You Must Fight For Your Rights, Because If You Don’t, No One Will Give Them To You!
Dear awesome people of Yagba West Constituency.
I’m Olakunle Adeniyi, Candidate of our great party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), and I seek to contest by the grace of Almighty God for a seat in the Kogi State House of Assembly, representing Yagba West Constituency.
The elections may not be until March, 2019, but it is time we begin to think and plan on the type of leadership and representation we desire, and in my case, on who would be your voice at the House of Assembly.
You will agree with me that these are trying times for all of us in Yagba West. The World seems to have left us behind, and in my view it’s a sin for any of us to remain aloof, to sit on the fence and not be bothered. History and conscience would not forgive us if we stay in our safe space and say politics is too dirty for you to be involved in. But know this: that politics is already a vital part of your life. If our roads should be fixed, it’s achieved through politics. For better schools, it’s politics; for our security, it’s politics. For a better society, it’s politics. So let’s get involved by deploying politics as tool to advance our community interest.
I am very passionate about the way the state government treats us as a people, and I want to use my God-given talent as a trained advocate, and as experienced lobbyist to bring to the notice of the state government our myriads of challenges. I also would play a vital legislative role, and ensure adequate oversight of state government functions for our community advancement. It is at this point that highly placed and privileged Yagba West sons and daughters must join the trains of underground lobbyists to press the government and attract needed projects in our budget.
It doesn’t take a soothsayer to tell us that our inability to organise and conduct local government elections has brought backwardness to our communities. We now have local governments who are unable to execute the most basic projects but are mere salary paying departments of the state. The current system of operating local government system is unknown to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended). We have taken our interpretation and application too far, and our people are suffering for it. *Solution is to muster the will power to conduct free and fair local government elections. Muster the will power to hands off local government funds completely. Allow for a third tier of government.*
I am very sure that our party African Democratic Congress (ADC) is the best alternative as we shall collectively advocate for enabling laws and policies that would enable the local governments to assume the role of third tier government again, so as to have immediate impact on the grassroots.
Let us join hands to make our Local Governments in Kogi State succeed.
I, Olakunle Adeniyi will also ensure the creation of better avenues for our various interest groups to be heard. I’ll be the voice for the safety of our farmers on their farm lands, the artisans, and a medium of expression for the perennial anguish of our civil servants and retirees whose dues are either delayed or unpaid. The pain and suffering of my people has reached high heavens. I do grassroots politics and in my interactions with my people I hear tales of woes emanating from total government neglect.
My ideology is also focused towards entrepreneurial development, a sustainable one for that matter, to ensure by all means available that our industrious youths and adults are equipped with marketable skills that would make them financially independent. We’ll make computer programmers out of us, and this is going to be achieved by sponsoring adequate trainings and empowerment. Did you know that computer programmers earn salaries of between 300k to N500,000 each month, even without a university degree or HND! We would assist in obtaining regulatory permits for entrepreneurs who we shall train in conversion of raw materials to finished products by our Skills Acquisition Programmes. I want to ignite the “it is possible” mentality by making examples of us. My people should begin to CREATE!
For so many of our youths who have lost hope, I am imploring you to brighten up. There is more to life! I am going to organise periodic life changing social and economic seminars and classes, of which attendance shall be reward-based, so as to motivate some of us who are on the street. We shall be engaging experts who shall encourage and inspire our youths that there is more to life. Perhaps, afterwards, social vices in our constituency would diminish, and a spirit to add to humanity would be ignited in our youths. I repeat, attendance and marked participation would be reward-based, using encouraging parameters.
One vital lesson I’ve found in life is this:- “YOU MUST FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS, BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T, NO ONE WILL GIVE THEM TO YOU.” It is unsatisfactory for Yagba West sons and daughters at home and abroad to be vibrant and successful in our various individual fields, yet never be able to rally for our collective rights and developmental progress from the government.
This work requires leadership, quality representation, and teamwork. We need to harness the views and opinions of the best minds, selfless individuals, community leaders, parents, teachers, farmers, trade reps, retirees, youths and the elderly in Yagba West to lend their voices for the sake of our communities. And I implore you that in supporting me you would find that needed voice and quality representation at the House of Assembly.
I call on the sons and daughters of Yagba West Local Government in Nigeria and in diaspora to join hands with me to make politics and representation meet international standard, by being answerable to the people, so as to enhance and develop our community.
I, Olakunle Adeniyi belong to the generation that has no where to run to but to stay and help build our land. I’m here to render my bit, and help proffer some collaborative answers to lingering problems.
I’m aspiring to represent Yagba West Local Constituency at the Kogi State House of Assembly, come 2019, and I’ll be needing your thumbs up.
Thank you for giving me your attention.
WOULD YOU GIVE ME YOUR SUPPORT? WOULD YOU STAND WITH ME? WOULD YOU STAND WITH ADC?
– Barr. Olakunle Adeniyi, LL.B; B.L; LLM (ABERDEEN); ACIArb (UK)
ADC Flagbearer for Yagba West Constituency, Kogi State House of Assembly, 2019.
