Kunle ADELABU
Omoba Peju Akinyemi, the Chief Executive Officer of Ikorodu-Oga Radio and Business Contact magazine, has unveiled the legislative agenda for his aspiration to occupy the Shagamu Constituency Seat in the Ogun State House of Assembly come 2019.
The agenda was unveiled at the official unveiling of Legislative Agenda/Inauguration of New Dawn Movement Support Group ( his campaign group) held at the Enterprise Event Hall, located on Oba Sekumade Road, Ebute, Ikorodu, on Sunday, May 13, 2018.
He also called on the public, especially residents of Ikorodu division which shares border and many affinities with the Shagamu area of Ogun State, to contribute to his campaign for the purpose of ensuring that someone with deep knowledge of these two historic and important towns continue their mutual co-existence, economic cooperation and cultural and traditional engagements.
Omoba Akinyemi is anchoring his new dawn campaign on three major promises: Legislative Innovation, Community/Human Capacity Development and Robust Public Engagement and Regular Feedback
Speaking on his number one agenda which is innovative legislation, the aspirant stated: “Bearing in mind our primary responsibility as Legislator, we shall take this responsibility very seriously by discharging our duties with utmost seriousness and responsibility” , he assured the electorate.
“We are in very critical times in our democratic experience as a nation. What becomes of Nigeria, good or otherwise, will be a function of what the political class does with the current political dispensation. There is hunger and anger in the land. There are fears and tears all over the country. There are agitations, apprehensions and frustrations. And, lastly, there is gross Hopelessness.
“The above scenario calls for pragmatic, innovative and people-centered legislation that will help to deepen our democracy; by allaying citizen’s fears, calming frayed nerves; and, most importantly, restoring lost hope and confidence in government and the nation as a whole.
“If critical times requires critical approaches and solutions, it means that we need an army of political innovators who will change the face of government business in Nigeria, through Innovative Legislations at the state and federal levels.
“As someone who started his first business without capital over 12 years ago, I am a testimony of creating something out of nothing. The recent launch of our innovative Nigeria’s first online community radio, Ikorodu Oga Radio, is also another humble proof that I represent these crop of innovative legislators desperately required at the state and federal levels to address our myriad of national socio-economic, ethno-religious and political challenges”, he said.
On the Community and Human Capacity Building, Omoba Akinyemi explained that: “As a believer in the popular saying that ‘when you give a man fish, you feed him for a day, and when you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime’, we shall embark on vigorous human capacity development and economic empowerment initiatives that will position our constituents as major stakeholders and contributors to the socio-economic development of our State, and Nigeria in particular.
“On the other hand, we shall vigorously legislate, promote and position Sagamu Constituency 1 as a major beneficiary of government development programmes and policies. We shall also promote ‘private’ community development initiatives that will stimulate the development of our constituency, thereby putting it at a vantage position, above other constituencies within and outside Ogun State.
While unveiling his third agenda on Robust Public Engagement and Regular Feedbacks, the community broadcaster stated: “As a forward-looking and responsible representative, coupled with my profession as a Journalist, I understand the unique synergy that should exist between a representative and his constituents. Consequently, I will, by God’s grace, introduce multiple traditional and unconventional communication and feedback channels that will promote mutual understanding between me and my constituents”.
“Regular Town Hall Meetings, Publications and Updates shall be regular features of my representation. These will be complimented with a strong public policy analysis mechanism to afford us the opportunity to feel, on a first hand, the pulse of our people, with a view to meeting their yearnings and expectations.
Omoba Peju stated that he intends to sponsor bills like the Mandatory Agricultural Farm Bill to enhance food production, employment generation and revenue mobilisation bill and Corporate Social Responsible (CSR) Bill to support education scholarship and Infrastructure development.
He also pledged to sponsor Indigenous Language Preservation Bill for cultural preservation and academic curriculum improvement.
According to him, his proposed Employment Trust Fund Bill would provides compulsory graduate business school programme / loan and vocational / skill trainings and financial empowerment for SMEs
Another bill he intends sponsoring when given the mandate to represent the Shagamu people, is Health Insurance Bill to provide compulsory health insurance services and affordable treatments for the less privileged in Ogun State.
Omoba Peju also said he would sponsor Industrial Park / SME Hub Bill to achieve economic development, SMEs promotion, community development and employment / job creation.
Otunba Ganiyu Olusegun Abiru, an aspirant for the Lagos East Senatorial seat and the chairman of the occasion, stated that politics should be redefined as a call to service and that credible people should be given opportunity to serve.
“Politics should be a call for service, money politics does not allow the best in the society to emerge as winners in elections”, Otunba Abiru stated.
“As a clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) for many years, l know what it takes to draft a bill, it takes a lot of brilliancy, indepth research and grassroots knowledge. So, anybody vying for any political office should be brilliant and intelligent”.
Unlike the usual political campaign, Omoba Akinyemi and his New Dawn Support Group intend to canvass for the votes of the Shagamu people by embarking on developmental programmes that would be of great benefit to his constituents between May and September, 2018.
Among programmes planned for the campaign were special children day outreach, new dawn foodbank, medical outreach and summer football/music competitions among the youths.
Omoba Peju plans to flag off his massive campaign in September with visitation to wards while a mega rally would be staged in October.
The occasion also featured a donation session during which the invited guests donated generously towards Omoba Peju’s campaign budget which is between N20 and N50million.
After the first phase of the formal unveiling of Legislative Agenda/Inauguration of New Dawn Movement Support Group in Ikorodu, the team is planning a mega inauguration in Shagamu soon.
