A Call For Collaboration of Ekiti Caucus of NASS With Gov Oyebanji
Residents of Ekiti State trooped out in their thousands on 25th February, 2023 to elect the Senators for the three Senatorial Districts and the House of Representatives members for the six Federal Constituencies.
They invested their votes in the National Assembly candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) having been impressed with the performance of Governor Biodun Oyebanji who was elected on the platform of the party eight months earlier (18th June, 2022) and sworn into office four months earlier (16th October, 2022).
These elected legislators who are now members of the National Assembly (NASS) should know that to whom much is given, much is expected and that the people are expecting returns on their investments in term of large votes for APC.
Now that the Federal Parliament has been inaugurated, the elected members of both chambers of NASS should not see their inauguration as the peak of their personal victory but as a time marking the beginning of expectations of the people and that people’s expectations are as varied as those constituting the electorate.
The Ekiti newly-elected Senators and Representatives should be aware that political positions, whether appointive or elective, are meant to complement themselves. There should be synergy among all to ensure that benefits of democracy are properly delivered to voters.
National Assembly members are by virtue of their positions people with a lot of means at their disposal. They are well placed to impact positively on the lives of the voters. It is commonly believed that residents of Ekiti State have been enjoying the dividends of democracy on a larger scale than before since Governor Oyebanji assumed office as the state chief executive.
Residents of the state have witnessed unprecedented development in all aspects of life in the state. Apart from physical development which has led to the repair of many roads, especially in Ado, the Ekiti State capital, Oyebanji’s government has released a lot of money with the sole aim of enhancing the lives of the people.
The funds released have been in the areas of education, health and other key sectors that impact well on the lives of the ordinary citizens. The Governor has extended hands of fellowship to all and sundry in the state as a way of ensuring peace to engender development.
The Senators and Representatives from Ekiti State should please complement the giant strides of Mr Governor by working in synergy among themselves and through cooperation with other politicians for the betterment of Ekiti State.
These NASS members, through their oversight functions in the ministries, departments and other federal government agencies have access to a lot of opportunities to attract development to Ekiti State. They should not pass up such opportunities.
The federal legislators should also know that residents of their constituencies deserve return on their investment of votes in politicians, who are expected to sow back to the constituencies that produced them.
They should remember that they would go back to the same constituency to ask for votes from the people, either directly for themselves or other members of their party. The federal legislators should know that the greatest assets of a politician is the large number of followers they have.
The legislators hold their positions in trust for the people they represent, who are also expected to benefit directly or indirectly from the largesse attached to the office of the politician. This is why stingy people who do not have the spirit of sharing with others should not come near politics.
The stinginess of a politician would bounce back on his party and government(s) formed by their party because a stingy person would lose the goodwill of their people. This is where NASS members in Ekiti State would have to work in unison with the Governor to ensure sustenance of the progressives government in the state. This is more so when all nine members of NASS from Ekiti State are from the ruling All Progressives Congress, the party that rules at the national level and in Ekiti State. APC cannot afford to let Ekiti people down.
Examples of Ekiti State federal legislators that have sowed back in their constituencies abound in the recently dissolved 9th National Assembly. Our new crop of NASS members should emulate these politicians by having many projects to their credit in their constituencies at the expiration of their offices.
Our people deserve more from our Senators and Representatives in the 10th NASS in the areas of pooling resources with the state government to carry out people-oriented projects, attracting more federal presence to their constituencies, influencing the MDAs under their committees over which they perform oversight function to execute key projects, facilitating federal employment opportunities for graduates in their constituencies, assisting their constituents with financial empowerment and credit facilities to boost grassroots economies, among others.
Sharing of hair clippers, grinding machines, sowing machines, motorcycles has not helped our people and alleviated their poverty. Let the new federal legislators think outside the box on the better ways to empower their constituents with the funds meant for that purpose that would be released to them.
The era of visiting their constituents once in a blue moon is over; they should not wait till when elections are around the corner to visit their constituents. Constituency outreach should be regular because they asked for the votes of these people.
We believe that doing these will really assist Governor Oyebanji and relieve the burden on his shoulder and give our people access to better standard of living for the wheel of Ekiti development to accelerate to the harbour of fulfillment.
Signed
Chief Ibukun Adejoro
President
Comrade Femi Olofinbiyi
Secretary
Ekiti Movement for Peace and Good Governance