The Need for Continuity in Yagba Federal Constituency

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What is the purpose of a representative? The response to this poser cannot be far-fetched. A recourse to political theory won’t even be necessary. A good representative engages adequately in legislation and constituency elevation.

When Yagba trooped to the polls to elect a representative, they did so in good faith. They hoped that things can always get better before they get worse. They knew that while no one has found a modern-day magic wand to bring about the solution at once, some leaders can inspire confidence and with time build structures that will improve the lot of a great percentage of the populace.

Yagba people were hopeful. They were full of expectations that a quick positive turnaround of events was around the corner. Such a wish has turned out to be a good judgment. This is a constituency where effective governance has almost eluded the comprehension of nearly all the previous leaders. Most of those who had found themselves at the helm were often opportunists whose ideas of leadership did not include responsibility.

Thereafter, the mantle of leadership was bestowed on Hon. Leke Abejide and since then, he has not ceased to excel and excite. Such is the charismatic aura he wields as the Joshua of his people.

At his advent, Leke Abejide drummed it into the ears of all that his representation will be built on policy thrust through the provision of purposeful, effective and credible representation that is capable of liberating the Yagba from non-achievement and despondency. Leke then took time to adumbrate his visions built on solid foundations that are people-friendly.

Leke even before coming on board looked at education as a systematic course of instruction, giving intellectual and moral training to persons, bringing up the young, helping the young to develop, bringing out the best in them, and evolve an integral personality. This thesis on education was emphasised in his principal canons of human development; viz mental development, heart or spiritual self-realisation and health and physical well-being. He knew the issues of education as another critical instrument in the battle against poverty and gave it very serious consideration, particularly because the world economy is knowledge-driven and a central pillar of any nation. Consequently, he set a high premium on education and training to shore up the capacity building.

On these scores, Abejide is far ahead of most of our elected public officeholders who believe that only in the stand of short-lived monuments that bear their names are we to notice they are performing. The problem with this mentality is that such memories decay and slide in the long run into oblivion a couple of years after their patrons are out of office. Why? Because such memorials do not address lasting, fundamental issues of development. They are largely political-patronage projects.

The standard of education has improved in Yagba, the level of school dropouts has reduced greatly, majority of young people in Yagba are taking the front stage in education. The reason is that the blessings of good minds illustrated in learning and application of values to upturn baffling challenges are made available to them. Education will cause the populace to be better citizens and more productive players in an evolving economy. With education, most of the prevailing diseases can be prevented if not completely eradicated and poverty reduced to the minimum.

The public is giving credit to Leke for the hyperactivity in all areas especially roads, health care, empowerment, entrepreneurship training and building infrastructure thereby causing his second term in office to be a foregone conclusion. The groups such as businessmen and women, professionals, artisans, market women, students, farmers and many others.

These groups with a capacity for sophisticated reasoning represent the voice of the people. This is properly captured by the saying of former American President, Thomas Jefferson, hear him: The will of the people is more powerful than a standing army.

No doubt, the journey so far has been challenging and eventful for him but his scorecard is encouraging for the people of Yagba, while it is also intimidating to his critics. In all, one good term begat another term. This would enable him to complete various projects embarked to deliver the much-needed dividends of democracy to the populace.

Recently, he was quoted as saying: I am committed to pursuing policies that would guarantee easy life and secure the future for young people, while also expressing his concern about the state of the roads in Yagba and his efforts to see that they receive adequate attention to enhance easy life, as such to topics improve the quality of education, healthcare and other amenities that would provide comfort for the people.

Again and most importantly, there are multifarious reasons why Yagba people have to support continuity in the Federal Constituency.

Firstly, we have come away with a feeling that Leke is a soul with a burden to serve and laid down-rock-like principles of governance that would guide generations of public service holders and uplift the conditions of living of the people. He properly interprets public trust offered by the constitution as an opportunity for two objectives: personal sacrifice and marked improvement in the lives of the ordinary such that the governed would note a difference between their present and their past.

Secondly, the oppositions are bereft of core ideals that can motivate their work and cannot match the visions of Abejide in any ramifications and would jaundice the laudable projects of the present dispensation of the Representative due to their selfish interest.

With Elder Leke Abejide, we see a representative whose representation has brought in steady streams of empowerment indices and community-based development to the people. He insists that more can be done to establish organizations that he calls irreversible foundations of development that no one can match.

Generally, the acceptability of Asiwaju Leke Abejide by all and sundries is a result of his hard work, sharp vision, unparalleled achievements and firm promise not to let Yagba naysayers bring him down. It is, therefore, crystal clear that democracy is about people and service to the people. This derived chiefly from United States President, Abraham Lincoln’s definition on November 19, 1863. He ended the famous Gettysburg address with this declaration that the nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, and by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

With his trajectory of achievements and more to come, Hon. Leke Abejide deserves a second term in office to serve and consolidate his efforts in this first tenure. These are the needs for continuity by him and the interest of the people of Yagba that he represents.

– Emmanuel Timothy
Yagba Youth Initiative for Development (YYID)


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