In politics, there is a clear difference between giving people what they need today and preparing them for what they can become tomorrow. While some measure empowerment by the number of envelopes distributed, others understand that the greatest empowerment is an opportunity capable of changing a life permanently. Rt. Hon. Sanni Egidi Abdulraheem belongs to the latter category.
The recent employment opportunity secured for an Ajaokuta youth with the Energy Commission of Nigeria is more than an appointment, it is another demonstration of SEA commitment to investing in people and creating opportunities that can outlive political seasons.
This adds to his growing record of youth focused interventions, including skills acquisition programmes, distribution of valuable empowerment items, cash empowerment for small scal business owners, student grants and employment opportunities across private establishments, state institutions and federal agencies.
The common thread is simple ,help people become productive and self reliant.
As a successful businessman and civil servant who rose through the ranks from the lower cadre to the peak of his career, Rt. Hon. Sanni understands that sustainable empowerment is not always about putting money in someone’s hands. Sometimes, the greatest empowerment is opening a door through which a person can build a career, earn a living and contribute meaningfully to society.
The Energy Commission opportunity is therefore bigger than one beneficiary. A meaningful job can strengthen a household, support dependants, and create a professional pathway that benefits the wider community. It is like planting a tree, the person who plants it may not be the only one who enjoys its shade.
Unfortunately, some critics have reduced political representation to the some unrealistic expectation of constant stipends and short-term political gestures & propaganda. Because Rt. Hon. Sanni Egidi is not allowing such expectations to dictate his approach, some social media critics have attempted to diminish his efforts.
Criticism is healthy when it is constructive, but deliberately dismissing every achievement because it does not serve a political interest or personal interest is destructive. If a young person secures employment, the focus should be on the opportunity created and the future of the beneficiary, not on the politics surrounding it.
There is an old wisdom that says the farmer who eats all his seed to satisfy today’s hunger will have nothing to plant tomorrow. Leadership must therefore look beyond immediate applause and invest in what will produce lasting benefits.
Ajaokuta’s youths need more than temporary relief. We need skills, education, employment, businesses and opportunities to fulfil our potential. When a representative creates such opportunities, he is not merely helping individuals; he is investing in the future of the entire constituency.
The noise of social media will eventually fade, but the impact of genuine opportunities will remain in the lives of the beneficiaries.
Rt. Hon. Sanni Egidi for this reason has remain focused on his vision of creating opportunities and building people.
Let the critics talk. Let the beneficiaries grow. Let the opportunities multiply. Let those who can’t appreciate be silent forever. And let the future judge the work.
Ultimately, the strongest political legacy is not the number of people temporarily entertained, but the number of lives permanently transformed.
– Abdulhameed Ivavah writes from Ajaokuta.
