Former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has weighed in on the “Japa” trend of Nigerian emigration, arguing against using it as the sole measure of the country’s state.
In an interview on ARISE NEWS Channel programme, Perspective, on Friday, Fashola acknowledged that global migration is happening, not just in Nigeria.
He stated, “The world is imminently migrating and travelling at a pace perhaps never witnessed before in human history. ‘Japa’ shouldn’t be used to measure how bad or good Nigeria is. My dream about Nigeria is a place where every person’s dream can come true. It is the driving force of my book about the fulfilment of the possibility of Nigeria as my dream.”
He expressed optimism for Nigeria’s future and suggested that his experiences could benefit younger generations, particularly in leadership development
“One of the things that interest me is helping the process of leadership development and leadership recruitment, especially in public space. That is something I find really exciting and I hope that whatever experience I have acquired, can be beneficial to another set of younger people.“In terms of political choices, I don’t look too far ahead of myself. What is uppermost for me now is to reintegrate myself back as a citizen into my community and get on with life at that level. So, I don’t look too far at myself politically. My immediate priority is to reintegrate myself as a citizen into my community and get on with life at that level.”
Reflecting on his public service, Fashola emphasised the demanding nature of the work and the importance of patriotism in building the best version of the country. He shared a personal anecdote about avoiding unnecessary privileges, saying, “My parents always told me not to take what I cannot afford just because someone else is paying for it.”
Fashola added, “People seldom see the amount of work that is in public service. It is really unforgiving work. Before I came into public service, my other life was as a legal practitioner. Nobody could fairly accuse me of being lazy, but in the public service, I have never worked as hard as I have worked in public service.
‘’To the extent that Nigeria is our motherland, our home country, place of refuge, the necessity for patriotism in my view, is not open to debate. We just have to be patriots and continue building the best version of our country that we want. We must be original and authentic in our thoughts and our actions.
“For eight years, I never used a siren in Lagos, and worked throughout the traffic and we managed it. I was in traffic all through the period; people were in traffic, and we stayed there together.”
Regarding his pension, Fashola clarified that he only receives a monthly pension of N577,000 from the Lagos State government, despite rumours of receiving large sums.
He reiterated, “I don’t know how long it will last, but I still get it every month, and nothing from the federal government at all.”
Speaking about life after office, Fashola mentioned his continued involvement in politics, but not in an active political role.
He described politics as a noble undertaking and expressed relief at the end of his term, stating, “So, I ran my race as hard as I thought I could.”
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