INTERVIEW: Youths need party with structure to win, says Simi Olusola, PDP candidate for Ekiti assembly

Having worked in the non-profit space for more than a decade, Simi Olusola, co-founder of The Nigerian Alliance (TNA), an organisation which aims to elect “servant politicians”, has contributed to including young people in governance and empowering them in business.

Speaking with DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN, the 33-year-old Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ekiti state house of assembly shares her plans for her constituency and why young people need established parties to get into office.

TheCable: What is your background and why are you in politics?

Olusola: My background is more in the non-profit and social impact space. I have been working in the non-profit space for 10, 11 years now. I have also been volunteering. I started a non-profit in 2016. What we worked on is empowering young people to earn an income using technology, and on the other hand, we were trying to get more people active in governance. 

One thing I kept seeing was that we can’t ‘non-profit’ our way out of bad governance, and bad governance affects everybody. What people do in the civic space is just scratching the surface and so I realised that there is a need to have more people in government who work with us in these spaces (non-profit, civic) to ensure that we have a good system.

The fact remains that the government is an institution that can bring change. I just made up my mind that there is a need to get into this space. We have been constantly ruled by the worst of us and there is a need for capable people in government. 

I resigned from my non-profit in December but I joined the party (PDP) in 2019 and I have been working for the party since then.  

TheCable: Why PDP and do you think you can make a change there?

Olusola: I know I can make a difference there. I have already started making improvements in the party. 

I don’t think there is any party in Nigeria that we can call a ‘progressive’ party. Not even the Labour Party (LP) that everyone is talking about right now; they do not have a structure. From what I have seen, PDP is still the best. It is not what it should be at present, but if you look at the kind of leaders that PDP has produced, the way it runs its affairs and its coordination, it still outperforms every other party.

The structure for me is one important thing. For young people, it is not like you have hundreds or millions in your account. Your only option is to join an established party. Otherwise, you will realise that you are using your own money to fund the party, to build the structure and make the party visible in all the wards.

So, it is hard for a young person to be in a less-established party. It is not impossible [to win on such a platform] but it is going to be very difficult. It makes more sense to go with an established party. 

Within a year of joining the party, I was already being asked to join national committees. One thing with the party is that if you can add value — not look for favours — the party would open up its doors to you. 

Last year, I was made one of the members of the strategic committee for the registration of members. I was on the committee for the convention. We have been working on some innovation. Unfortunately, that has slowed down because of election season, but I’m hopeful that when the election is over, we will continue pushing for them. I was able to contribute to the party and I got the party’s ticket against a lot of opposition. For all these reasons, PDP is a good choice unless I’m proven wrong.

TheCable: What do you want to achieve in the constituency you want to represent at the Ekiti state house of assembly?

Olusola: I am running for the seat of Ikere II constituency in Ekiti and I’m running because Nigeria needs credible and capable people. We have seen impunity take over the day. We have seen incompetence. There is an opportunity to get the job done. I know I can get the job done, that is why I’m running for the position. I also want to be able to open up the space [for] many other young people, especially young women. I hope that my journey will be an inspiration to them. By 2027, we should have plenty of young people like me and that is because they had seen my journey.

And what am I going to change? The first thing that I will show is good governance. We have a government right now that talks and talks. Democracy is supposed to be of the people by the people but we don’t have inclusive governance in Nigeria, right now. 

As a representative, I truly want to represent them and carry them along at every step of the way. Legislative office is more of lawmaking so my agenda is how can I improve education in my state and I would like to focus on a bit of technology in education. 

The second thing for me would be economic empowerment. I want to support a favourable environment for businesses to thrive. I’m also particular about gender issues. I want to ensure policies on equity for women. 

TheCable: What kind of bills will you sponsor? Also, how will you handle situations where APC and PDP don’t agree on issues?

Olusola: For bills, I think I have already answered that. Like you said it is not going to be an easy ride, I am going to be a member of the opposition. I don’t have specific bills but I’m going to be pushing for legislation in those key areas I have already discussed — those are bills to improve education, bills to improve the economic landscape for entrepreneurs in the state with the focus on micro and medium enterprises, as well as bills on gender. 

One thing I believe is that once you can offer value to people, it won’t be difficult. I will ensure that I have good relations (with my colleagues). We would take each challenge as they come but if I’m offering value, that makes me speak from the position of power — not that I’m constantly begging for favours. 

TheCable: Do you think Atiku Abubakar has what it takes to win the presidency?

Olusola: I am confident that Atiku has a strong chance at the polls. Does he have all it takes to win? I don’t think anyone has all it takes to win. But with what I know going on in the grassroots, and not just in my state, there is an inclination towards the PDP.

I am happy about the Obi movement in the sense that I had spoken to you earlier about the work I was doing which included people in governance. I am happy to see that young people are finally getting interested in politics and elections and I hope that no matter who gets into office, we can continue to demand accountability from whoever it is.

TheCable: Do you think young people are in tune with what is going on in governance?

Olusola: We are ready but we are not seeing the big picture. We have to start from somewhere and we have never seen a movement like this. However, we are not where we should be yet.

TheCable: How has it been raising campaign funds? 

Olusola: It has been incredibly difficult. I’m still trying to raise funds. I was looking at my budget and I have hit 4.73 percent of my target. That tells you that I have a very long way to go. A lot of people don’t have the money that is needed in politics if we want to compete. But the point is that we have to keep trying. I’m getting support from the party and this gives credence to being in an established party.