Popular Lagos politician, Otunba Femmy Carrena is 60. He turned 60 last weekend and he celebrated it. He has many reasons to celebrate.
In this birthday interview with City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE & SUNDAY ADIGUN, this handsome Lagos PDP Chieftain spoke about his involvement in the politics of Lagos & Nigeria. Below are excerpts.
Congrats on turning 60. How do you feel?
I feel great. The excitement comes from the fact that you have survived all these years, especially when you look back at friends that you started with together, how they have fallen out of favour with social life or they have been down through, sickness, or stroke or death. When you look at what you have been with both home and abroad you just have to thank God. That is why I want to mark my birthday to thank God to say I am grateful.
The name Femi Careena has become a big brand in politics for decades. What has been your staying power?
It is the grace of God. I am a workaholic. But I can no longer write all night. Age is catching up with me. Being consistent and hard work has helped. A few years ago, I worked with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He is a workaholic. He works hard. Those are my mentors.
How did you get into politics?
I was in America for 17 to 18 years. Somewhere along the line I came to Nigeria briefly in the 90s with a younger brother, Durojaiye Agbetusi and the guy that was popularly known as Ghaddafi. He worked with MKO Abiola as a bodyguard. He called me in the US to tell me he got the job and he wants me to join him. I came in briefly in 1992 on holiday. We both worked with Abiola. We traveled round with him. I was involved in External Protocol/Security. I then went back to the US because Abiola got arrested. We had to take refuge at the US Embassy. An American, John Dutchener took care of us. I think he was the Cultural Attache. We eventually had to leave the country through Badagry to Cotonou, back to US. These activities got me to go into politics.
Then, Abacha came in dismantled the political structures. He created the Zero party. I got interested in it. In 1995, I came to join the grassroots politics under the Zero party. I was a member of a political group on the Island. I am from Lagos Island.
I got involved with this political group called Ayemojuba. From that, it metamorphosed into the Justice Forum. I contested under Justice Forum for the Zero Party Election and I was disqualified by the Electoral Commission (NEC) headed by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu in a very suspicious way because I got my letter on Sunday. My dad was the one who discovered it. We later realise that these were military tactics to show they want nobody to contest.
After that, I went back to the US. I returned again in 1996. I got involved with a group called the African Refugee Foundation established by Ambassador Segun Olusola. I worked briefly with them. Both of us went to the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR).
We met the Country Representative who got so much interested in me. I worked with UNHCR as a Consultant. We did a lot of work to bring back refugees from the Battle Zone.
That was how I basically got into Politics. I went back to the US and came back again in 1998/99 when the PDP, AD were all setting up their political structures. So, I joined PDP. I started from there and I have never left PDP ever since.
Why?
A lot of people have asked me that question. I think its who I am. A lot of came into politics with different mindsets. I have always seen politics as an opportunity to contribute what you have. Serve the people. Touch their lives. That is why I cannot leave one party and jump to another one.
I am not in Politics to make money. I have my business. I am not hungry. I have always had my business. So, it’s not about looking for what to eat. That is why I have not been able to jump from one party to another.
What has been your staying power in Lagos PDP? You have become almost synonymous with Lagos PDP. How do you explain that?
Haa! The politics of Lagos PDP is a different ball game. If you really go deep down you will see the reason Lagos PDP is the way it is. Former Head of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo told me one thing one day. It was so many years ago.
He said I think Lagos State PDP is jinxed. For a while, I started believing that. Could it be the fact that we are truly jinxed?
What is happening to Lagos PDP is like self-destruction. Because I can’t understand it myself. Look, you want to win. You have a formidable ruling party in Lagos. And you say you want to win. If you truly want to win, why are you guys, fighting yourself. Why can’t you close ranks and work together? In Lagos PDP, somebody will always be the problem.
I see Lagos as my state. I love Lagos. I love my state. I am the typical Omo Eko. I grew up on the Island. Being a national leader of the party has basically given me a lot of exposure. So, I play politics all over South West, all over Nigeria and where my experience is needed, the National Chairman can easily get across to me The southwest Chairman can also easily get across. I come back home each time and I wonder, my people you are still fighting. You really can never get to the bottom of it. I believe things are better now. We have a new Chairman in Lagos State, in the person of Engr. Deji Doherty. He is an old horse. We contested for governorship together in 2007. Then, I resigned from the government of Obasanjo. Then, I went to contest. Deji Doherty was also in jail with me when Funso Williams died.
We still see ourselves as The Credible Class of Lagos State made up of myself, Deji Doherty, Engr. Tokunboh Kamson, Musiliu Obanikoro, Deji Aganga, Kayode Anibaba. These are the people who were really committed to politics in PDP when politics in Lagos was there. I have always been contented. Maybe, that is the reason.
How did you take the loss of Engineer Funsho Williams at that time?
It was a big blow. Why would anybody pick up all of us that were contesting with him and just slam all of us into detention? We were there for about a month or two. I would have thought they should search the ruling party, not the opposition because Funsho Williams was in opposition and it was a big blow to the whole nation. Unfortunately for us, we were all rounded up and put in detention. We were at Alagbon throughout the period until the President in his infinite mercy asked for justice to be done. I got across to Obasanjo and let him understand that we were just rotting away here and we really didn’t do anything. And there is no way we could have been the one that killed Funsho Williams. We were released at the end of the day. So after we were released all the 14 aspirants demanded to see the President and he also demanded to see us. We called ourselves The Alagbon 14. We saw Obasanjo and we were determined then that we were going to leave the PDP. Baba had to persuade us not to leave. The day I came back to Lagos, my mum died the following day. It has always been a roller-coaster movement for me. That is why when you look back at my journey you have every reason to say thank you God.
The question everybody keeps asking for which there has been no answer is: Why has it been difficult for the PDP to win the governorship in Lagos?
I can answer it in 2 ways. On the side of politicians in Lagos State, it has been Betrayal. On the side of the electorate, it has been Apathy. They just believe that we the footsoldiers in Lagos PDP, we are not used to winning. And a lot of us are used.
I cannot pinpoint the group or individuals that betray us but it has been the trend. You will just know something went wrong somewhere. Now, Lagos State has about 6.2 million registered voters who are eligible to vote. That is the highest in the whole of the country. Now, go and check INEC records for the past 20 years. We have never had people voting up to 2 million. And that is how AD, ACN, APC has been winning elections in Lagos. Not even up to 1.6 sometimes.
The APC people also have spies They know our strength is Lagos West, which has the highest local governments from Mushin to Badagry, which is 10 Local Governments. Central is 5 Local Governments. Lagos East is Epe, Ikorodu, Kosofe, it has 5 Local Governments. So Lagos West is our strength. Lagos West is where you have loads of non-speaking Yoruba population and ethnic group. The APC will threaten them, intimidate them, don’t let them vote.
They will tell the people in Ladipo, Oshodi, that they are going to come and close their shops, close Computer Village. They threaten all of them. These are some of the things that work against PDP winning in Lagos.
Besides, they have deep pockets, financially. And so they know how to handle it. But I can assure you that with the person that is there now, who is focused and who is not taking any rubbish from anybody, in the person of Engr. Deji Doherty, they will be shocked come 2023.
I don’t give interviews and talk like this, about Lagos. But they will be shocked. When you have square pegs in square holes, PDP is sure to win. The most challenging elections we have ever had in this state was when Musiliu Obanikoro was our candidate. That was a tight race with Fashola. And you can tell that Musiliu Obanikoro was the best candidate, we had.
He is the best. The other ones are more like Technocrats coming to contest. Koro is a grassroots man. I give it to him. He is my brother. We are brothers. You may like him. You may not like him. He is the candidate to beat. These are some of our problems in Lagos State, but Deji Doherty is doing his best in that area.
READ AKSO: HOW 2 OF MY KIDS DIED BECAUSE OF MY ACTING CAREER – VETERAN YORUBA ACTOR, ALAPINNI
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