Being The Transcript Of The Welcome-Home Interview Of The Ekiti State Representative In The Labour Room National Development Reality TV Show, Graced With The Unveiling Of His Personal Development Project – “The New Ekiti Dream” At The Ekiti State Television – Ekiti – 30th June, 2018.

Interviewer: All right now, we will take the interview segment with our guest who is already with us in the building. My own brother, Jawolusi Oluwaseun Solomon. Nice having you on the Show today. How is everything?

Seun: Fine.

Interviewer: uhhhmm! You were the Representative of Ekiti State in the Labour Room TV Reality Show…

Seun: Yes Sir

Interviewer: Of course you were here when the show wanted to kick-start, and of course, you told us some of the things you were going there to do, to actually represent Ekiti State in that Show, I thank God you are back, of course, let me quickly ask you, what was the experience like?

Seun: uhmm! Wonderful, amazing and transformational. That’s all I have to say for now.

Interviewer: What actually informed this name: “Labour Room”? Why Labour Room?

Seun: uhmm! Labour Room! From the name, like, structured on the ideals to give birth to a new Nation; to instrumentalize ideas and policies to foster the recreation of the Nigerian identity. So, hence, prompt to engage the youths – the pivotal citizens in some think-tank interactions, each from each Nigerian State, and uhmm, at the end of the day, I am so proud to give birth to a developmental idea: “The New Ekiti dream”. So, I went into the Labour Room for 60 days, to Labour, pushing to give birth to a new Nation – Nigeria, and uhmm, I’m back home! I’m happy to be back home with an idea that will foster an all-round transformation of my State and Nigeria at large.

Interviewer: That’s good! Now, let’s look at ehmmm! New Ekiti… of course!

Seun: The New Ekiti Dream!

Interviewer: You have the New Nigeria! Right?

Seun: Yea! The New Nigeria Dream!

Interviewer: Let’s talk about “The New Ekiti…”

Seun: umhhh! Okay, to start with, during the course of the TV Show, we were actually opportune to have several invited guests from all spheres of professions, you know; Dignitaries, Movers and Shakers, Captains of Industries and several reputable icons. Most importantly, The British High Commissioner to Nigeria visited us during the course of the Show. He made mention of something, that; “In the past three decades, specifically in the early 1970s, that, Nigeria and South Korea were at the same level, but today, this same South Korea is ahead of Nigeria in ever developmental capacity. And he also noted that, South Korea blazed a trail for an export-led economy. This revelation inspired me to look into certain underlying facts that fostered this socio-economic revolution of these Asian Tigers. Hence, I discovered that; one of the foundational steps toward development is to have a long-term socio-economic development plan in contrast to our recurring short-term blueprints that we often tag as manifestoes. Hence, a prompt to develop this 30 years socio-economic development plan for Ekiti State. It cuts across all sectors; placing the sector that needs maximum interventional attention on the scale of developmental preference. So, uhhmm, that’s how this New Ekiti Dream is being instrumentalized.

Interviewer: That’s good. So you were there for 60 days, that’s roughly two months,

Seun: Yea,

Interviewer: Now, uhmmm, while you were there, I am sure you actually represented Ekiti State, but, how well did you represent Ekiti State?

Seun: uhmmm! (Smiling)

Interviewer: By displaying our potentials, some of the things we have here in Ekiti State.

Seun: uhmmm! Okay, to start with, in this New Ekiti Dream book, it contains 30 years socio-economic development plan and some of my successfully solved National assignments. Take for instance, during the course of the Show, we were given a task, to personally develop a crisis management module for Nigeria. And, ummhh! The result is inside the book. And also, different debates on how to move our respective States forward. All these reports are in this documentary.

Interview: Okay

Seun: And not only that, you also asked… how well I represented Ekiti State. By the matter of fact, as we all know, Ekiti State has the smallest population in the South-Western Nigeria. We know that! But on the other way around, can you just believe that Ekiti State has the highest number of votes – 6 percent. Uhmm!

Interviewer: that’s good

Seun: And emmm! I think Ogun had 2%, oh! Sorry Oyo had 2%, Ogun had 1%, Osun nil, Ondo nil and Lagos earlier evicted.

Interviewer: So Ekiti State actually has the highest?

Seun: 6 % – highest; despite the fact that we have the smallest population in the South-Western Nigeria. So, how else can I make my State proud? That’s the true spirit of jingoism. That’s my philosophy – you will know what I mean by jingoism! I will explain that, maybe subsequently.

Interviewer: uhm! uhm! Okay! Now! Ahhh! that’s why you came up with this book right? The New Ekiti Dream…?

Seun: Yea! The New Ekiti Dream.

Interviewer: ahhh! Ahhh! What actually evolved this “The New Ekiti Dream”?

Seun: uhmm! As part of the criteria to meet up with the standard of this programme, each of the Representative was actually given this obligation to develop a personal development project for their respective States. So, this is my personal development project for Ekiti State; how to develop Ekiti State for the next 30 years – talking about all the pivotal sectors of the economy, placing them on a scale of preference with respect to the attention being needed. So, that’s how it was evolved…

Interviewer: ummh! Let’s look at the book itself – The New Ekiti Dream. Uhmm! How does it affect our economy as a State? Let’s look at it generally.

Seun: ummmh! As it is! As it is, I told you; in the nation-building process, the Government and the people both have crucial roles to play; while the Government creates favourable environment for investments and businesses to thrive through the times, the people must be ready to take responsibilities; embark on certain personal development projects, embark on some personal social responsibilities. So this book contains some of the viable ideas, policies and engagements in form of civic responsibilities that the people need to assume in order to foster the long-awaited all-round transformation of Ekiti State. So, that is what the book is all about. So, as it is, it’s not for sale, it’s free, free access, you know! So, I want the illustrious Sons and Daughters of Ekiti at home and in the Diaspora to have access to this written work, download it, read through it, and at the end of the day come back to display the true spirit of jingoism. What do I mean by true spirit of jingoism? Extreme patriotism, having true love for your State or for your country. And ehhmm! Research results have clearly shown that; successful Nations of the world today or successful States were developed by jingoistic men – men that have true love for their countries or for their States, men that made it outside and afterwards came back home to invest in their States to foster job creation, to foster all-round transformation, that’s how successful Nations and successful States were built. So, this book contains some ideas, some recommendations, and some strategies on how to develop Ekiti State for 30 years. I just want people to read through it. And by the matter of fact, I was in the Labour Room for 60 days, several invited guests came to speak to us, we had lots of professionals, all the experiences gained from them fostered the realization of this documentary – this book. So, I want the Ekiti people to pick it up for free, read through it and at the end of the day – come back home to come and foster the all-round development of the State as part of their responsibilities to the development of the Nation and the State.

Interviewer: uuhm! You just said that, it is free! Right?

Seun: yea, it’s free.
Interviewer: how can an ordinary man on the street, of course, get this book?

Seun: as it, as it, uhhm! It’s actually downloadable at www.NewEkitiDream.com . You know, I actually have an online platform in order to foster the sustainability of this project. You know! To enhance the long-termness, you know, a lot of activities will be going on, a lot of personal development projects that will be structured towards empowering the youths will be going on. Soon, I will start pushing some of the contents of my book - titled: “Empowering Youths with 30+ Lucrative ICT ideas”, I will be putting it on the site for free, for people to read through it, to start maximizing it for self-reliance. Also, you said; “how can common man in the street have access to it?” – while the online version is freely available for downloads, responsible, patriotic Ekiti Sons and Daughters can pick it up and say; “okay, I want to sponsor the production of 200 copies”, and afterwards distribute it to schools, distribute it to higher institutions for people to read through it and at the end of the day contribute to the development of their State.

Interviewer: So, as it is now, some people might need this hard copy, I want you to make it available – I don’t know what it will cost you anyway, but then try as much as possible, so that people… you know, not everybody… have access to the internet…

Seun: …are IT-oriented… I understand…
Interviewer: of course, so that people can easily lay their hands on this hard copy. Now, let’s quickly relate this to ahhh uhhmm… NOT TOO YOUNG TO… ofcourse…

Seun: NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN…

Interviwer: Okay! How can… can you actually link that? Is there any thin-line between them?

Seun: in my oft-recited maxim of National Development, I always say something, that; “the future of the Nigerian economy, the future of the well-being of the Nigerian all-round transformation depends on how pragmatic and how contributive the Nigerian youths are”. See, the youths need to take up certain responsibilities. I will not want to go into the details right now. (Smiling)

Interviewer: Okay, Now, are you telling us that Ekiti State will have some youths who can actually run and of course hold some elective positions?

Seun: uhhm! As it is! As it is! Basically, I will not want to talk about appointments right now because I have an ideology – Socio-Economic Development, Not Socio-Political Development, for now! So, this book is all about Socio-Economic Development – How to develop the social structure and the economic structure of Ekiti State. So that’s how it is.
Interviewer: Alright! Alright! Alright! The message is… of course… it is well-understood. Now, if I may ask you on a final note, this book as it is now, at the Labour Room, did you make it available there?

Seun: Definitely, I was in the Federal Capital Territory last week, Abuja, at the head office of the Nigeria Rebirth Foundation – I actually gave a copy to them, and by now I’m sure that ehhhmm… people will have access to freely download the soft copy online, so it is a free material – you know.. www.NewEkitiDream.com/book .

Interviewer: Okay. Let’s narrow it down to Ekiti State, how can you get this down to some the Stakeholders?

Seun: Definitely, I have some printed copies for some highly-rated Dignitaries, notable Dignitaries that are committed to the progressivism and the diversification of Ekiti State’s economy. So, this will definitely get to them. Definitely!

Interviewer: Alright! Okay! I hope your home-coming back to Ekiti State is going to be of benefit to us here, after the 60 days Labour Room experience?

Seun: Definitely, I will be embarking on certain personal development projects, you know, you said something, you earlier asked a question. Now, we need to start taking responsibilities. Now, while established organizations embark on corporate social responsibilities, let the Youths, let the patriotic citizens, jingoistic citizens embark on personal social responsibilities. So as part of my contributions to the development of my State and my Nation at large, I will be having certain empowerment programmes soon, they will be unveiled on the website and subsequently on other media platforms.

Interviewer: Alright, Mr. Oluwaseun – thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Seun: Thanks alot Sir.

Interviewer: And of course, I wish you a better future, so that people here in Ekiti State can actually benefit some of the things you have actually gained over there, in Ekiti State. I think it’s available for us, so that we too can actually gain from it and make our State a better place for us to live in. Thank you so much for coming once again.

Seun: Thank you Sir.

Interviewer: God bless you

Seun: Amen

Interviewer: Alright! the show continues, its weekend special, don’t go anywhere! Stay with us!