Don’t heat up polity with money politics, says Lawal

Abdul-Majid Lawal, is an African Democratic Congress (ADC), candidate seeking election to the Bassa / Jos North Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives, and in this interview with, MUHAMMAD TANKO SHITTU, he shares his thought on the youths and sundry of issues.

 

Excerpts:

Why are seeking to represent your people in the House of Representatives?

Well, the first thing that prompted my decision to vie for the seat is basically because the situation that the constituents found themselves in. It is glaring and easily noticeable that in the first instances no proper communication between the representative and the people and by implication that means the interests of the people are not known and therefore not truly represented. This implies that there is serious disconnect between what the representative does and that which the people want.

Besides, as a youth the issue of political thuggery is a cause for serious concerned to me. I represent a generation that are at high risk, therefore, I think getting directly involved in legislation, I stand to properly represent them and see how we can help in doing away with the tragedy.

You are now contesting with some elderly men from other parties, don’t you see that as a serious challenge?

No, it isn’t posing any challenge to me. At present another youth is representing us but was edged out of contest in the APC primary election. When one looks at the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria, it clearly stipulates that a person of 30 years of age shall contest the position and now I am 34 years of age, therefore, I have satisfied the constitutional requirement.

Again, in politics one needs fresh blood, full of energy to drive positive ideas, so as a youth I still believe that I am in the best position to carry the burdens of thousands of people on my shoulders because when one is embarking on a long journey he needs brand new car, full of energy to drive and deliver the people’s wish and aspirations.

 

What encouragement does the not-too-young to run law give to the youths?

The law in itself is a very good political development not just for Nigerians in general but we the youths in particular see it an opportunity to get elected and in government. But it is also a good riddance for the older generation of politicians that have nothing to offer youths and the nation dynamic leadership. When a country sees the lawful need of allowing its younger ones to properly key into governance, that country stands the better chance of attaining greater heights.

Had it been that the youths were given the chance to participate in the administration of the country, the level of thuggery and other vices would have been curbed. Therefore, the benefits that the law will impacts on the nation are many, besides according us the opportunity to participate in governance; it will greatly ginger the spirit of patriotism and nation building in us.

What new ideas and things will the constituents benefit from your representation?
As already contained in my manifesto, I came up with 7-point plan that; is youth empowerment as key factor towards curbing insecurity. Of course, being a youth I know better the feelings of not being empowered, the issues of primary health care is another angle I am going to critically work on, because looking at our health care centres, almost all are not functioning properly. Then, I will ensure that periodic town hall meetings are held to interface and communicate with the youths and constituents collectively on key matters pertaining to constituency, among others in the manifesto.

 

How do you intend to fund these programmes and make it impactful?

It is true that the primary responsibility of a legislature is to formulate laws for good governance and so I will be emphasizing on the need to formulate strong legislations and follow up on them to ensure proper implementation of same so that it will positively impact on the people.

It is unfortunate that one major problem in Nigeria is implementation of laws and policies that will benefit the people, often when the government talks about the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEDAN), targeted at mainly youth empowerment, unfortunately most often there is usually no connection between it and the youth.

I am not yet into the system, but looking at what other legislators are doing elsewhere, I think we can do even better, with whatever resources we hope to generate and it will be something for us to work with.

 

You are in the opposition party, how possible is it for you to wrest the seat from the APC?
The electorate are now properly oriented in terms of who to vote for. The people are now wiser than before and are not easily deceived. In fact, unlike before when they were easily blindfolded on the credibility of a candidate, now there are serious shift from homogeneous system of voting. The people are now after manifesto, they are now after who is bothered about their problems, I have been receiving many phone calls from people that have read my manifesto, which shows that people are after what a candidate has to offer.
Again our President, Muhammadu Buhari, is no doubt a man of integrity and of good character, a leader that has clearly said people should only vote for a good candidate of their choice. When one is talking about having majority members of the APC in the House, then you also need to look at the happenings in the 8th Assembly, which has majority of the APC members.

Ironically, these same members are the major cause of problems to the Presidency at the moment. There is no synergy between the Assembly and the Presidency. So this is another reason why people should look beyond party, the President has disseminated the message and I am hopeful that people will not be carried away by the sweet words of candidates that want to take advantage of the president’s popularity.

 

How you rate President Buhari’s performances?

The president has done well in securing the nation from the hands of insurgents and we must commend him for that. He is also doing well in the fight against corruption, but need to do more.

Other sectors continue to suffer because many of the problems we have as a country are systemic and require a holistic approach where every Nigerian is a stakeholder.

Your party is also fielding presidential candidate how do you rate his chances against Buhari’s contest?

I am very sure Nigerians will make the best decision in choosing the right man to occupy the villa. It’s a general decision and not a one man idea.

 

As the election is fast approaching, what call do you have to the electorate?
I am appealing on to the political class to desist from engaging the youths in political thuggery.  We should as candidates run a rancour free electioneering campaign and also do away with money politics. Though our political space is highly monitised, I am a candidate with little in his pocket, I am calling on others that have much not to heat up the polity with money politics. People should also vote wisely, they should vote a good candidate that will add great value to their lives.

Lastly I call on all people to eschew violence and embrace peace for our common good.

Leave a Reply