Kudos to a hardworking lagosian who turns 55- Femi Pedro. although he has his differences with Tinubu and his cohorts, he continues to maintain  a cordial relationship with Fashola and his administration. here is his interview from the newspapers today:



http://www.compassnews.net/Ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39685:otunba-femi-pedro-at-55-i-am-fulfilled&catid=36:news&Itemid=702



Otunba Olufemi Pedro is truly a success story. At 55, he has left an indelible mark in the sand of time. As a banker, he rose to the pinnacle of his career by becoming the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a first generation bank. When he found himself in the stormy water

of politics as Deputy Governor in Lagos State between 2002 and 2007, he also made an impact. As he marks his 55th birthday today, he speaks with MUYIWA OYINLOLA, Head, Political Desk, about his life and times, concluding that he is fulfilled.

How have you been able to maintain this youthful look at 55?
I thank God for his blessings.  By nature we maintain youthful look in my family.  I think it is in our genes.  All my siblings look a lot younger than their ages and we take after our late mum.  In addition, I maintain a strict personal self discipline by not indulging in high risk and stressful lifestyle.  I live a very simple life and stay healthy at all times.  I exercise regularly, play golf thrice a week, and have been blessed with a great family

More than two years after leaving office as Deputy Governor, how is life after office?
Life has been quite wonderful. There is a sense of relief I feel that cannot be described with words. This was neither by design nor by choice, as it was my ambition at the time to become the Governor of Lagos State. God, in His infinite wisdom and merciful ways decided it was not meant to be, but I am eternally grateful to Him for giving me the strength and fortitude to be able to shift my focus to new areas- which I have embraced wholeheartedly and enjoyed tremendously.

What were the high points of your tenure in office?
The first high point that springs to mind is the day I was sworn-in as Deputy Governor of Lagos. Indeed, serving the people of Lagos for over 4 years was a fantastic experience, and I was fortunate enough to have been guided and protected by God throughout my tenure in office.  The  second was the day we won the election in April, 2003 when all other AD governors lost.  Before the election, I prayed and fasted and got a promise from God.  He assured me that He didn’t pull me out of my lucrative career in banking only for me to serve for 4 months as the Deputy Governor.  He had a greater purpose for me.  God fulfilled His promise and we were re-elected.  Third was when I began to witness the positive results of some of the initiatives I introduced in office.  I worked with the then Commissioner for Environment-Tunji Bello, to introduce and successfully implement the PSP and waste management model which has resulted in the cleaner Lagos we are witnessing today.  I visited Brazil with some cabinet members to study and understand the novel metropolitan bus transport system which resulted in the birth of the BRT.  The buses started arriving before we left office.  I visited Egypt to raise funds from the Afrexim Bank based in Cairo to purchase the red Marcopolo buses plying our roads today.  Indeed I came up with the name LAGBUS and with the support of my staff, set up the structure in which the BRT is built upon today.

I was appointed chairman of Lagos State Revenue Mobilization committee under which the Board of Inland Revenue, the Land Use Allocation Committee, and other revenue generating agencies reported. We embarked on an aggressive revenue drive, restructured, reorganized and re engineered the Board of Inland Revenue, plugged many loopholes and eventually, the result started to show.  We increased IGR from about N600 million to over N6 billion before I left office.  It is this legacy and structure that the present governor is building on.  I thank God that I was able to contribute my own quota to the development of our state during the time I served as the Deputy Governor.

With the benefit of hindsight, would you say you were more fulfilled as a banker than a politician or vice versa?
I got great fulfillment from both. Banking was my chosen career. I obtained the professional qualification and became a Fellow. I rose through the rank for 20 years to become MD/CEO. I served meritoriously and left with unblemished record. I was very fulfilled.  Politics came by accident but I took up the challenge, fulfilled most of my aspirations and expectations (except becoming Governor).

Politicians have over time been blamed for the corruption in the system, but judging from the recent revelations in the banking sector, would you say your former colleagues in the sector have disappointed the nation?
Corruption has always been the major cause of our underdevelopment, wide spread poverty and all ills that are bedeviling our nation.  The problem has permeated every facet of our life, our economy and entire fabric of our society.  It is not limited to politicians and public officers.  However, corruption in public sector has hurt us the most because we are in many ways attached to government and government officials.  .

However, the revelations about the banking sector are mind-boggling and a serious cause for concern. The magnitude of the reported infractions is shocking and unimaginable. Hardworking Nigerians far and wide struggle to keep up with the financial challenges they have to face on a daily basis, so you tremble when you hear figures in the billions being amassed for personal gain. Like every other concerned Nigerian citizen, my hope is that the judicial system will bring those responsible for the abuse of the banking system to justice in a timely fashion.

How do you think we can get rid of corruption in the country?
My prognosis for battling corruption is too detailed to fit into this interview. Let me say however, that the most destructive aspects of corruption are political corruption, corruption in politics, and the politics of corruption. These three aspects are the most serious and any attempt to solve this problem should start from here. I will explain this in more detail during our next interview session.

You strived to govern this state in 2007 but failed, are you satisfied with the performance of the ruling Action Congress (AC) in the state? And what are some of those things you would have wished Lagosians benefit from this government that they are not benefitting?
What I am about to say about the ruling AC government should be seen as constructive. As a citizen of Lagos, I have a stake in the affairs of the state. Furthermore, as part and parcel of the previous administration, I have a long-standing working relationship with the personnel in this current administration- many of whom were in office during my tenure, and most of whom I still consider friends and brothers, notwithstanding our political differences and affiliations. Having said this, I believe I am in a vantage position to commend and critique the present government.

The ruling AC government is an extension of the last administration which I was part of.  Some of the blueprints and programs designed and planned by us are being implemented by this government. Some are being implemented with speed, efficiently and effectively to the admiration of Lagosians. These include rehabilitation of some high profile and visible roads, beautification of some public and highly visible areas, improvements in public transportation via the BRT, the clearing of Oshodi and some other hot spots and improvements in revenue generation capacity.  I commend the Governor and the government for these.

However, in my view, there is room for improvement. The administration has had very little impact on the lives of average lagosians in the overall context of development and improving the living condition of majority of the people.  The critical elements to rate this government is the state’s Human Development Index (HDI). Some people might say yes; they have rehabilitated some roads, yes; they are cleaning up and planting flowers, yes; there are some visible improvements in many parts of Lagos.  But the more relevant questions are:  Has my quality of life improved since this administration came in? Has this government impacted positively on my life in the areas of poverty reduction, decent housing and sanitation system, quality education for my children, good roads in and around where I live or work, good health care system, among others.  During the eight years of the last administration (in which I served for four and a half years), I realised that in spite of huge capital expenditure on infrastructures, and the genuine intentions of our administration, the impact of our programs on the poor and low income was minimal.  This was what had driven me to contest for the governorship in my desire to improve on these parameters for the majority of the people.

This present administration at almost three years in office has not impacted much on the poor because it has adopted the same policies and programs of its predecessor. When you do same thing over and over, you do not expect to get a different result. Some of its policies have had the unfortunate effect of making the plight of the average Lagos resident worse off.  If you doubt it, take a drive into the inner parts of Lagos and interview the average Lagosian whose many problems are worsening by the day.   There is still wide spread poverty, very few areas have clean public water supply, sanitation and proper drainages are still lacking in many areas, local inner network of roads are still generally bad, many Lagos schools remain sub-standard and quality remains poor, the public health care system is totally inadequate particularly in low income areas, and the standard and quality of life continue to deteriorate.  No doubt, these are problems common to many parts of Nigeria, but Lagos is of greater concern because the potential for positive change was higher and time is fast running out as the population of the state explodes with no appreciable change in social infrastructure.

The majority of the people still live in sub-standard houses. Reason is because this government has not built or encouraged the private sector to build decent and inexpensive houses.  The land allocation system is not transparent enough to allow more people to build their houses and lands are very expensive and the process of perfecting title and obtaining building approval is cumbersome and time consuming.  This has resulted in acute shortage of new houses making demand to far exceed supply. During our time, we introduced the 30 day rule as a strategy to speed up the process and encourage development.  Now the process is longer, tedious and the charges are very high.  Indeed the building and construction industry is silently at war with the government.  Ditto for the advertising industry.  We created LASAA but its mandate and focus has changed.  This agency has virtually crippled the advertising industry and all the small businesses associated with it.  The average Lagosian still has no portable drinking water despite the fact that much has been spent on water projects across the state.  In addition, the average man suffers untold hardship when there is heavy rainfall.  His home gets flooded, the road he travels becomes impassable and he often times end up with substantial losses to his business or personal effects.

You may put these in proper perspective when you consider that the present state government earns an average of N14 billion naira a month and in 32 months has earned over  N450 billion.  This is more than the Tinubu administration earned in its 96 months in office!.  The Fashola administration earned over N209 billion in IGR in 2009 and budgeted over N420 billion for this year. In addition, in this short three years, it has borrowed heavily from the bond market and drew down on loans from the World Bank and others.

The question is where is all the money? The taxpayers deserve to know how these huge revenue is being spent. The government must be seen to be transparent and accountable to the people.

Now that you are in the PDP, are you looking towards vying for the governorship seat under its umbrella?
My reason for joining the PDP was to make my wealth of experience both in the private and public sector available to serve the nation whenever I am called upon.  For now, I have no intention to contest for the governorship.

55 years is a lot in the calendar of an average African where life expectancy is barely 50, why do you decide to mark it in a low key?
I typically celebrate my birthday in a low-key fashion, but the current state of affairs in Nigeria warrants the need for sober reflection now more than ever before. We can only pray that as the year progresses, conditions will begin to improve for Nigerians as a whole.

Congratulations Sir.  But looking back, could you reflect on some decisions you wish you had taken differently? (Any regret?).
Life is full of twists and turns. You cannot continue to dwell on the past. Instead, I like to project towards the future and what it holds for us all. I have no regrets at all.

he does indeed look youthful.

when was that picture taken?

it looks like a recent picture.

He looks good at 55, a very low key guy and so are his twin younger brothers, who lives here in Washington DC. He should be given a cabinet post in Fashola's administration or even at the federal level.

You may put these in proper perspective when you consider that the present state government earns an average of N14 billion naira a month and in 32 months has earned over N450 billion. This is more than the Tinubu administration earned in its 96 months in office!. The Fashola administration earned over N209 billion in IGR in 2009 and budgeted over N420 billion for this year. In addition, in this short three years, it has borrowed heavily from the bond market and drew down on loans from the World Bank and others.

The question is where is all the money? The taxpayers deserve to know how these huge revenue is being spent. The government must be seen to be transparent and accountable to the people.

Pedro has touched on something that has long bothered me about Fashola's administration. It was also visible during the final months of Tinubu's time. This is the huge budget hole when they speak of revenue. For the money that Lagos state has begun the generate in the last 5-7 years, I can not for the life of me understand the constant appetite for revenue generation through all means (double taxation or super taxes, heavy punitive levies and fines, and other such things). No doubt the government is performing, building and maintaining infrastructure. The problem though is value for money. Is the government making efficient use of it resources and revenue. Is the use both economical and effective. The answer unfortunately is no. While we hear every day a cry for increased revenue, we never hear about what the government is doing to reduce the waste of resources. As government continues to expand, ordinary Lagosians are expected to tighten their belt and continue to "pony up" while government does nothing to keep itself in check.

For once I would like to hear Fashola and his administration say rather than try to raise revenue from the public, instead find areas in the Lagos state bureaucracy where saving can be made to fund operations. Then also institute basic reforms at local government reaching to state levels where people can see what is budgeted for, how much it costs, so they can judge for themselves if the results justify the costs. Trust me the waste that take place in government is more than enough to fund activities without affecting everyday people. When was he campaigning and after he won election, this was one of the first things he promised, yet so far no real mention of it

Fashola needs to know and I think he already knows that government does not create jobs but a catalyst for growth and creating jobs such as putting infrastructue in place to attract private sector money. Then again, too much taxes or double taxation can stump businesses from investing in Lagos. I also do agree with Montelik that government needs to be transparent and accountable to the people it serves, I would like the inquiries by an independent/unaffiliated pary (hard to come by in Nigeria) to go forward and be a "watch dog" for whatever they think Fashola's administration has done wrong.