The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 564 (February 9 - 22 2022)

Page8 TheTrumpet FEBRUARY 9-22 2022
Politics
Otunba Adewale Adenaike: I want to
leave a legacy of selfless service
Continued from Page 5<
terms of development. Even if we cannot
become a State now because of the
constitutional provisions attached to
State creation in our beloved nation, are
we unable to galvanize the natural
resources we are endowed with? Are we
also unable to mobilize national
resources to which we are entitled, to
turn the district around? Can anyone
point to any meaningful constituency
project in Ogun East Senatorial District
that has been attracted from the Federal
Government of Nigeria in recent times?
Yet, our people pay taxes, they are
industrious and we have forest reserves
that are exploited on a daily basis so
much so that our forest reserve is now
seriously threatened.
Why the Senate specifically?
I am a man of the people. The Senate
is the place to be. Democracy is about
the people. I love it when people engage
at the intellectual level. I love it when we
have to consult with our people to know
what they want and we go to the floor of
IA-Foundation
holds Charity
event on Feb 26
parliament to argue our position and
convince others on the need to see things
from our perspective. A Leader does not
only take his people to where they want
to go, you lead them to where they ought
to be. That is the engine room of
democratic governance – the parliament
is the place to be. I have heard people
describe it as the old people’s home. I
beg to disagree with respect. Parliament
also provides a wider circumference of
operation. If there is one thing we need
as a people in this country today, it is the
ability to know ourselves and understand
ourselves. When I get to the upper
Legislative Chamber in 2023 by the
grace of God and the power of the good
and progressive people of Ogun East
Senatorial District, I will have the
opportunity to synergize with other great
Nigerians from other parts of Nigeria.
This type of synergy is the type you get
in international relations – the synergy of
mutual benefit for all the State actors. In
the last four decades, I have watched
with keen interest, robust Parliamentary
debate in the UK with the interest of the
citizenry being the focal point. The upper
Education
Legislative Chamber is certainly the
place to be, my brother.
Many will insist that democratic
governance has underperformed
generally since 1999... why do you think
this is so?
Again, I want to disagree with
profound respect to those who put
forward that view. In the first instance, I
need to see their data for comparison.
Part of the challenges that are fueling
these conversations are beer parlour
gossips and conversations lacking in
empiricism. Let the critics provide their
data and let us run the numbers
scientifically and see where the scale
tilts. Are we talking about military
system of government that is 100%
dictatorial, a take it or leave it situation?
Are we also in romance with monarchy,
anarchy or fascism? I align here with the
late sage – Chief Obafemi Awolowo,
who was one of my political mentors,
who said “that of all systems of
government man has developed, the
most reasonable and viable amongst
them is democracy, the shortcomings
notwithstanding.”
Again, you want to find out what the
people expect in democracy which has
not been provided. I recognize the fact
that we have some challenges but let me
tell you this, the Western democracies
that we are using as a basis for
comparison today fought bitter
destructive wars to get to where they are.
Read the history of Europe, America,
Japan etc and you will see the number of
wars they fought before they got to their
current location in life. What we are
going through are all pangs of nation
building. It is an inevitable stage in
nation building. The need to lessen the
burden of nation building is what has
driven persons like me into politics so
that with our experience, education and
exposure, we can reduce the down time
in our march towards an egalitarian
society.
As an insider now and based on
experience... why is Nigeria unable to
fulfill the vast potential for which she is
widely acknowledged?
Continued on Page 10<
IA-Foundation holds its 3 rd Annual Charity event
virtually on Saturday 26 February 2022 from
6pm (UK time).
The theme for this year’s event is
#ImpactingLives.
The organisation with an objective of “enabling
the less-privileged through education” was
established in 2019, and has been working to reduce
the number of ‘out-of-school’ children and improve
the standard of education in Nigeria.
Speakers at this year’s event include: Dr Oby
Ezekwesili FCA – a former Minister of Education in
Nigeria; Pastor Ituah Ighodalo FCA – the Founder of
Trinity House Church; and Zuriel Oduwole – an
Education Advocate.
Recently, IA Foundation was registered with
United Kingdom’s Charity Commission – the nonministerial
government department that registers and
regulates charities in England and Wales, to ensure
that the public can support charities with confidence.
You can register for the charity event at:
https://bit.Ly/3ekgzDq