I represent the hope for real change

By Engr. (Dr.) Adewale Adenaike

Dear Compatriots,

I congratulate and welcome every one of us into a brand New Year. That we are here today is by the grace of God Almighty who has made it possible for us to be alive and to continue to pursue our aspirations in life. Considering all that we have been through in 2021 as a nation, we have every reason to give thanks to God for keeping us together as one indivisible entity. I am therefore persuaded that God Almighty who made it possible for us to enter into the New Year will see us through the year. I must therefore thank everyone who has shown faith and has supported our Aspiration for the Senate seat in Ogun East Senatorial District. Let me reiterate my commitment to this cause. I consider it noble and worthy of my time and resources. Your support has been priceless. I therefore trust that you will continue to support me in my march towards the Red Chambers. On my part, I promise never to disappoint you.

2021 was no doubt tasking and eventful. It was the year when we openly declared our interest in the seat for the Ogun East Senatorial district and sought the endorsement of the Party Leaders and yourselves. The consultation and engagement with the Party and other Stakeholders is still on going at different levels. We are optimistic that the pendulum will swing in our favour. In any political setting, everyone has the capacity to make an impact. From all indications, it is dawn time again for political activities in our country. A lot of consultations are going on in different parts of the country as part of the build up towards the formal lifting of ban on political activities and full-fledged electioneering campaigns for the different offices that will become open for contestation. Gladiators like me and great supporters like you have therefore hit the ground running, building bridges and creating alliances so that they are not caught flatfooted in the race towards the political offices of their choice. That is the way it should be because that is what makes democracy, which is described as the government of the people, by the people and for the people, beautiful.

Year 2022 promises to even be more eventful because it is the last year before the elections into all the offices as the tenure of current holders expire. This places a greater responsibility on us, as it means we have to double our efforts and increase our work rate exponentially. One of the things we must therefore, do very quickly is to ensure that we are mentally and physically ready to participate in the elections in 2023 by making sure that our compatriots who are eligible to vote have their voter’s card and are ready to perform this very important civic duty. This is not an activity that can be done by proxy. INEC, as you know, does not count the votes on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms neither does it count prayer points. INEC only count votes and it is only those with their Voter’s card that can vote. Those who therefore profess to be our loyalists must deepen the loyalty by making sure that they have all that is required to give physical manifestation to their loyalty and support for our candidacy. With our voter’s card, we can check every form of compromise at the polls, secure our votes effectively and ensure that the elected contestant is our preferred bidder for the elective office.  

It is a known fact that our nation is currently under the burden of insecurity. While this New Year message is not the platform for x-raying how we got to this point as a nation, the least we can do as compatriots is to continue to seek for solutions. And one clear way of doing this is to ensure that we elect the people of our choice with the right pedigree into the different political offices that will soon become vacant in our political space.  We must avoid violence at all cost as this has the tendency to further aggravate and complicate the current security situation in our country. Rather, we must adhere strictly to the known rules of the game of politics. Politics is not and should not be war or a do-or-die affair. Our young people whose productive energy is the catalyst we need as a nation to unleash our productive capacity for the liberation of our nation from the shackles of underdevelopment, must resist the temptation to be used as expendable materials for the destabilization of politics and the processes associated with it. Our elders must shun the destructive lure of filthy lucre that mortgages the future of their children and the generations unborn.

In closing this message, I need to reiterate my belief in this course and the ability of my people in Ogun East Senatorial District to elect a credible, meaningful, impactful and people-driven representative. Our Senatorial District has suffered neglect for too long. I represent that critical change that we need at a time like this. From available data, Ogun East Senatorial District is sufficiently blessed by God, we have the right quantity of natural and human resources that is required to give us economic emancipation. All we need is the candidate with the right mindset that will work with the right critical stakeholders and unleash the productive and progressive tendencies of our people. This was the goal our fathers saw in the past when they yielded our land for the construction of the Iwopin Paper Mill. That massive investment of yesteryears, which would have provided the engine room for our economic emancipation, is today the abode of massive rodents and reptiles. Today, Ogun East is one of the Senatorial districts with the lowest electricity penetration in our country. Our roads are bad and our schools, which used to be our pride, have equally suffered unbelievable neglect. We need to change that narrative. I represent that hope for real change.    

As we therefore navigate the path of 2022, I urge everyone to keep hope alive, keep an eye on the ball and be mindful of the protocols of COVID 19. We need to be alive and healthy to bring about the change we so desire in our Senatorial District. For those who are yet to be vaccinated, please take the necessary steps to be vaccinated and follow the advice of experts on the use of non-pharmaceuticals preventions. May God Almighty continue to bless our State, our Senatorial District and our Nation to the Glory of His name.

A JU SE O

  • Engr. (Dr) Adewale Adenaike is an aspirant to the Ogun East Senatorial District seat; and Special Assistant - SA (Projects) to the Hon. Minister of State for Education.