There are so many brilliant politicians in Surulere. Many of them have become accomplished politicians who are greatly respected by the people. One of them is the tall, brilliant and dashing looking Honourable Tajudeen Ajide. He is a top APC Lagos chieftain. It is no exaggeration to describe him as one of the most popular politicians in Surulere today. This is because he has paid his dues. He is the immediate past Executive Chairman of Surulere local government. But his political accomplishments and popularity went beyond Surulere. He operates within the top leadership of the party in Lagos state. He also enjoys very cordial relationship with President Bola Tinubu. Years ago when he was attacked and left for dead by an unknown assailant, President Tinubu did not abandon him. He stood by him all through his recuperation period. And he will always tell anyone who cares to listen that he will be eternally grateful to Asiwaju. They have maintained a close relationship ever since.
But those who know him closely know that beyond his relationship with the President, he is an incredibly hardworking man. This is why any mention of his name within the political circle in Lagos will always elicit positive reactions. And this is because while he served as chairman of Surulere local government, Hon. Tajudeen Ajide was simply phenomenal. His tenure as administrator of one of Lagos State’s biggest and most cosmopolitan local governments was an incredible success. He broke barriers. He accomplished what was hitherto thought impossible for a local government chairman. Little wonder why he was adjudged, within the Lagos political circle, the most outstanding council chairman in Lagos State. For someone who also had to contend with his own health condition and had to be careful how he stretched himself, this gentleman amazed everyone, including his political rivals, with his remarkable performance.
Ask those who know him closely and they will tell you Hon. Tajudeen Ajide does not take no for an answer. He firmly believes there must be a solution to every problem. And he’s an incredible workaholic as well. When he was Chairman of Surulere local government, even on Sundays, he was always physically visiting various project sites, monitoring projects and accessing progress made by contractors. Obviously, this explains why the quality of roads he did in Surulere has been top notch. This reporter took a tour of some of the projects with him and was impressed with what he saw. The roads, mostly done with interlockings, were a beauty to behold, while the nearly completed gigantic Ultra modern hospital in Akerele, when completed, will become the pride of not just Hon. Ajide and the people of Surulere but also of Lagos APC.
Hon Tajudeen Ajide has since taken on more sensitive responsibilities within the Surulere political circuit. He is regarded as one of the political leaders in Surulere owing to his legacies. This is why people respect him. When he speaks, the people listen to him. City People Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) had a brief conversation with this very politically astute gentleman. We wanted to know his thoughts on the state of the nation and what he thinks the President can do as a matter of urgency right now to address the economic hardship being experienced in the country at the moment. Where does he think the problem is coming from? He responded to these questions and shed more light on his relationship with the President and how he stood by him when he was attacked by hired assasins years ago. Here are excerpts.
Sir, what do you think could be the problem? Why are things moving at snail speed for the government?
“Let me be honest with you, most of the personel in President Tinubu’s government have not taken up responsibilities as large and as overwhelming as this before. Many of them are still grappling with the enormity of the task in front of them. I do not envy them at all, this is not a good time to be in government. Governance has never been this tough. So, I think that, apart from the myriads of problems the government met on the ground, particularly the already comatose economy, a lot of the ministers too have not been able to hit the ground running. “
“There are also a lot of saboteurs within the government, those who want the government to fail. They are friends of the opposition. But many trust Asiwaju’s abilities to see through things like this. Asiwaju at the beginning operated an open door policy. He needs to continue with that policy because that is the only way he can get diverse opinions and reports of the true situation in the country. He needs to allow more people who are not in his camp or party to have continued access to him. He was doing this at a time and I think he needs to continue in that light.”
But does he think the government is on the right path? Is the President taking the right economic decisions?
“Anybody who is not being mischievous, who is not playing politics, who is informed, will see that the President is working round the clock to take us out of the woods. He has taken some tough economic decisions that should begin to yield dividends very soon. But, lets be honest with ourselves, the situation on ground is overwhelming. The country’s treasury has been totally and systematically decimated by past administrations such that it will take God himself to comedown from heaven to perform the miracle that Nigerians want Tinubu to perform in eight months. See the way trillions of naira have been printed and stolen, see how they have hoarded millions of dollars, all of these will have had their adverse effect on the nation’s economy.”
“But of course, the man on the street does not want to hear all these stories. He is not interested. As far as the masses are concerned, they voted for Asiwaju because they believed he is capable of turning things around. How he does that magic, they don’t want to know, they just need him to get the job done. That’s the mindset of the man on the streets and I can tell you the president is well aware of the frustrations of masses and he is working tirelessly to see that things begin to change for the better in the shortest possible time.”
So, what does he think Mr. President must do right away as a matter of urgency to address the economic hardship people are experiencing at the moment? Honourable Ajide offered his opinion: “Personally, I believe the President is on the right track. His Economic team is top notch. He has implemented the right Economic policies. And I believe the president is listening to the cries of the people. But one of the things I believe he must do quickly is to reshuffle the cabinet. He needs to let some people go and retain those who are already delivering results. He needs to work with people who can work and move at the pace he wants to move and deliver results. I think a lot of the people working with him are completely overwhelmed with the magnitude of work on their hands. And like I said, you can’t blame them, this is such a difficult time to be a part of governance in Nigeria. The misrule of the past years and the brazen and senseless looting of the treasury have finally caught up with us.”
I have always wanted to ask you this question, sir, anytime I sit down to have these conversations revolving around politics with you. What were you doing before you got into politics? You were out of the country for a while, right?
Yes, I was. But a large chunk of my life has been lived in Lagos. I was born right in the heart of Lagos in a place called Ofin, in Olowogbowo area of Lagos Island. When I left Nigeria, I traveled to the UK and finished my studies there. I was in the United Kingdom until 1996. And then, I started thinking about the things I could do for my people.
I had two companies I was running. That’s why, when I did the hospital project in Surulere, I was very passionate and intentional with the way I’ve gone about it. I had been thinking about what I wanted to do. I knew exactly what I wanted. I thank God that my experiences from the other side did not fail me.
When did politics start for you when you got back and how easy was it for you to get into mainstream politics?
I have been playing politics for as long as I can remember. It all started when I was still back here in Nigeria. My dad was a strong member of Awolowo’s party, the UPN. My god father is our leader now, Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi. He named me Tajudeen as well. My dad and baba were good friends, that’s why, in his book, he mentioned my dad several times. He was a pillar in his team. It was not too hard for me to get into politics because all my thoughts at that time were geared towards doing things for my people. I was not into night clubbing or partying, whenever I leave the office I went straight home and I was always thinking of what to do next to make an impact on the people. When you hear people say I did almost 50 roads as Executive chairman of Surulere local government area, do you think it’s a joke? I worked inside the sun, the rain, every day. There is no day I didn’t work, even on Sundays you will find me at different sites working. That’s what brings me joy, happiness. That’s why they call me a social worker, because I don’t have any other thing to do other than work.
Were you not worried that you could be putting a lot of pressure on your health when you keep pushing yourself that way every day?
You can see for yourself that I’m much better and stronger than before. You saw me about a year ago. That time, I couldn’t speak as much as I do now. It is far better than what it was before. I am much better now. It is a mental ailment so the recovery pace has been gradual. I have to think before I say things because the brain is so complex. But I thank God for everything. Now, the people who attacked me and left me with the injury will probably be cursing themselves. They were saying to people then, that this man can’t do it o. But it’s only God who decides who can do it and who cannot. I thank Asiwaju so greatly because, all these things I’m doing would’ve been wasted and nobody would even think about them. He was under a lot of pressure to put somebody else there but he stood his ground and now, I’m adding a lot of value to the government.
I was going to ask you tell us the role Asiwaju played during that very difficult time when you were just recuperating from the attack on your life?
He was incredible, I must tell you. He was very supportive. Asiwaju is not one of those leaders who believe that once you’re down you’re no longer useful to the party, so let’s leave him. No, he’s not that kind of person. Asiwaju will lift you up and bring you back. He will help you. That’s why I tell people that anything Asiwaju wants to do, I will be there for him. I am not a fake person o, go and ask anybody, if I don’t like something, I will tell you. I will say things exactly the way they are. People don’t know that we are here on this earth for a purpose. God has a reason for putting us in the position we have found ourselves. All you have to do is to strive to do the best you can and leave posterity to judge you. I think this is my own purpose on earth but I can’t speak for others. I am fully conscious of the fact that nobody can satisfy the whole world. Even as multitudes acknowledge the fact that I, Hon. Tajudeen Ajide, has done very well, a lot of people may also hold a different opinion. I know a particular person who was saying it loud and clear that I couldn’t do it. And I’m talking about a prominent party leader. But today, the same person has come back to say, I’m sorry, I thought you were going to embezzle funds. So, I am proud of what I have done. If I get another chance, I will do the same thing all over again. Most of the roads you see around here were done during the Jakande and Mobolaji Johnson era. They are all old. But we have done a lot in terms of either rehabilitating or constructing the roads from scratch. And we do top quality roads. A lot of our roads are done with interlocking blocks, they will last for as long as 30 to 40 years or more. With the interlocking, once a particular spot goes bad, you simply take it out and replace it.
How did you overcome the after effect of the attack on your life because many would simply have gone into depression, seeing how challenging it was for you to walk again or even talk?
It was God that I held onto. He it was who made survive the attack and gave me the strength to overcome the depression that would’ve followed. I remember that, on that fateful Sunday, I was in my house, and two people came over to the house to meet me. One was called Gabriel and the other Embor. We were together and we chatted for a long time. After a while, I stepped outside and we still gisted for a while. Apparently, unknown to me, the attackers had been lurking around. And they struck. (He shows this reporter the spot on his head where he was struck). For 19 hours, the doctors battled to save my life via surgery. I had to undergo a brain surgery. Afterwards, I could no longer speak properly. I had to begin to learn to speak all over again like a baby. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t read, and to think I was a book worm before the incident. It was a very traumatic period. But I thank God for everything. I had to go other operations in the United Kingdom and I saw other people in worse situations.
But I must say, sir, that you’re a very strong man to have fought hard and gotten back on your feet so quickly because even the doctors will tell you that it’s you that would have to fight all by yourself to be on your feet, walking and talking again..
I was taken to a medical facility at Wolverhampton in the UK. I was the one making everyone in the ward happy. I even had to ask the doctors to take me out of my private room to join the others in the ward so I could be gisting with them and cheering them up. When I returned to Nigeria, my brother was even suggesting that I shouldn’t talk, but I said no, that I would speak whichever way I could. If I couldn’t pronounce words properly, no problem, they should bear with me. And that was how I started forcing myself to speak. When people started grumbling that how can somebody who can barely speak be the chairman, I told them, give me a year, I will be recover my speech, and that’s what happened. They even went as far as making their agitations against me known in the newspapers. The attackers actually wanted to split my head into two but God didn’t let them. Even here in Nigeria, the doctors were saying, while I lay on the bed, that I had just two possible options, its either I am reduced to a vegetable or I’m able to recover a little of my health and smartness. I heard everything they were saying as I lay quietly on the bed, but they didn’t know I heard, they were telling the people around me. I cried only twice. I cried the day I woke up after they were done and I realized the people who were behind the attack. The second time was the day I was leaving Nigeria for treatment abroad. That’s one of the reasons why I built such a magnificent hospital.
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