Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, former Minister of Works and senator, is currently contesting the chairmanship of Lagos State chapter of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP).
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In this interview with The Moment on Sunday, Ogunlewe blames the National Assembly for contributing to the under-development of Nigeria.
He also speaks on the challenges of the Jonathan-led administration, the newly-introduced Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), the controversial local government election in Lagos State, how the local governments can be made effective and other pertinent issues.
In the last local government elections in Lagos State, PDP was able to produce a few councillors. How will this impact on grassroots politics in the state?
We are going to scare the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), if we start talking of our strategy now because they steal the money the Federal Government gives the local government every month.
Four billion naira for the 20 local governments but cleverly the state government takes 80 per cent from it and gives local governments a stipend to pay salary and that is all.
That is why local government is not functioning at all in Lagos State. The local governments have totally collapsed, people are suffering while some people are enjoying.
It is unjust, it is ungodly and God is a God of justice. They are in power and want to impoverish everybody.
Go to any local government of your choice, you will see poverty and destruction, economic activities paralised but people go on helicopter, the wife and children enjoy at the expense of the masses.
We are going to the tribunal over the local government election because we won so many local governments and they robbed us, we won so many councillorsips and they robbed us, so at the tribunal we will try our luck again.
Kosofe local government is the closest to you, which was allegedly won by your party, what happened?
We were robbed. They brought thugs and carried all the ballot papers because they were the people in charge.
They didn't event count; they refused to announce results at the polling booth, at the collation centre, even at the local government ward collation centre.
They took everything away because they were desperate and because their leadership supports them.
In the last local government elections in Lagos State, PDP was able to produce a few councillors. How will this impact on grassroots politics in the state?
We are going to scare the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), if we start talking of our strategy now because they steal the money the Federal Government gives the local government every month.
Four billion naira for the 20 local governments but cleverly the state government takes 80 per cent from it and gives local governments a stipend to pay salary and that is all.
That is why local government is not functioning at all in Lagos State. The local governments have totally collapsed, people are suffering while some people are enjoying.
It is unjust, it is ungodly and God is a God of justice. They are in power and want to impoverish everybody.
Go to any local government of your choice, you will see poverty and destruction, economic activities paralised but people go on helicopter, the wife and children enjoy at the expense of the masses.
We are going to the tribunal over the local government election because we won so many local governments and they robbed us, we won so many councillorsips and they robbed us, so at the tribunal we will try our luck again.
Kosofe local government is the closest to you, which was allegedly won by your party, what happened?
We were robbed. They brought thugs and carried all the ballot papers because they were the people in charge.
They didn't event count; they refused to announce results at the polling booth, at the collation centre, even at the local government ward collation centre.
They took everything away because they were desperate and because their leadership supports them.
