Wahab Oba is the Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed. Before his current assignment, Oba was the Chairman of Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). In this interview with WALE ABIODUN, he spoke on developmental projects of the governor and the challenges of his job. According to him, Kwara State has become a major driver of commercial agriculture in Nigeria.

WHAT  is  your experience like   as   the CPS to the governor?
My experience as the CPS to the governor of Kwara State, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed has been very challenging, though rewarding, especially as my principal is always in the quest for excellence in service delivery. One has to be upbeat about one's responsibilities. I have to be in the know of virtually everything going on in the administration, gauge the pulse of the people, especially their reactions to policies and programmes of the administration.

One also needs to read the mindset of your principal to be able to correctly represent his position on issues. The advantage though, like the president of Guild of Editors, Femi Adesina said when the NGE visited the governor, is that one has a good product. 

Someone who understands governance and well focused on his mission. Someone who also appreciates the press. Some one who's 24/7 accessible. It's been highly rewarding. The CPS is also a position of absolute trust and unalloyed loyalty.

What are the challenges of being an image maker to the governor and the state?
The challenges are quite enormous. At a personal level, you virtually cease to be a master of your time as you have to be readily within the reach of the governor. Like the chief security officer, your ears and eyes must be widely opened. It's not just about what the governor says or does,   or   mere   press releases. It's about managing the image of someone you are not absolutely in control of. It's about ensuring that your boss enjoys a positive public perception.   

It's   about ensuring that his policies, actions and inactions are correctly perceived. It's also about being proactive and ensuring high visibility for the governor. That means that you must be   constantly   and sufficiently be with him to be able to understand and project him.

One big challenge is managing your colleagues, the reporters, especially correspondents. These are people with different agenda outside just reporting the governor and the government. They are the most difficult people to be managed. There is hardly any thing you do that some of them will be satisfied. Some of them are like the flies that pitches on scrotum. You neither can leave it there nor slap it. But by and large, a significant number of them have been highly supportive. I have also enjoyed tremendous support from my people in Lagos.

A good CPS, it goes without saying, must strive to maintain cordial relations with the different publics - whether mass media or other stakeholders that he has to work it in order to ensure that his principal enjoys what we may call good or positive publicity. It is equally the lot of the CPS to always work hard to clear grey areas concerning the image of the governor, without any resort to falsehood or misinformation.

Can you compare your experience as a former Lagos NUJ president with your current assignment?
My experiences as a former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos Council and as CPS to Governor Ahmed are in a way similar and at the same time different. Both have to do with human relations and exhibition of endowed leadership qualities. To lead a group of journalists in Nigeria is not a tea party, especially if it is a vibrant council like that of Lagos. As chairman of Lagos NUJ, I was not only involved in ensuring and promoting the welfare of members, ensuring professionalism but also acting as a voice of the masses and making sure that government is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the masses.

However, being a Chief Press Secretary entails dealing with a wider spectrum of the society rather than professionals of same calling that one had to deal with as NUJ Chair. I must however concede that my leadership training and experience in the NUJ helped me a great deal in my present dispensation. As CPS I act as the voice of my principal and also serve as a channel through which the governor gets feed back from the people.

What are the areas you think the administration of Governor Abdulfathai Ahmed has touched the lives of people of Kwara positively?
Governor Ahmed came to power in 2011 on the credo of legacy of continuity. This implied that his administration was going to build on the tremendous achievements of his predecessor. Hence, the first major concern was the completion of inherited projects such as the International Diagnostic Centre, the Cargo shed at the Ilorin International Airport, the International Aviation College. Today, the Diagnostic Centre is operational; work on the Cargo shed is at advanced stage while students have been admitted into the Aviation College, the only State owned in the country. Quite a number of road projects started by the   last   administration were also completed.

The policy thrust of the administration is driven by the Shared Prosperity Programme which, generally speaking, include formulation and implementation of policies and programmes that will ginger impactive economic growth in the state. This implies particular focus on boosting commercial agriculture through Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, generating food security by supporting small farms and through the creation of agro-allied jobs and wealth through value chain management.

The Shared Prosperity Programme of the Administration also focuses on human capital development and youth empowerment. The promotion of youth entrepreneurship through support for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Entreprises as well as youth capacity building skill acquisition and vocational training. Other critical areas of the Shared Prosperity Programme include Strategic Infrastructure development and effective governance. 

These involve, among other things, strengthening of healthcare and water delivery systems that our people will not have to go beyond 500 metres to access them. Also this administration believes that to implement it service charter, transparency in governance is sacrosanct.

So far, this current administration has renovated more than 400 classrooms across the state, constructed over 800 kilometer roads, sunk more than 300 boleholes, reconstructing five general hospitals across the three senatorial zones of the state, distributed ambulances and hospital equipment to hospitals across the state, slashed students school fees at the state's owned tertiary institutions and making education free at the primary and post primary schools. More than 2000 youths have secured employment through the state's empowerment scheme, Kwara State Bridge Empowerment Scheme, KWABES, with another 1000 already engaged under the scheme.

More than N250m has also been made available through the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. As part of its human capital development and youth empowerment programme, the government is building an international vocational training institute at Ajasse Ipo. This is skewed towards turning Nigeria to international exporter of skilled manpower rather than the current scenario in which will import artisans from neighboring countries.

Let's talk about the agricultural policies and projects of the current administration?
In the last decade or so, Kwara State has become a major driver of commercial agriculture in Nigeria. It could be recalled that this started with what has become known as the Shonga experience where some displaced White Zimbabwean farmers were invited to the state to drive commercial agriculture. The gains of that experience is being transmitted to our local farmers through a pilot scheme where 10 farmers per local government are being trained in the modern and more profitable means of agriculture. Don't forget that Kwara State and Cornell University of the United States of America gave birth to agric master plan that will improve the lot of commercial agriculture in the country.

How is the current administration encouraging foreign investors into the state?
The infrastructural developments that the state government has been carrying on are not designed just to beautify the state; they are also to create conducive environment for potential investors. A number of Memoranda of Understanding have been entered into with a number of private concerns locally and internationally. Of particular interest too, is the International Vocational Centre, Ajasse Ipo, designed to train quality manpower such as artisans, vocational experts in all genres are that good enough for the international market. The popular City and Guilds of London is to moderate the programmes of the institution.

What are the developmental projects of the current administration in the past two years?
The programmes are numerous. Apart from the completion of inherited projects more have come on stream. Over 800 kilometres of road have been done; five General Hospitals are being remodeled and/or rehabilitated; equipment including ambulances provided to various tiers of health care centres.

What policies are in place to reduce unemployment among the youths in the state?
The Kwara State Bridge Empowerment Scheme KWABES was designed as a stop-gap scheme to reduce unemployment rate in the state. Over 2000 youths who passed through the scheme have been gainfully employed. Small and Medium Scale entrepreneurship is being promoted through the creation of access to loan facilities. The International Vocational Training Centre at Ajasse Ipo is also made to create employable   youths.
Investors are also being encouraged to come to be state. This is already yielding positive results; you are aware that Shoprite is now in Kwara and contributing to the economic growth of the state.

What is the relationship between the governor, traditional rulers and the grass root?
The relationship with traditional rulers is very cordial. I do know that Governor Ahmed respects the traditional rulers as the custodians of the people's cultures and values and relates with them as such. He has intervened in resolving quite a number of issues between them. The Offa / Erin He is one example of the governor as a bridge builder.

The opposition parties in the state are claiming that Governor Ahmed is performing below expectation, what is your response to this claim?
Against what parameters are they benchmarking the alleged below performance of the Governor? Don't forget that on revenue allocation, Kwara State is 33rd on the log. Yet, the administration is breaking new grounds. A governor that is said to be performing below expectation has touched over 800 kilometres of road and still counting. "A supposedly below performing governor is remodeling five general hospitals in the first instance and has earmarked another five for rehabilitation. 

Here is a governor that is driving commercial agriculture, boosting technical education. Such allegations are misleading and not reflective of realities on the ground. You see, the problem with some of these so called opposition is that they are diaspora opposition. They don't relate with the people at home. They come home during elections. Let them justify their non-performing stance, of course, they can't.

Who is Wahab Oba as a journalist and Wahab Oba as CPS to the governor?
I'm just the same Wahab Oba as a journalist and CPS; ordinary mortal. May be I should allow some other people to talk about me.

Now, the maj or difference between then and now is that, as chairman I speak my mind, my conscience and espouse the right of the people. As a spoke person to the governor, I dare not talk any how else it will be interpreted as the position of my principal. I can no longer act or write as Wahab Oba. So as CPS I seldom write opinion on national issues the way I was doing as chairman. If I must do, it must be with a pseudo name, otherwise people will start to profile my principal on what ordinarily is my personal opinion.