Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu representing Amuwo Odofin Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly is the only opposition lawmaker in the 40-member Assembly following the defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of seven of his colleagues who were elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 election. Olorunrinu in this exclusive chat talks about his decision to remain in the PDP, and other issues.
Daily Trust: What has your experience been like in the House?
Honourable Dipo Olorunrinu: The experience has been awesome. It has been more knowledgeable and challenging but I give God the glory because it has been much more delivery to the people of Amuwo Odofin and Lagos State at large.
DT: In terms of delivering service and representing your constituents, what have been the challenges?
Olorunrinu: When you talk about delivery, there is a saying that human beings are difficult to manage. We must equally understand that service to humanity is key in life. It is challenging with regards to meeting up to different kinds of request. Don’t forget one man’s meat is another man’s poison and then the need of man is highly unlimited. Having to attend to different people’s needs in the community, meeting up with their demands, at least we have been a little bit successful about it. We should rate ourselves under 80 over 100. Definitely, we can’t meet the needs of everybody.
DT: You are the only opposition member in the House and people are asking when you will cross-carpet.
Olorunrinu: That is one issue we have to erase from our mindset as young people and also as people whom this country is looking up to for development. The House of Assembly is not a place to gather and play party politics; it is a place to deliberate on how to move the people from the present level to another level. A place where we deliberate on the laws, make bills, it is a place where we see how we can ensure that the people are actually being properly represented.
And when people are expecting a change of party, I don’t see it as a serious-minded expectation. Are we here to change party or here to deliberate and work? The House of Assembly is not an avenue to come and change party but an avenue to come and deliberate on behalf of the people that put us here.
DT: Seven of your colleagues changed party in 2017, what was your reaction then?
Olorunrinu: I usually tell people that I came in as a minority in the party but being in the minority does not make me a minority in my local government. I am majority in my local government; that is why I am here. If they (the seven members) changed their party, they are in the best position to be asked the question. Everybody has his reason and agenda about why they are here and what their people asked them to do. My own people have not asked me to change party. They have asked me to come and deliberate on their behalf, which I believe is what I am doing.
DT: Were you at any point under pressure to toe the line of your colleagues who dumped the PDP for APC?
Olorunrinu: You see pressure is a psychological thing. Like I said, I came into this house as a minority party. So what other pressure can be more than being in a minority party? I am not someone that has inferiority complex. I give God the glory for giving me the opportunity to be here as a representative of my people. It is not because I am the best but I am just privileged among the best. There are a lot of other people in my local government that can even do better but privilege is key. So, when you are given the privilege you ensure you do your best.
DT: It was alleged that those who defected were attracted with large sums of money, were you ever offered money to change party?
Olorunrinu: I don’t know anything about this rumour of money being offered to change party. You can ask the people that changed party. We are all here for different reasons; the people that sent them might have told them to change party. I think they are in the best position to answer this question.
DT: Are you not worried that minority view in the House of Assembly might not be heard and the kind of vibrancy expected in the House seems to be lacking?
Olorunrinu: Let me be frank with you. When you say minority, who are the minority? The entire country knows that we need to move forward and as representatives; we all understand that the country needs attention. So there is no party discrepancy here, saying, ‘this is APC, this is PDP, this is Labour or this is APGA’. As you can see, Lagos State is working everywhere, the governor works everywhere, and the Speaker would work everywhere. I want you to erase the mindset of somebody trying to victimize someone or that I am feeling inferior. In the first place, coming in as minority is already something that should make anybody feel inferior. What difference does it make changing party?
DT: The House recently took a decision to set up a committee to review the controversial Land Use Charge. Analysts are of the opinion that, in the first place, the bill wouldn’t have been passed if there had been a vibrant Assembly with an opposing view.
Olorunrinu: Having an opposing view does not change anything. What I want you to know is that the 40 members of the House of Assembly are looking for the best for Lagos State because Land Use Charge is good. When we all get to our various constituencies, our people are going to ask us questions. Now, the House of Assembly has called for a review in this. So, it is not the issue of the opposition party opposing it. We all sat down to make the law and we are all sitting again to review the law.
Again, it is not as if the law was passed without the people being invited, we had public hearing. It is also an opportunity to encourage the people to make themselves available whenever we are having a public hearing. They should not undermine the laws of the land; after all, we are making these laws on the people’s behalf. Aside from the fact that we are in government, we are also governing ourselves.
DT: The seven members who defected talked about the division in PDP as their reason for defecting and no doubt the division is still festering. In your view, where do you think the party got it wrong?
Olorunrinu: Issues in my party being the reason for their defection, permit me, is someone’s personal opinion. We were elected here to come and solve problems. It is not only the PDP that has issues; every political party has its problems. The fact remains how we are able to manage the issues. As you can see, the PDP has been able to manage its issues at the national level and that was why we were successful with the convention. You can’t rule out issues in any home, organization or family. That is why we elected people to brainstorm on how to erase issues and not run away from such issues.
DT: But what of at the PDP state level?
Olorunrinu: Like I said, you can’t rule out issues even at the local government and grassroots levels, there are issues everywhere. There is no issue that cannot be managed. There is no problem that doesn’t have a solution. Everybody deserves to raise his own personal interest but I always say this – life is give and take, you can’t have it all.
DT: What is your 2019 aspiration?
Olorunrinu: Like I said earlier, people sent us here. You have to go back to the people if you should go higher or just take a bow. If former President Goodluck Jonathan can take a bow, anybody should be ready to take a bow. I am a young man, I love to build a career, and in building a career I will definitely have to contact the people. We must always understand that this is a public office and it is a privileged occupying it at the moment.
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