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Dr
Ogaga Ifowodo
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“Every onlooker is either a coward or a traitor.”
—
Frantz
Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
“When bad men combine, the good must
associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a
contemptible struggle.”
—
Edmund Burke, “Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents”
I
write to announce to you personally my decision to enter the 2015 political
race as a candidate for the House of Representatives in the Isoko Federal
Constituency (Delta State) election.
This is because I know that you wish to be
involved in the process of bringing positive change to our beleaguered nation,
that you pine for fundamental change in the leadership of our hapless country, a
tottering edifice that needs all good hands (permit me to name mine as such,
having appealed to Edmund Burke in my second epigraph)) on the political deck
for an urgent salvage mission.
As recent events have shown, Nigeria is fast
becoming a failed state, however much pride might impel us to deny this sad truth;
perhaps even hurtling into disintegration, a fate that has haunted us since a
mere six years after independence.
I know that you yearn for persons worthy in
character, integrity and learning (and I do not mean mere book knowledge though
that certainly has its premium), with a proven record of commitment to the core
principles of democracy, justice and equity in our land. In short, you are
looking for someone you can trust. With every sense of modesty, I put myself forth
as one such person.
I give you my word that I will not disappoint myself, you
or our long-suffering compatriots if you support my venture into politics for
the civilised, people-oriented, governance of our country. In writing to you, I
reaffirm my intention to continue through the medium of political office what I
have done all my adult life without the benefit of a paid office but, rather,
at considerable personal cost including preventive detention.
I have only one
abiding commitment and that is to serve our country diligently and honestly to
the best of my ability. I do not seek office as a means of corrupt
self-enrichment nor to earn the vain title of “Honourable.” The public good, and
not the insatiable greed of a select few with access to the corridors of power,
has always been and will forever remain my motivation.
The Isoko people, who will
be my local constituents, have a proverb which goes thus: Ẹzozo re gbile k’omobọ yẹ; kẹvẹ o re ruẹ a tẹ tehe abọ kẹ? Loosely translated, it says, the
leech dances joyfully when no one is watching; what might it do if we clapped
to applaud?
Dear friends, comrades and fellow citizens, applaud me with your support
and see how well I shall dance to the tune of the ascertained best interest of
the people, how well I shall represent you in Abuja, how tirelessly I shall
work with like minds to make Nigeria achieve its long-deferred dream of
greatness.
I
know that a federal legislator is not the President, not even a state Governor,
with a budget and executive powers, and so my claim here might seem to you to
exceed the powers of the office I seek. Probably, but I believe the sort of
change we need is so thorough that it must be fought for at the small and big posts
of our collective endeavour and it is now a matter of burning urgency that we
elect more and more trustworthy and visionary persons to our parliament if ever
it is to come close to making laws for the good governance, peace and progress
of our country.
Besides,
all politics is local, and I have very deliberately chosen to go to the House
of Representatives because it would afford me the opportunity to combine local
and national politics: representing the Isoko people while also serving as a
federal legislator.
You know, as much as anyone who pays the least attention to
our public life knows, that much of the trouble with Nigeria today is traceable
to the over-concentration of power in the centre, thereby turning Nigeria into
a federation-in-name-only (FINO) and stultifying the states which ought to be
the loci of growth and development.
The roots of this tragic development lie in
the militarisation of our civic life, beginning with the Constitution (Suspension and Modification) Decree
(No. 5) of 1966, the exact effect of which was rightly pronounced in the
promulgation speech of 24 May 1966 thus: “Nigeria ceases to be what has been
described as a federation.”
The problem also lies in the slow but now total
annihilation of an ethical code in our civic life and calls for an urgent moral
reawakening starting with the personal example of persons in high office. So
what will I do as a Representative of the people? I have a 7-point agenda:
1. Diligent Execution of Meaningful Constituency
Projects: This is where, with the very modest
funds available to him or her, a legislator can directly impact the lives of
constituents. My constituency projects shall be determined in close
consultation with my constituents and shall always be completed in accordance
with the best possible quality and cost effectiveness standards as well as
sustainability guarantees. There shall be no abandoned projects, white elephant
or ghost projects in my constituency with me as a Representative.
2. Visionary Legislation in
Defence of the Rule of Law and Social Justice: If
the rule of law is to be entrenched in Nigeria, if the masses and not a tiny
majority are to find protection and succour under the law, then our laws must
conform to our highest aspirations as members of a fast changing world. As a
lawyer, activist, poet, writer and scholar who has travelled the world and had
the benefit of studying, living and working in Europe and the United States, I
know what beneficial impact responsible legislation can have on the lives of
the people, rich and poor alike. I will bring my experience of best practices
and accountability to bear on my law-making duties.
3. A Real War Against
Corruption: In a republic, and even in a
constitutional monarchy such as in the United Kingdom, a legislature is the
most potent check on power for the simple reason that it is the heart of a
democracy, being the conclave of directly elected agents of the people. A legislator
is, thus, democracy’s watchdog, expected to bark and if necessary bite at the
slightest whiff of wrong-doing. In our country being eaten alive daily my
massive and systemic corruption and rampant abuse of power, this duty becomes a
sacred obligation.
I shall propose legislation for the complete independence of
the anti-corruption agencies, in particular the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, and for the stricter punishment of graft as “armed” robbery. I
shall also propose legislation for compulsory and public declaration of assets
by the president, governors, ministers, legislators and other high-ranking
public officials and political appointees, and for the strengthening of the
Freedom of Information Act to plug the loopholes currently being exploited by
dubious public officials to frustrate the aim of transparency in governance.
4. Religious Harmony, Peace and
Security: It is obvious that the
politicisation of religion—as opposed to solemn devotion in private or
public—now constitutes a clear and present danger to the peace, order and
security of the nation. Centuries after the enlightenment saw to the separation
of state from religion, and half a century after our founding fathers
entrenched the principle of secularity and a concomitant ecumenism in our
constitution which not even countless military coups have dared to abolish—a
bloody jihad is laying waste to an entire region of the country and causing
untold mayhem and misery all over the nation through horrendous acts of murder,
arson, kidnapping, torture and rape.
I shall work towards a sober, peaceable
and earnest practice of faith in a way that does not promote the manipulation
of religion for political gain. To this end, I shall propose an amendment to
strengthen the secularity clause of the Constitution through the addition of a
subsection as follows: “In the performance of his or her duty, a public officer
shall not expend public funds, act or conduct him- or herself in a manner that
may be reasonably construed as promoting or favouring a religion, religious
belief, faith or practice.”
5. Education, Youth Empowerment
and Employment: Education is the bedrock of any
nation, being the means of passing on existing knowledge and of expanding the
horizon of the known through forward-looking programmes of research and
development (R & D), experimentation and discovery. I shall be a tireless
advocate for educational reform, proper funding of public schools from the
elementary to the tertiary level, vocational training and skills acquisition
centres, retraining of workers for 21st Century jobs, befitting
salaries and conditions of service for teachers at all levels, and a bussing
system to relieve pupils’ transport problems.
I shall propose legislation for
model early childhood/head-start and primary school nutrition programmes with a
view to adequate preparation of our children for formal education and the
maintenance of balanced diets for healthy minds in healthy bodies. It goes
without saying that sound and practical education makes for more readily
employable or self-employing youths. I shall work strenuously to shape
job-creating and business friendly policies without sacrificing the welfare of
the people.
6) Human Rights, Electoral and
General Law Reform: As a former student leader and a
human rights and democracy activist, these issues are dear to my heart. It is a
measure of our stagnation that over half a century after independence, many of
our laws are yet to discard vestiges of our colonial past. Where the colonial
ghost has been banished, we lag behind the rest of the world in making our laws
compliant with 21st Century needs.
I shall fight for proper funding
and support for the National Law Reform Commission and in collaboration with it
and the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, work towards a comprehensive updating
of our laws. I shall also advocate for a full review of our electoral laws in
conformity with the Justice Uwais report on electoral reform, and for an end to
discrimination against women, minors, persons with disabilities or other
oppressed citizens. I shall do so while being cognisant of our best cultural
values and traditional inclination towards peaceful co-existence.
7. Accountability: Town Hall
Meetings and Taking the Pulse of the Nation: I
shall hold regular consultations with my constituents. To this end, I shall
upon assuming office establish a mechanism for quarterly town hall meetings,
resources permitting, but no less than twice a year no matter the
circumstances. This way, I will remain true to the wishes and aspirations of
the people I represent. I shall also endeavour to travel round the country with
fellow legislators in order to take the pulse of the nation and enrich my perspective
for the proper discharge of my legislative duties.
And
now comes the part where I ask for your support—I mean your financial and
material support! Politics, especially of the representative democracy sort,
is, alas, an expensive undertaking. If progressives are palpably few in our
polity, it is partly due to the huge obstacle posed by money and partly to the costly
mistake of the collective left—meaning the broad coalition of forces that
fought to end military dictatorship—in scorning General Abdulsalami’s
transition programme.
And it is true that those who have been looting Nigeria
to the ground enjoy an overwhelming financial advantage, which enables them to
maintain a perpetual stranglehold on power. If that was the case 15 years ago,
it is worse now, and progressives must support their candidates if we are to approach
anything close to levelling the financial playing field. Moreover, my putative
opponent has been in office for twelve years. In that time, he has amassed a
war chest that can literally fund the Trojan War, adjusted for inflation, twice
over!
I am therefore asking you to contribute to my campaign, a true underdog’s
insurgent attempt to dislodge a non-performing, status quo politician not known
for any meaningful contribution to nation-building or his local constituency.
He will out-spend me by a wide margin, but I believe that my pro-people message
of service and integrity will more than make up for the gap. I need your help
to take my message to the people and help infuse hope in an exploited,
alienated and cynical electorate.
For one other reason I am running for office
is to offer myself as a guinea pig—to find out if the magic spell that turns
many otherwise decent persons into lobotomised and thieving kleptomaniacs upon
assuming high political office will work its sorcery on me. You can help me
solve this riddle of our public life!
By
this letter, I ask you to donate a minimum of N10,000
to my campaign. Account details are given below. Needless to say, I implore
those who can—those who have had “double portion blessings,” won an oil mining
licence or the lottery, inherited fortunes, etc.—to exceed the minimum by any
degree! All donations will be acknowledged and should be designated as for
“Ogaga Ifowodo for the House of Reps 2015.” If you prefer to give anonymously,
your will shall be respected.
As soon as possible, a forum will be
convened—dinner, lecture, book launch, for example—for all donors and
change-minded supporters of my bid for public service through political office to
meet and exchange ideas on how best to move our country out of the doldrums of
its self-inflicted woes and on to the path of self-actualisation. Kindly
indicate name, telephone numbers and or e-mail address for easy contact. The
time for CHANGE is now!
Please
make donations to the following account:
Name:
Ogagaoghene Ifowodo
Account
no: 1004040595
Bank:
Zenith
If you have any questions or
would like to speak with me, do not hesitate to call me at 0813 963-4817.
Yours Sincerely,
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