“I clear for my mind say I fit work for di pipo of Edo state, to comot our state from poverty, to move us to state wia pipo get, wia everybody get.”
Na so a relaxed Asuerinme Ighodalo, di Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for di Edo state govnorship election tell BBC News Pidgin.
Sabi pipo put Ighodalo as one of di contenders for di election wey dey happun for Edo state on 21 September.
Ighodalo na lawyer with experience wey get background in advising different govments on economic policies.
E don also serve for di boards of several ogbonge companies.
Inside exclusive interview with BBC Pidgin before di election, Ighodalo tok about im plan, dream and reason for deciding to leave di corporate world to try for di race of who go be Edo state next govnor.
Di 65-year-old say e dey convinced on why e decide to join di race, e say na to make Edo state pipo live to dey beta.
“I don dey private sector all my life, no mata wetin you do dia, probably you go affect 5,000 lives, if your company big, 10,000 directly and indirectly.
“But if you dey public service, you be govnor, you fit directly affect five million pipo, six million pipo,” Ighodalo tok.
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‘Food, transport and free healthcare for di elderly’
If e win, Ighodalo say part of im policies go be to help di poor-poor and di elderly.
“Edo state get health insurance scheme, we go structure di health insurance scheme wey pipo wey poor-poor, or pipo wey old go fit go hospital and di hospital go care for dem,” Asue tok.
“Di state go contribute to di health insurance scheme, wen pipo dey work too dem go also dey pay to di scheme so dat by di time dem old, dem fit go hospital, dem fit go hospital to get medical care.
“Pipo wey poor-poor, di state and di contribution of oda pipo to di scheme go help hospital to fit take care of dem.
“We go give money to di pipo wey dey poor-poor, but e go dey conditional, for dem to start trade, do something so after like two, three months dem go begin take care of demsefs.”
On food security, di PDP candidate say im go focus on well-well on di agricultural sector.
“We go develop our agriculture so food go dey well-well. Also security, becos pipo no fit go farm, cost of food high as food no plenty as e be before, so if we make sure say we fit bring cost of food down for our state, many more pipo go fit see food chop.”
Ighodalo also promise to maintain free bus for some routes for Edo state and say pipo wey old well-well wey don pass 70 years old go fit travel for free.
‘I be board chairman’
E no dey strange to see candidates dey yab each oda for Nigeria in di build up to election in oda to score points.
So wen di leader of di All Progressives Congress and former Govnor of Edo state Adams Oshomhole tackle Ighodalo recently, e no too come as surprise but na wetin e say na im make pipo pay attention small as e yab di PDP candidate say e no dey “electable and no fit speak im language” [dialect].
For Ighodalo, dat one no follow at all.
“E no say those tins wey e tok no correct, no be beta tin e tok. sometimes di man dey tok before e tink,” Ighodalo fire back.
“I advise am for im economic team for eight years, if all those tins e tok I no sabi do dem, how I advise am for eight years? Im which work e do before e become govnor? na tailor e take start and I no tok say e no fit be govnor. Me wey I don chair board, I don run company wey employ 10,000 pipo, I no wan join issues with am, our experiences dey different, I be board chairman, im be tailor.
“Wen I develop my manifesto, wey be my contract with di pipo of Edo state, I go from place to place to see wetin dey worry us, wetin be our problem, na dia I dey tok say dis tin na problem, we must deal with dis problem if we wan improve our state. But wen pipo no get anytin to take tell pipo say na di tin wey I wan do be dis, abeg vote for me, na im dem go dey take try to yab pipo.”
On why make Edo pipo trust am, Ighodalo say make pipo check out im history.
“Wetin pesin go do tomorrow you go know from wetin e do yesterday. Through my life, from wen I comot school reach today, di kain work wey I don do, wey I work before, wey I sit for board, all those tins, so if pipo look di tin wey I do before, by God’s grace, except crase enta dis mata, moving forward, na di kain tin wey I do before, I go do forward”.
‘I no get political godfather’
Ighodalo get di blessing of di current state Govnor, Godwin Obaseki to contest over di Deputy Govnor Philip Shaibu wey even cause kasala for di state.
Dis wan make some critics dey reason say Obaseki fit want sometin more. But Ighodalo dey quick to crush di idea say im no go be a man of im own if e win.
‘”Even in private sector as pipo dey grow, you dey get mentor, pipo wey go dey guide you, wey go say you wan grow, for you to grow you must be hardworking, you must do dis, read dis kain book, go dis kain school so you go get mentor.
“So if you dey tok about pipo wey dey mentor pipo dey guide dem, its not a bad tin to have a mentor but no be say you go get pesin wey go dey tell you say go here, go here, do dis, do dis, how?”
On di first three tins wey e go do if Edo pipo vote am and e win, e say: “First tin security, becos if we get am right, every oda tin go dey easier to do, di oda tin be say we go look di tin wey fit create jobs for our pipo, so we go look like agriculture, small scale industries. Anoda tin wey go help create jobs na electricity so we go look dat one.”
