A Renowned Public Affairs Analyst, A Community leader, Chief Executive Officer, AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL, Ado-Ekiti, ELDER AYO AROGUNDADE, In This Exclusive Interview with PinPointNews Crew Bares His Mind On The Need For Governments At All Levels To Encourage The Establishment Of Small And Medium-Scale Business Enterprises.
The Elder Statesman,Who Is A Former Unionist, And A Retired Librarian In The Former College Of Education,Ikere-Ekiti, Equally Speaks On Politics And Other Societal Issues. Excerpts:
Introduction:
I am Elder Ayo Arogundade. Born over sixty years ago at Ipoti-Ekiti in Ekiti State, to Honourable Adetoso Arogundade now late, of blessed memory. A politician, a retired teacher and community leader, and Chief Mrs Victoria Arogundade, also late, of blessed memory. She’s also a retired teacher and chieftancy holder at Ipoti-Ekiti. I attended Seventh Day Adventist Primary School in Ipoti-Ekiti before proceeding to Ipoti High School, Ipoti-Ekiti, privileged to be second set of the school and from there, I proceeded to Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, Ondo State, for my Higher School Certificate, called Advanced Level before advancing to the Prestigious University of Ibadan, Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria, where I studied History in my First Degree and I did my National Youth Service Corps in Ogun State. I came back again to the University of Ibadan for my Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. I am one of the first set of the Chattered Librarians of Nigeria. I was a teacher that rose to become Vice Principal in old Ondo State, Ore specifically. From there, I became the Head of Local Government Library in old Ondo State, Ondo State Library Board, I was in charge of School Library, local government library in the whole Ondo State before I transferred my service to the old Ondo State College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, formerly College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, now Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, BOUESTI, where I rose through the ranks to become the College Librarian and between the line, I was a Coordinator for three years at the College of Education, Ikere, Kaduna campus and I was also for six years, Chairman, Colleges of Education, Academic Staff Union, and I was the Chief Electoral Officer of that Union. I was also one of the pioneers of the Nigerian Libraries Association. In old Ondo State, I was the Public Relations Officer. When Ekiti State was created, I became the Editor, later on, Vice Chairman, ultimately becoming the Chairman of Nigeria Library Association, Ekiti State Chapter. Happily married with children.
After Retirement, What Have You Been Doing Sir?
I give God the glory for retiring. I want to tell you categorically, I voluntarily retired because when I finished my tenure as a Principal Officer, old College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti. I just looked into it. I was entitled to second tenure but after finishing the first tenure, when I looked at the condition of service and I looked at myself with the gift that God has given me, I just decided that why can’t I transfer this gift to serve the larger community beyond the College of Education sector in Ikere-Ekiti, and I gave a notice of voluntary retirement. To God be the glory, I retired voluntarily. By October, this year 2023, it will be five years. Since then, I went into what I can call public affairs analysis, full blown, specifically with Fresh FM Radio Nigeria, Ado-Ekiti. Apart from Fresh FM Radio, I am always available to other radio stations. Apart from that, there are some print journalists that have engaged me too and I am also into book writing. For example, I am on my autobiography which will soon be launched. Apart from that, I have been a consultant to some Publishers. I edit and I get paid for my editing work. I edit for individuals and I edit for Institutions. Apart from editing, everyone in Librarianship, there’s a particular job librarians also perform and that’s indexing. I also do some indexing work since my retirement and I have been invited to so many fora after my retirement to give Public lectures, even churches beyond my own church. Apart from my church, Seventh Day Adventist, I have been a Public Speaker with Anglian Church. The recent one was that of the Mature Minds that gave me an Award just few days ago. I gave lecture on the power of social media. So I have been giving lectures here and there. I am also a community leader. I am very happy to inform you that I am an Ambassador of Ipoti-Ekiti, the Kabiyesi gave me that award and I have been doing that. I have been chairman of Ipoti Day Celebration severally. My old schools, i have been unofficial Public Relations Officer, even the church matters. I want to inform you that Arise television and Channels television have engaged me recently and I find it pleasurable that at least my views can be made known to the larger majority of people. Forget about the financial aspect of it. I am just more keen about the service to people. So people now see me as the spokesperson of the downtrodden, as the spokesman of the people that can be described as the wretched of the earth and I feel excited, I feel good about it and apart from that, I was able to build and establish a hotel called AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL, along Old Iyin-Road, Ado-Ekiti, that provides all kinds of services like lodging, accomodation, bar, restaurant, entertainment, fishery services, we also let water pumping machine out, we also collaborate with others if they invite us for decorating and events planning, cake and small chops and if anyone needs bouncers, we also link up. By the grace of God, Mr. Adewumi Arogundade is the Manager and Head of Operation. I am the Founder and the CEO of the establishment. After retirement, there are so many things to do. It looks beyond being just sitting at a place. You should expand. If there’s another world which I know there’s nothing like that, the same decision I took by voluntary retiring, I will take it again.
What Informed Your Decision To Establish AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL And Not Something Else?
One of the reasons is that I have been in education sector and I have been dealing with books, lecture, carrying file. I just say if I now decide to establish a school after retirement, it’s just the continuation of the same thing. Why can’t I shift a little bit and do something else and what I thought should be the something else is hotel and hospitality, that it will be better for me to do that rather than continuation of the same thing till eternity. That’s one of the major reasons why I tried my hands in hotel. Then secondly, I thought of once you have retired, personally, I am a very social person. I interact a lot and I don’t pretend. I love life. I love enjoyment. I love happiness and I think this can give me happiness. I don’t want to be bored with books again after retirement. I want to enjoy life. I am just relaxing here and if there’s musical, I play music. Even apart from making money in the hotel, I am also using it to enjoy myself, to kill boredom, to kill all kinds of things, relax myself and make myself happy. So, apart from all that, I also see it as an investment. It is more or less a family investment because I am just a leader in the family. I have a wife, I have children. All of them contributed to this hotel project and if that is the case, anything we are doing is a legacy, is an heritage.
As The CEO Of AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, What Are Those Unique Selling Points Of The HOTEL When Compared With Every Other One In Ekiti State?
Firstly, the environment is located along old Iyin-Road, immediately after Ekiti State Police Command and Police Children’s School, Opposite Motor Bulcher Park. Ado-Ekiti.
One of the things that makes the hotel unique when compared to others is the unique environment. It’s a place for tourists because when you look at the rock that surrounds the hotel, it’s a very beauty to behold. There’s a river behind the hotel which is another natural environment to behold. Then within the rock, there is a natural amphitheatre that is very close to the hotel which I want to appeal to the government of Ekiti State particularly, the tourism sector, the Arts and Culture people to come to the place. I think they have been visiting the place once in a year. The amphitheatre is the handiwork of God Almighty or God made use of the early settlers in the area to make the place looks like that. That’s one of the things that makes the hotel unique. We are not the owner of the amphitheatre but at least when there is tourism, hotel and hospitality go together.
Another unique thing about AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL area is that, it’s a 24 hours service like any other hotel but it is a serene environment. It is a home away from home. It is a place for confidentiality. If a public figure or a very popular person or the celebrity really wants to relax, and they don’t want anybody to disturb them with all the noise in town, AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL is the best place. If any young man or young woman or newly wedded couple really want to stay together for their honeymoon and move away from the distraction of the town, AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL is the best. If some people want to carry out research and they don’t want to stay where their wife, husband or children will be disturbing them, or any other side attractions, AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL is the best. The hotel is a cool and quiet environment. The hotel has the privilege of being sited very close to the police headquarters, Ado-Ekiti. So the security is guaranteed. Within a tickling of an eye, there will be police protection and the hotel equally have the privilege position of being close to a place called Odo-Iro. It’s a natural local environment that if anybody that stays in our hotel wants to do some little local shopping probably you want to eat bush meat, you want to get garden eggs or you want to drink palm wine, the place is there for you. You can even send any of our staff to do all that for you. Only few hotels have that kind of being located in the privileged position. We have enough rooms. The hotel also have the privilege of being located very close to where people usually attend Anglican convention in that place called Odo-Iro in Iyin-Ekiti. They can stay in our hotel whenever such programme is holding in the church. AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL is open. We are in between churches. Even the Islamic community, if they want to do any programme, they can come. We also have enough space for children who want to play. We have both open and inner bar. We are still working on our hall. But if you want to do small party, meetings, conferences and seminars, we have a place that can accommodate some reasonable number of people without being disturbed. Even the politicians that want to do caucus meeting, meeting before meeting without being exposed to others, AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL is there for you where people will not know that you are doing your caucus meeting and the confidentiality will be guaranteed.
AROG BEST CHOICE HOTEL, also have the privilege of having a Manager and the Head of Operation who is a thorough bred graduate of accounting and a Post Graduate Diploma Holder in Business Administration. It’s only in our hotel you can see such kind of people and myself, I am an experienced man. A professional and a Public Affairs Analyst. Only few hotels can have that kind of calibre of people heading the hotel and our staff are good too. To ensure maximum satisfaction of our customers, our staff reside permanently in the hotel. They don’t go home. We have few staff and so many ad hoc staff.
Affordability:
We are just starting. So we want to attract customers. We have made it very affordable. We are not the type of people that just charge exorbitantly. In as much as we make our little gain, why should we continue to charge exorbitantly. Our charges are very reasonable and there’s room for negotiation. But terms and conditions apply due to epileptic power supply, we have to buy fuel to power some gadgets and appliances.
Challenges:
Our challenges are the multiplicity of taxes. The taxes are too many. The State government will collect, the local government will collect it’s own, signage will also collect and there’s something they call consumption tax, the Association will also collect. So all those kind of things is becoming many. Am not saying much but many. If the taxes are too many, I don’t think it’s right. For example for people like us that are just starting and yet to have customers as those that have been in the business for long.
Advice:
My advice for the government is that they should try as much as possible to encourage entrepreneurs. The only industry in Ekiti is education. To become teacher, to become Professor or Permanent Secretary. Ekiti should not concentrate on education alone. Or civil service matters alone or Tertiary Institutions alone. That’s our only industry. Encourage the entrepreneurs. Even the young ones coming, encourage them. Give them grant, give them tax holiday. People like us, the new establishment, give tax holiday for three, four years. Then, if you cannot give tax holiday, don’t merge the tax together instead of multiplicity of taxation. With that, you will encourage the entrepreneurs to grow and this entrepreneurs will also employ workers. So they are also contributing to the society. My staff that I employed now, we have provided employment opportunity for them. Just like the way TETFUND gives money to Public Tertiary Institutions, there’s nothing bad in giving us money and if they don’t give us money, they shouldn’t over tax us. That’s number one. Then number two, all these establishments wherever they are located, the road linkage should be done. We are not saying they should tar it. There’s nothing bad in the local government to really grade the roads linking to all kinds of establishment. Not only my hotel, all hotels. Not only hotels too. There are bakeries here and there, sawmills here and there, farms settlement inside villages. That’s the essence of government. That’s what the Chief Obafemi Awolowo era called integrated rural development. We shouldn’t continue to give rice to people. Don’t give people rice. Don’t distribute rice, don’t distribute garri, don’t give people 2,000 naira. But develop people, establish industries, encourage private individuals that established industries, make facilities available for them. Another one is the electricity. The electricity that links this area is not good enough. We rely much on generator to make things work here. The government at all levels should do something about power generally in the country including the high cost of living.
Why Didn’t You Go Into Politics?
Well, when I was doing my introduction I said my father, honourable Adetoso Arogundade, that tells you that I am from a politically inclined and politically active family. In fact, my uncle, the elder brother of my father was the Organising Secretary of the old Action Group, my father was very active in UPN and Action Group. Even presently I have a cousin who is very active with the APC government now. My extended family is more or less a cosmopolitan family. A family where there’s a freedom to pursue whatever you want to pursue. As that my cousin is in APC, I don’t belong to any party. In fact, there are instances we will conflict. Myself and my cousin we would conflict on issues and that doesn’t affect the family togetherness. So I see Nigeria politics as a very terrible thing. I speak the truth. I am not trying to praise myself, I speak the truth. I don’t know how to tell lie and immediately you interact with me, you will know the kind of a person I am. I don’t hide my feelings but when you see Nigerian politics, all these kind of attributes cannot conform to Nigerian politics. So if I should join politics with these kind of attributes that I think is good that I have, it may not augur well. So why can’t I stay away and do what I like doing best? Then you can contribute to the society. Not necessarily when you join politics. By the grace of God, I have contributed to my community through scholarship to the less privileged students even before now, I have been doing that almost ten years ago to the churches, any younger one that needs my counsel I do it, the little money I have I give to the less privileged. Most politicians don’t even do that and people do appreciate the little I do because they know that I am not doing it for any political reasons. They know am just doing it out of my own freewill. I don’t plan to gain anything from it. Even in christendom, you do good to people that will not repay back because if you are doing good to the people you think will repay back, there’s no difference between you and infidels. So because of that my attribute, I cannot tell lie. Most Nigerian politicians tell lie. I cannot pretend. I cannot cheat and Nigerian politics is heavily monetized. The little resources I have, I cannot be spending it in buying votes. Why can’t I use it to the poor of the poor? Somebody told me on a lighter mood that Ayo, if you want to join politics, do you have about twenty million naira? That’s before subsidy removal. So if you have the twenty million naira, get it in cash, put it somewhere and set it ablaze. It simply means if you want to join politics, be ready to waste your money. But meanwhile in Nigeria, they will just cheat you, they will just blackmail you. If you are Into politics, be ready that people will tell you that your father is not your father. So can you withstand all those things? When I look at it, I say this kind of politics, I will not join.
Another area is that almost everybody in Ekiti, even in Nigeria has become politician. Younger younger people, it’s because they don’t have anything to do. Upon graduation and completion of NYSC, what are you doing? They will say is into politics. Is politics a business? Is it a profession? It should be a vocation. But because they don’t get job. And what kind of politics do they really play? They play a kind of politics that they serve some people and at the end of the day, they make them P.A. Why can’t they become Commissioner? Why can’t they become Minister? Look at some of the ministerial appointments President Tinubu made, somebody among them was born in1980. Why can’t they emulate such rather than P.A especially in Ekiti, all of them are PAs. It’s better to teach people how to fish. Don’t give them fish. So because of all these, I decided to stay on my own. If any of my children wants to play politics, I will support. I can be supporting at the level of advice and at the level of the token I can give, at the level of hosting, I can do all that without necessarily coming out and the kind of activities am engaged in, Public Affairs Analysis and others, people are appreciating it. The feedback am getting is highly encouraging. By the time I now say am joining politics and I become partisan, anything I say, people will not respect it again, they will now say because he belongs to this party. Why can’t I just stay and continue to be appreciated with the little I am doing to the society. For instance, if am now joining politics in 2023, it’s already late. If for certain thing, I now join and they give me position, the highest they will give me is to be a Commissioner. With due respect to the Commissioners and to God be the glory, what’s the difference between Commissioner and myself? I have so many of my friends who are Commissioners. I have so many of them who were former Commissioners too. To others who want to join, am ready to support. But let me tell you something, in life, there’s nobody that is completely not supporting anybody. If I tell you that I don’t belong to party, what of if I want to vote? Wouldn’t I vote? So, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own political preferences but I am not fanatically supporting anybody. My interest is based on issues.
Parting Words?
The present day politicians should emulate the politicians of the old. I was old enough to know how obafemi awolowo administered the whole western states. The man was not a saint but he was a complete servant leader. He served the people. He introduced free education, the cocoa industry, all the industrial complex in ikeja, Lagos was the handiwork of Obafemi Awolowo. Look at the likes of Adekunle Ajasin, Bola Ige, Lateef Jakande in Lagos. The Jakande schools are all there in Lagos. And most of the Products of the Jakande schools between 1979 and 1983 are the present leaders today. Ditto in the old Ondo State when Adekiunle Ajasin was there. These were leaders.
These were selfless leaders. They were not saints anyway. Let me tell you, Pa Adekunle Ajasin returned to the same old house he built in Owo. I know the house of Bisi Onabanjo in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. I had worked in Ijebu-Ode. It’s the same old house when he left office. Ambrose Ali in the old Bendel State was a poor professor. They served the people, but by the time politics became monetized, politics had become commercialized, politics has become business and people become corrupt. There’s corruption among larger percentage of the politicians and they are not ready to change because they are making a lot of money. Look at how the National Assembly has become. They were even making fun of the poor, that the poor should breath.
Some Politicians have made people to be terribly poor. There’s a saying in Yoruba, don’t call cow brother because you want to eat meat. I can say the solution lies with the people. How does the solution lie with the people? During election, let people shun politics of buying and selling. It has happened in Ghana, if it can happen in Ghana, where some youths were destroying the rice that was given to them by politicians. I am not even quoting America, but Ghana. Why can’t average Nigerians reject money, reject tribal politics, tribal sentiment, tribal emotions. I don’t care where anybody comes from. What matters is good governance. Once there’s good governance, nobody needs to beg. Look at the road you passed before coming to this place, that should be a local government road, I am the one doing it. That’s the work of a local government, but the local government is no more existing in Nigeria. It’s just a warehouse to pay salary.
