I PREFER ACTIVISM TO POLITICKING- Comrade Waheed Lawal

Comrade Waheed Lawal, a human right activist and the National Deputy Chairman (South west) of National Conscience Party (NCP) in an interview with Gold Magazine explained why he prefers activism to politicking. Read the full interview below:

Can we meet you sir?

My name is Waheed Lawal, many peolpel call me Comrade Waheed Lawal, some call me Alhaji Waheed Lawal, others call me Chief Waheed Lawal and I do answer them but best of all I am Waheed Lawal.

For how long have you being in politics?

Well, I prefer human right activist to politics, when you are talking of politics, you are talking of traditional politics. Some people are into politics to make money and some were there to change the system but as a human being, we are all political animals. I am an activist as far back as early 80s because I believe that if we are not ready to fight it, nobody will fight it for us. You must ready to live your life for the people and during the cause you may loose your life, you may be sent to prison in which I have faced many challenges as an activist. I develop full interest in politics when Chief Gani Fawehinmi, introduced National conscience as a movement which later metamorphosis to National Conscience Party in 1994.

Do you see yourself as an opposition to the current government of the State of Osun?

Well, that question is a good question. My party as a political party

 Is an opposition party but let me clear one thing, when our party (NCP) chooses me as the gubernatorial candidate in 2007 election and when we scrutinized the entire process, we see that we don’t have enough money to run a good campaign for the election because Nigeria politics is not how intelligent you are but how much you have for the election, which is wrong. This made the leadership of my party to choose ACN candidate Rauf Aregbesola because is the only person that has six point integral plan that is so closer to the 10 care programmes of the National Conscience Party to develop the State of Osun. Looking into the man himself Rauf Aregbesola, he is a lefty like us, a comrade like us, an activist like us, he was once a student leaders like us, he has been a socialist and communist, that is why my party supported him in 2007 election and if you mobilize yor people to vote for somebody, you cannot say you are an opposition to that person.

Aregbesola 2014 in Osun what is your stand on this?

The people of Osun know what is best for them and if they think of Rauf in 2014 no problem. My may have candidate for Osun Governoship election in 2014 if we deem it fit  but I think we have no regret by voting Aregbesola as our Governor.

Who are your role models?

Hmmm! My role model, after Allah and Prophet Muhammed (SAW), is Chief Gani Fawehinmi, he thought me every thing, and he put me into this line. Taye Sholarin and Wole Soyinka were still there but Gani is all in all.