Engr. Soliu Adebare Badmos is a scientist and researcher with wealth of experience in different field of endeavour. Call him a politician and astute administrator and you wont be wrong.
In this interview with the News Editor of Sundiata Post, Engr. Soliu narrates how he has been instrumental to the emergence of some political big weights in Oyo State and bares his mind on why he is offering to contest for House of Representative representing Ilero /Kadora constituency at the national Assembly.
Excerpts：
Why did you choose to contest for House of Representatives？
First and foremost, let me give you a little background of my profile and activities in time past.
I was elected commissioner for transport in Ladoke Atintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State while I was at 300 level and was able to resolve the transport issues by recommending to the school management to buy more buses and ensuring that the drivers were trained not to exceed a particular speed limit; an action which eliminated the rate of accidents and deaths involving students plying the Ogbomosho- Oyo road.
The second year, 2001-2002, I was elected Secretary General, Student Union Government (SUG) where together with my team and with the quest to solve accommodation problems facing the students then, we undertook the building of hostels under what is called the “Student Self-help Hostels”. These constructed hostels were commissioned by the then Governor Lam Adesina in company of the speaker of Oyo state House of Assembly and their entourage.
With the standard set through the model of hostel constructed and the statutory amount students rented the hostels, I and my team engaged the landlords who before then have been exploiting the students in form of high rent and got them to reduce the rents charged thus, compelling them to meet up with the standard of the newly constructed hostels. my selfless services and innovations accounted for why I was given an award for meritorious service.
Also as the Sec Gen, I ensured that all workers in the employement list of the secretariat got their salaries paid promptly and when there were vacancies, I did not forget members of my constituency as i had to go back and brought my people and employed them- from the constituency I wants to represent at the National Assembly come 2019.
As a person, I felt fulfilled when my people are satisfied, and that was what accounted for my excitement when i achieved the positive duality of making profit for the student Union and providing the students of Akintola University with affordable hostels at that time.
Done with University education but equipped with both academic prowess as well as students’ Union politics, I joined grassroot politics, having worked closely with then Governor Lam Adesina. I, Engr. Soliu with two other SUG officials formed a political think-tank group called ”Student Action Group” (SAG).
As the overall Coordinator of SAG and young scientist, I deployed the political think-tank and traversed all the local government areas of Oyo state with the Governor Lam; campaigning for him during the electioneering period and was given the opportunity to address the students everywhere they go. My main duty was to let all the students know that there is need to have a good governor to lay a good foundation in view of the fact that the country was just coming out of military rule. Of course his is activities and involvement was part of tge success story of the then governor.
Thereafter, the incumbent governor, Governor Ajumobi, who was then a serving senator, sent for me- the master strategist, and coopted me to come and exhibit what I did for the immediate past governor.
According to him, Ajumobi was not just a candidate, but one who was coming to offer from his wealth of experience having attained the pinnacle of his carrier as MD of Mobil.
I, Engr. Soliu joined Ajumobi and did everything within my little ambit to support him to ensure that his dream materialized. Today he is our governor, and I still say it that he happened to be the luckiest among all that have governed the state being the first to have won second term in the history of Oyo State, he added.
So we did that for our people to know that we are not doing all of these not because of any special interest but rather to bring real development to our people. I was later elected a senior member as justice in the judiciary of Ladoke Atintola University of Technology, Oyo State, Ibadan
Immediately Ajumobi got re-elected, I left the podium- the political space in Oyo state and relocated back to Abuja, he said.
“I joined civil service and you know when you are an activist, the trait is inbuilt, so wherever you find yourself it will show and people will identify that based on you actions””.
Engr. Soliu Adebara Badmos was not only fantastic in his days at Akintola University and in political mobilization, he has also continued in the same direction in the civil service.
Shortly after he joined the federal civil service, precisely ministry of science and technology, within the space of eight years, he was promoted and posted to head the renewable energy section having been mentored and exposed to the rudiments of research by his senior colleague.
As a civil servant, he led delegates of researchers to different countries like; South Africa, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. He instituted Ogbomosho pilot plant on ethanol.
The pilot scheme took place in Ogbomosho where he represented the Federal Government. The plant was installed and commissioned to produce 1000 gallons of ethanol on daily basis. He recalled that President Buhari has commissioned another ethanol plant in Akure to produce 4,000 litres per day and commended the president’s effort.
On why he wants to abandon research experience for politics, he said as a core scientist and researcher, he has identified some lapses and will deploy his experiences to solve the problems facing his state.
According to him, you must have heard the output of Ogbomosho. But we have a constraint. The plant in Ogbomosho has been shut down for almost a years. Reason being that the particular chemical called incile normally imported from Netherland are no longer imported. This was affected by the stoppage of importation of some items by the government. This incile has been a major constraint, we have to engage researchers that can produce this for us using local content. We will get these researchers to get these things going.
Nigeria politics needs scientist for scientific solution. Example, ‘If we solve the problem of power today, some other problems will naturally phase out.
According to him, “My going to House of Representatives is beyond politics, as a scientist and as an experienced civil servant. Failure of the past leaders have gotten negative impact on our people and we need to re-orientate them.
Failure of the past leaders has instilled negative impact on our people and we need to re-orientate them.
U hope you have heard that Oke Ogun Constituency is the food basket of Oyo state, but with no university, no government presence. They brought School of Nurse to us, our people were made to contribute to build it, definitely they will contribute to pay the teacher’s salary.
This is exactly what i want to bring to our people. They have gotten education, they need employment. Do you know that only about 3% are employed, but mark my words, before the expiration of four years, we would have resolved 50% unemployment problems.
We will ensure Federal Government presence. And we will ensure the development of our natural endowment which is farming.
There will be massive plantation of cassava. On how to achieve all this he said：as a former Assistant Director, in the Federal Civil service, I have interfaced with national assembly, I have defended budget, so as an experienced man, I know where everybody fits in by their background.
In conclusion, Engr Soliu Badmos proposed a debate for all contestant- a forum where all the contestants for the House of Representatives will come and tell the people his pedigree, what he or she tends to achieve and how to achieve same.
In his view, he feels that before people should aspire to contest for House of Represntatives, such persons must have civil service background. He said it is key to knowing the working of implementation of projects captured in the budget and how to implement it.
