deep to meet my people at the grassroots, to meet my party elders, leaders, local government areas executive committee members, past and present political appointees and party faithful in all the wards that made up the Ondo South Senatorial District.”
The quiet, unassuming oil magnate, a successful businessman of international repute and Oke Igbo-born philanthropist, has made immense contributions to poverty alleviation, empowerment and community development programmes across Ondo State.
As an activist, he served in his university days as the Speaker of the Students’ Representative Council of the old Ondo State University, Ado Ekiti now Ekiti State University, a post which exposed him to national politics and the unending transition programme of the then Military President Ibrahim Babangida. He also holds a masters degree in Business Studies and Business Administration of Rivers State University of Science and Technology.
His vibrant, progressive bent led him to embrace Hope 93, the campaign slogan of the flag-bearer of Nigeria’s progressive politics then, the multimillionaire publisher and business megastar, the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. In fact, MATO played a prominent role as a frontline member of the youth wing of the defunct Social Democratic Party, SDP, which worked for Abiola’s emergence and victory at the annulled 1993 presidential election, which he presumably won, following which he was slammed in detention for insisting on his mandate, where he later died in controversial circumstances.
In the following interview, Oyerinmade, who also played a prominent role in the protracted bloody struggle for the revalidation of that election, which was popularly acclaimed by local and international observers as Nigeria’s freest and fairest ever, speaks more about his aspiration, vision, programmes and other issues. Excerpts:
The name Mathew Oyerinmade (MATO) sounds new in the political circle of Ondo State in particular, and Nigeria in general. Could you introduce yourself?
As you may have read in my profile, I have been operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry since my National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) days which I did with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), in Port Harcourt.
However, during my undergraduate studies as a student of the former Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti (OSUA), now Ekiti State University, (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, I was actively involved in students’ union politics where I emerged as the Speaker of Students Representative Council (SRC).
My role as Speaker of SRC of OSUA exposed me to the national politics of that time of military transition programme of former military Head of State, Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Nigerian politics then was coalesced around two political traditions deriving from the country’s pre and post independent periods, the progressive and the conservative.
The military, headed by Gen Babangida created two major political parties; the National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) under which the 1993 Presidential Election was held. My belief in the progressive ideology made me as at that time, to join the youth wing of the SDP where I was later recruited as an advocate for the emergence of the late business mogul, Chief M.K.O Abiola as the Presidential candidate on the platform of SDP in the 1993 Election.
The annulment of that freest and fairest election in the history Nigeria by the Military Government made me to join the struggle for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate. That was the beginning of my political engagement.
At the return to Democratic rule in 1999, I was still in active service of Shell Petroleum, but I passively participated in politics both in my home State of Undo, and Rivers where I worked. I supported my friends who had gone into politics, both morally and financially. And since I retired into private practice, my politician friends and associates have continued to troop into my residence both at home in Oke-Igbo and Port Harcourt, enjoining and persuading me to seek an elective position in the forthcoming National Assembly Election in 2023. I am only heeding their calls to serve my people as their representative in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly.
You will be contesting for a seat in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly in 2023 as a green horn on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State. How do you want to scale through the party primary and go ahead to win the election proper on February 18, 2023?
Part of the task I am taking now is to come home to heed the calls of my people who have long before now, been persuading me to come and seek an elective position to compliment what I have been doing for them on my private capacity. As a good listener who is ready to serve his people at any time, I start to engage my family, friends and close associates in my new venture. It was after their positive responses and encouragement that I went deep to meet my people at the grassroots, to meet my party elders, leaders, local government areas executive committee members, past and present political appointees and party faithful in all the wards that made up the Ondo South Senatorial District.
Like you said, I may be a green horn in the race, but my early entrance into the race, coupled with my pedigree, high standard of patriotism, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, generosity of spirit, loyalty and maturity that I am bringing on board, I can boldly tell you that I stand tall and soar higher and well above my closest rival, in my party, APC or any other political party for that matter.
The acceptance of my aspiration and ambition by party faithful in the Southern Senatorial District within these few months of making my intention public, is massive and overwhelming, even beyond human comprehension. That is why this project is tagged “Iyonu Olorun” (God’s Mercy).
As the 2023 General Election is fast approaching, one of the major concerns of stakeholders and aspirants alike is the amendment to the Electoral Act, especially the direct mode of primary election as earlier suggested by the National Assembly. What’s your reaction to the said amendment?
For me, I believe that the exercise (amendment) is still work in progress, and it also needs the full and genuine contributions of all of us, first as patriotic Nigerians before our political affiliations and interests. From all sides, both the National Assembly and the Governors’ Forum are right within their purview; but we must all allow the overall interest of the Country to guide our deeds but not personal or sectional gains.
In all honesty, those clamouring for the direct mode of primary as the most democratic system of electing party candidates are right in their own right because the system will give power to all card carrying members of a political party to have influence on who is going to emerge on the platform, unlike the indirect mode where only selected and privileged few are to elect the party candidates. But we cannot shy away from the fact that the direct mode will also come with its own difficulties such as huge election budget and authenticity of the membership of the party. We need to take all these into consideration.
The indirect mode, in the interim, can be modified and made to be more transparent, independent and acceptable, thereby, making it difficult to be manipulated and summoned under a Governor’s control. The most important aspect of this is that let all political parties, at their free will, choose the mode of primary election, be it direct, indirect or consensus. Later, when our democracy gets better and stronger, we can then introduce the direct primary as a sole mode.
What are you going to do different if eventually you are elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
My vision, as I have been telling my people, first is to be a voice for the voiceless and a defender of the cause of the less privileged through Legislative Advocacy.
I assure my people of commitment to ensuring that constituency projects and intervention programmes nominated across my Senatorial District are duly executed and delivered according to specifications and within the specified period. I shall prioritise the welfare and well-being of the generality of the people in the Senatorial District, to the extent that a new lease of life which rekindles hope shall replace their present predicament.
The kind of youths and women empowerment initiatives that will be put in place will transcend the traditional way of sharing motor bikes, sewing machines, clippers and the rest to a selected few; but a well researched, formulated and executed policy that will totally eradicate poverty and lift the people into financial independent and breakthrough.
