Taking our political destiny in hand
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- Written by Isa Itopa
- Hits: 3879
Building a political structure based on clear democratic ideals has not been an easy task in most democratic developing nations. Even as democracy is being domesticated, it has not been without its corresponding pains and sacrifices. Despite all these, however, the Nigerian experience has moved to a level where all stakeholders in the system recognize the flaws and how to resolve them. Needless to say, the basic flaw is in our failure to come up with men of integrity and vision to pilot the affairs of our nation in all the tiers of government. This has been the case with states all over Nigeria and in Kogi State, which is the main focus of this discourse.
Ahead of the 2010/2011 local government council election in Kogi State, a coalition of youth organizations under the aegis of Kogi Central Awareness for Good Governance that cut across the Kogi Central Senatorial District (Ebiraland) recently launched a support base for the call of eminent citizens of the area to play an active role in politics with the aim of ensuring that the right people get into office to effect the changes everyone in the community has been yearning for. Certain criteria were used to arrive at a choice that will be instantly popular and generate all the necessary goodwill that will be devoid of rancor and strife. It is a novel approach aimed at ensuring that all citizens in their own small way have a role to play in the emergence of leaders who will manage their affairs. In this process, Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Bello Babamba, a senior civil servant with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja emerged as a choice of the youth coalition for the Chairmanship of Okene Local Government come 2010/2011 council elections in Kogi State. The leader of the coalition, Mallam Yaqub Onimisi Dawud, said during the support-base launching at Kogi State capital, Lokoja, that their unalloyed support for Alhaji Babamba, alias “Ambassador of Peace”, is informed by his past tract records as a civil servant who have in one way or the other touched the life of many people in the area. He is a candidate who will bring more succor and the expected unity, peaceful co-existence and infrastructural development to the people of Okene Local Government area.
It is necessary to encourage good men to come forth and serve their people as this is the only way Nigeria could hope to make democracy effective in changing positively the lives of the citizenry. This is also borne out by the fact that the Okene born civil servant has been able to garner to himself great followership within his immediate constituency and beyond, due to his consistency, transparency and leadership quality. He is one man, among thousands of Nigerian civil servants who has not derailed from his consistent philosophical outlook in the task of nation building in his fatherland despite the titanic challenges and numerous confrontations with the various forces in the civil service. He has displayed the ability to manage people, both juniors and contemporaries alike, unlike others; he took challenges of leadership meticulously in a way that is truly national and devoid of acrimony.
Many of his admirers have continued to wonder how he was able to achieve so much in the civil service within a short time. The truth is that he has embraced inclusive leadership, something he exemplified with the championing of the forum that settled the warring Omoye-Ogu clans in Ebiraland, Okene Local Government in particular.
Alhaji Babamba is one man with proven tract record of transparent leadership who has been able to show all and sundry that integrity is one virtue that should not be compromised in public leadership any day. The democratic credentials of people like Alhaji Babamba has never been in doubt. This is because as a civil servant cum political visionary, he had gotten connected to the philosophical stream as an outstanding personality working towards the growth of his fatherland. Providence has determined that he would be a positive influence on the destiny of his fatherland expected to regain its lost socio-political glory.
As a high rated economic planner and political strategist, he does not believe in failure rather, he sees indices of failure as raw materials which have to be recycled in favor of higher realities. This is the reason why the youth organizations from Kogi Central Senatorial district, under the aegis of “Kogi Central Awareness for Good Governance”, can not but line him up as their chairmanship candidate for 2010/11 local government council election in Okene Local Government area of Kogi State.
Not that Alhaji Babamba needs an office to be able to impact on the lives of his people, but then much as he has shown his commitment to the development of his people, the youth coalition felt it is necessary for him to return back home to render his contributions because the experience he has garnered over the years in the civil service is something which he will be well placed to put at the disposal of his community. If we fail to encourage good men to come forth and serve we have ourselves to blame if we end up with poor representatives.
Itopa resides in Abuja
Articles
Taking our political destiny in hand
Category: Comments Written by Isa Itopa Hits: 3879
Building a political structure based on clear democratic ideals has not been an easy task in most democratic developing nations. Even as democracy is being domesticated, it has not been without its corresponding pains and sacrifices. Despite all these, however, the Nigerian experience has moved to a level where all stakeholders in the system recognize the flaws and how to resolve them. Needless to say, the basic flaw is in our failure to come up with men of integrity and vision to pilot the affairs of our nation in all the tiers of government. This has been the case with states all over Nigeria and in Kogi State, which is the main focus of this discourse.
Ahead of the 2010/2011 local government council election in Kogi State, a coalition of youth organizations under the aegis of Kogi Central Awareness for Good Governance that cut across the Kogi Central Senatorial District (Ebiraland) recently launched a support base for the call of eminent citizens of the area to play an active role in politics with the aim of ensuring that the right people get into office to effect the changes everyone in the community has been yearning for. Certain criteria were used to arrive at a choice that will be instantly popular and generate all the necessary goodwill that will be devoid of rancor and strife. It is a novel approach aimed at ensuring that all citizens in their own small way have a role to play in the emergence of leaders who will manage their affairs. In this process, Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Bello Babamba, a senior civil servant with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja emerged as a choice of the youth coalition for the Chairmanship of Okene Local Government come 2010/2011 council elections in Kogi State. The leader of the coalition, Mallam Yaqub Onimisi Dawud, said during the support-base launching at Kogi State capital, Lokoja, that their unalloyed support for Alhaji Babamba, alias “Ambassador of Peace”, is informed by his past tract records as a civil servant who have in one way or the other touched the life of many people in the area. He is a candidate who will bring more succor and the expected unity, peaceful co-existence and infrastructural development to the people of Okene Local Government area.
It is necessary to encourage good men to come forth and serve their people as this is the only way Nigeria could hope to make democracy effective in changing positively the lives of the citizenry. This is also borne out by the fact that the Okene born civil servant has been able to garner to himself great followership within his immediate constituency and beyond, due to his consistency, transparency and leadership quality. He is one man, among thousands of Nigerian civil servants who has not derailed from his consistent philosophical outlook in the task of nation building in his fatherland despite the titanic challenges and numerous confrontations with the various forces in the civil service. He has displayed the ability to manage people, both juniors and contemporaries alike, unlike others; he took challenges of leadership meticulously in a way that is truly national and devoid of acrimony.
Many of his admirers have continued to wonder how he was able to achieve so much in the civil service within a short time. The truth is that he has embraced inclusive leadership, something he exemplified with the championing of the forum that settled the warring Omoye-Ogu clans in Ebiraland, Okene Local Government in particular.
Alhaji Babamba is one man with proven tract record of transparent leadership who has been able to show all and sundry that integrity is one virtue that should not be compromised in public leadership any day. The democratic credentials of people like Alhaji Babamba has never been in doubt. This is because as a civil servant cum political visionary, he had gotten connected to the philosophical stream as an outstanding personality working towards the growth of his fatherland. Providence has determined that he would be a positive influence on the destiny of his fatherland expected to regain its lost socio-political glory.
As a high rated economic planner and political strategist, he does not believe in failure rather, he sees indices of failure as raw materials which have to be recycled in favor of higher realities. This is the reason why the youth organizations from Kogi Central Senatorial district, under the aegis of “Kogi Central Awareness for Good Governance”, can not but line him up as their chairmanship candidate for 2010/11 local government council election in Okene Local Government area of Kogi State.
Not that Alhaji Babamba needs an office to be able to impact on the lives of his people, but then much as he has shown his commitment to the development of his people, the youth coalition felt it is necessary for him to return back home to render his contributions because the experience he has garnered over the years in the civil service is something which he will be well placed to put at the disposal of his community. If we fail to encourage good men to come forth and serve we have ourselves to blame if we end up with poor representatives.
Itopa resides in Abuja