Mr Stanley Ogochukwu Odali
Mr Stanley Ogochukwu Odali is the chief Executive officer of Komchop and Chinese Restaurant Warri and Chairman, Chief Executive officer StanOdali Contracting limited. Married with a daughter, a graduate of University of Benin. An old boy of Hussey College Warri, a lover of sports and a club member of shell football club, Warri.
Before venturing into business, he worked as security personnel at an oil servicing company, Bedero Prize in Warri, after his secondary education. It was while there as a security Personnel that the opportunity to go into business occurred.
Mr Stanley Ogochukwu Odali, apart from an astute and a successful businessman is also a founding member of the ruling Peoples Democracy Party. In this interview he reviews his passion to see changes come to Ukwuani local government Area if voted in as the Executive chairman of the council. He is from Umukwata in Ukwuani LGA, Delta State.
Question: With your achievement in the business world, what is it that is making you think of becoming the Executive Chairman of Ukwuani LGA and when did you joined politics.
Stanley Odali: As a student, I was always interested in politics, so at the inception of the present dispensation, i joined as a foundation member of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP). Even before venturing into full politics in my university days I was part of the politics, to the extent of contesting for the president of the senate, but for some reasons i was advised to ratter focus on pubic politics.
Because I am a foundational member of my Party, I still have my first party membership card. In 2002 I indicated interest to run for state house of assembly, but after buying my form I was spoken to by my Late Uncle, late Captain Ogbolu to step down for the former member of the Delta State House of Assembly representing Ukwuani, Hon Okpue from Umutu. In 2007 I also contested, I narrowly missed in the primaries, and from then on I have always been active in party politics so my interest to be the Executive chairman of Ukwuani LGA is not a day dream or plan.
Question: But from your background, and story from the age of 13 you left Ukwuani for Warri, how much touch do you have of the area that will win you the ticket and the chairmanship position.
Stanley Odali: When I said I was a founding member of the party, I started with my local government. That I stay in Warri had not caused me to loose touch with my people. I am always in Ukwuani. The distance of travel from Warri to Obiaruku is 30 to 45mins drive. Almost every week I am always with the people, and I attended activities with them.
I know the needs of our people. For years, been a member of the PDP, I am fully aware of their needs. Again with my interaction with those of our people who are in government, elected or appointed, I know the challenges of our people and this is giving me the challenges to go for the chairmanship of the LGA, so with my experience I can bring development to the people.
Yes I will not deny the fact that I live in Warri, but also don’t deny the fact that I lived in Ukwuani for 13 years before coming to Warri, when I could barely speak Pidgin English. Even when I was in Warri I was always coming to the village to work in the farm to make some money to add to what my parents were giving me for school fee, and other bills. So I can be regarded as an average Ukwuani man who is also an average Warri boy.
Emmannuel Enebeli And Emmanuel Okoro and Mr Stanley Odali During the Interview at his home in Warri
Question: What will you be bringing to Ukwuani that you feel need to but is not there, if your party gives you the opportunity and the people of Ukwuani votes you in.
Stanley Odali: As i said earlier I had contested to be a member of the state house of assembly but did not win. But off all, my interest to context for position was never a selfish one. Even this very one, the idea of becoming the executive chairman of Ukwuani Local Government Council. But, rather, in our party I noticed there is a gap between our party leaders and members of the party in the Local Government and that gap also extends to between the executive of the council and the people of Ukwuani, and this had always caused our party a vote of protest against the PDP. There is a kind of disconnect between the leader and those that are led. On Election Day there is always a protest vote between our people and our great party the PDP. We did not loose election because the people did not like or love the Governor, His Excellence Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, we lost the election because the people were protesting the disconnect between them and those at the hems of affair in the Local Government. I believe that for us to straightening our party we need a truly grassroot person, and even if I leave in Warri I am always in the village. Always in contact with my people and I know their yearnings and needs. Most of them just want to be heard. Just to be shown some levels of concern and affections. Some of them do not want you to give them all the money in the world, but just want you to recognize that they are there to carry them along and not to be bossed. So, first I am coming to strengthen my party at the grassroots by following in the footsteps of our Governor, in its three points agenda and filter it down from the state to the Local Government Level, because we in the Local Government, we are the grassroots, sometimes the impact from the state is not felt as the executive chairman of the Local Government will do. I believe that I have what it will take, I know the needs of our people and I will be there to bridge the gap because that is why we have the third tier of government at the Local Government, so that government should be closer to the people. This will also bring Micro development to my people.
Question: And in all these how much consultation have you done?
Stanley Odali: I declared my intention to run for this position as far back as June 2011, immediately after the dissolution of the elected council. So for the past three years I have not been sitting down, I had always been in the village consulting, discussiing which is always a continuous process. Before this interview, I had consulted with all the ward chairman and secretaries, with party leaders, youth groups and the consultation is continuous. Even with the opposition to come back to the PDP or to cross over to our party, because I see that opposition politics had not favoured our Local Government. We know that politics is about interest but some of the people that picked form were consulted already by me, but this is politics.
Question: You earlier talked on the protest vote of the people against your party, the PDP, in finding solution to this anger of the people what will you do if giving the opportunity, to quell the anger or is this disconnect resolved?
Stanley Odali: As you know, the executive governor of the state has been doing a lot. Not only executing his three point agenda, but when critically looked at, you will see that he is tying the president transformation Agenda to his developmental strides. He had been working assiduously to make things better. Let take our local government as an example, which is oil producing, through the DESOPADEC; the government had done a lot of projects, and even the empowering of some people through the provision of computers for business start-up, Tricycle and other empowerment programmes
The Governor Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has really done a lot to show that despite the protest vote in the elections, he is bearing no animosity or grudges against them. He makes sure that the DESOPADEC commissionership is given to our local Government, because it was our time. And DESOPADEC is doing a lot to contribute to the development agenda of the state and Ukwuani.
Also you may have noticed so many roads that has been built in Obiaruku. The street lights installed, drainage facilities and all that. And as for the transition, you know it is called transition and as far as l am concerned the transition committee cannot carry out much capital projects. But even at that the LGA did their Sure-P and some people benefited and were empowered. My party is doing a lot in Ukwuani. We are doing very well in the local government to change the perception of the people about PDP.
In the area of security, there is a lot of funding coming in; the government had provided more security patrol vans to curb the rate of crime. As a government at the top we have done very well, as a party we are reconciling aggrieved parties who joined forces will the opposition to vote against the PDP. And we will get it right in local government election, which we prepare us for a clean sweep, for the 2015 governorship and House of assembly elections, including Presidential elections.
We will also look at sport. Within a year or 18 month the Obiaruku Stadia will be put into use. I tend to grass it, and make it available for sporting activities. We will do the best we can, while we seek some assistance from the state government. With my love for sports, especially football I will give sport development a very good attention.
Question: One of the biggest problems we have today is the issue of unemployment, how do you intended to solve this if voted in?
Stanley Odali: Even the advanced countries still suffer from unemployment problem. As an economics, I have done a lot of studies in developmental economics we cannot study developmental economy without studying the economy of developed countries. I am aware that every country, no matter how developed have some unemployment problem or the other. Some countries have single digit unemployment rate, some, like the developing economy sometimes on double digits or higher single digit like 9.
Unemployment cannot entirely be eliminated because there are people that are unemployed because they want to be unemployed, semi unemployed they are employed but not doing the right and satisfying jobs. Again, there may be some, who even when they are employed can’t be said that they are unemployed, like the university graduate doing security work. This person is technically unemployed. The problem is a world problem. It is a national and state problem. If i come in as the executive chairman, I intend to bring in some of the program to ameliorate these problems; I may not be able to solve it entirely but will give it a good attention. Focusing on our own human capital development strategy, which of course as an economist I intend to stimulate the economy of my local government, because we can stimulate the economy.
What we want to do to ameliorate this problem is first we will be tying it with our educational program. This program is called Youth-off the street.
The program is all about human capital development of the youth. We also have the human capital development projects for the women. The youth of the street will focus on both the formal and informal education. In formal education we will give out scholarship to those that can pass our attitude text and money disbursed based on results from the recipients’ schools every section. This will be close monitored and again such recipients must be truly in need that the parent cannot pay their fees. We will not do empowerment program where money is given to those that already have it, but to those that don’t have. When this is done, it will encourage them to go to school, and come out to be entrepreneurs. The last job I did was the security job before going to school, and today I am an employer of labour. I want to encourage people and mentor people on the spirit of entrepreneur as the Chairman of Ukwuani L.G.A
On the informal education, we intend to train people on skill acquisition, either partnering with existing centres or set up our own. Here, the skill will be on what will improve the personal human economy, we will set them up, but they will be monitored to check that the beneficiaries’ utilise the opportunity given to them. They will be made to submit a quarterly report of their progress, and these funds will be gradually released to the person(s) based on performances. These persons will not only be self-employed but also labour employers
Again employment generation is what I am going to create inwardly, I will not force a company to give job that does not exist or build a plant in my local government. But companies in Nigeria and outside the shore of the country can be encouraged to come and invest in the area so that our people can get employed through that means, most especially with the vast land and relative peace in Ukwuani. This will be done on what I call moral persuasion. While this moral persuasion will be employed to bring in companies to Ukwuani, the council through my leadership will engage in the training of our people in the skill of entrepreneurship so that they can equally be self employed and in turn employ others. With this two approach, the economy of Ukwuani will be stimulated, to reduce unemployment. With this approaches, the unemployment challenges and security issues in the L.G.A will be effectively controlled.
The other approach to this employment generation is for the women especially the traders. We will take independent evaluation of the women and then business community by community, see what they are doing and ask on the area they will need help, and access what impact such assistance will have on their community and the local government. Such women will be given micro credit; some of such credits will be out-right credit to stimulate the economy. The ones their businesses are failing can be given a bail out, after studying and pre-qualifying them.
And again, I know that there is a flow station in the local government, but as I said earlier, the company, Platform Petroleum Limited will be appealed to, to give our people job. They can not be coerced. Also anytime the Local Government service Commission and states civil service commission are employing as the local government Chairman, I will make sure the slot forUkwuani is given to us.
Question: And the Delta beyond oil of Uduaghan government, how will you manage it with your programme.
Stanley Odali: If you listen to me very clearly, you will know that I have keyed into the Delta beyond Oil agenda. This is because I had not mentioned the issue that we have an oil company operating in the Local Government. It is because we are trying to deemphasise our people over or total reliance on oil. So when I talk about stimulating our economy, when I talk training on people on entrepreneurship, it means that the Local government under my administration will key in to this laudable dream of our governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan. I believe every economy can function by itself. If you empower a brick layer he will buy cement and the person that is selling cement will make profit, he buy a bag of rice, and the person selling rice will also make profit and will buy both meat and tomatoes then the chain of economic development continues, and a circle of prosperity will be build.
Question: And you have been talking but since, you have not mentioned agriculture, despite the large, stable and fertile land in Ukwuani?
Stanley Odali: Yes because I want to look at the life of agriculture in a broader angle. The issue of agriculture to me is primary sector of the economy, and many of our people are already employed, through subsistence farming. My government will encourage the farmer to go beyond subsistence farming into commercial farming. This may not be at large scale, but I should be able to stimulate them to look at the by-products that comes out from cassava there are many produce, like tapioca, they will be encouraged to form cooperatives to pull their resources together where these produce can be exported. Better seedlings for high yields and fertilizer supply to on farmers, loan to do better.
Also, there will be farmer education on the need to farm more than what they consume but in all my major interest is the high production of cassava for tapioca for possible export.
Question: How would your Government increase the income of the council, by reducing dependant on the federal allocation?
Stanley Odali: The revenue issue is a national issue. But with the introduction of Delta Beyond Oil policy, the Government of Delta State is saying we should look for other means. However as the chairman of the council, I know there is need to tax the people but I would not want to duel more on that, rather I will want to give people incentives, so that their businesses can be stable, because you cannot be stimulating an economy and at the same time taxing the people. And for those we can tax, like the major companies we will do so based on existing codes. But my government will not give excessive tax in improving the income generation of the council, we will setup some agencies, my main first focus on this is to establish an Ukwuani transportation system to compete with the existing state and private transportation companies in the council area and further ease the transportation needs of our people. It will be wholly own Transport Company by the council, but will run as a full commercial entity.
Question: How will you rate the performance of Delta State under Uduaghan?
Stanley Odali: The state before now was a high risk security state. But with Governor Uduaghan the state is now relatively safe. Militancy is no more. There is an increase in assistance to the security services, with provision of patrol vehicles, these you can see in Ukwuani local Government. Today Delta State is one of the peaceful states. And remember one of his three point agenda is peace and security. One thing is that, crime and insecurity is universal but the state is doing its best to control it.
Question: Off all you have said, what will be your first priority?
Stanley Odali: The first priorities if voted into power will be human capital development and stimulation of the economy. With human capital development this will bring peace to the communities as this will help to take the youth off the street and this is so dear to me in the stimulation of the economy, it will not be just given money to the people for business but it will involve making sure there is close supervision, that the money given is properly used for its purposes. I am today product of discipline. I did not start my company because I had money, or was financed by somebody. It was the act of discipline that I got where I am today. So this is what I will see happen. Even if the money is not giving to be returned, we must see that the grant is used and invested in Ukwuani and thus properly monitored. This will at a long run give a safer environment.
