… Vows to Create a Space that Will Unlock the Potentials of Nigerian Youth
So any Jack who comes around and say take money, you will take. Even, if Satan comes and say take money you will take and it would be unfair for us to say don’t take. Because, this man has a problem to solve now, so, how can you tell him not to take money?”
By Abdulrahman Aliagan, Abuja
Kwara central senatorial candidate under Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi has promised to create opportunities for people of his senatorial district, Kwarans and Nigerians in general, to take ownership of their lives if voted for to represent his people at the Red chamber of the National Assembly.
Bolaji dropped this hints in One-on-One interview with Time Nigeria in Abuja, he said he would rather create opportunities where people would work and earn money for themselves rather than be giving them peanuts that would not allow them to take ownership of their lives.
According to him, “Let them earn at least N50,000 in a month by themselves. One, it is more dignifying because they feel that they are no longer beggars. Two, they are more independent minded, they can think rationally. You can’t use their poverty to make them do what they don’t want to do. So, I think for me, the most important thing is to continue to explain to our people, to continue to enlighten them, to continue to debate, and continue to show our good intentions to them.”
Highlighting what will be his priority at the Red Chamber come 2023, the former minister of Sports and Youth development said, “Everyone that close to me always know what my priorities are. For me, it’s always about human development, in education, youth and entrepreneurship. I believe that our youth needs to be empowered beyond what we are doing at the moment. There’s a whole world of digital literacy, digital technology and digital economy going on. They don’t even need a university degree holder to connect to that economy.
“I believe that we are still lagging behind, I believe as a senator I can unlock that space where you’ll become more productive and you don’t need more than school certificate to participate in that economy and it is so verse that people can connect at different levels, that is one.
“There other occupational spaces that our youth can connect. Nollywood is a multibillion dollar industry. That is the arts and creative industry. You don’t have to be an actor or an actress; there are all kinds of auxiliary occupations surrounding the sector. I believe our young people can connect with marketing promotion, editing, costume, there’s so much that can be done in that space.
“Not to talk of agriculture, fashion, and all the artisanal occupations. So, I believe in the National Assembly, we can create a space that can unlock the potentials not just for Kwarans but for the whole country as well. Of course, my priority is Kwarans.
Responding to a question bothers on money politics and his major contender, Malam Saliu Mustapha, Bolaji stressed the importance of money in politics, added that, “No political space in the world where you don’t spend money, noting that where you spend the money that is important.
“Let me also say that money is important, and you mentioned my major challenger, Saliu Mustapha is a fine man. I know he’s a good man and I think he means well also. The money he is given is also good and our people need money and that is his own understanding of how to help people and is able to do it, that is fine.
“But I think we need to do a lot more. You are right, when people are going through a situation that they are going through now, money becomes the most important thing for them. Money is most important thing to people who don’t have it. People who have access to minimum comfort, they can pay their children school fees by themselves; they can pay their hospital bills when they are to do that and they have jobs they are doing.
“For these people money will not be so important in them taking a political decision that will determine the future of their children. But, when people are poor, when people don’t have resources of their own, then it makes them vulnerable. And that’s where money is important. And that’s different between other countries where we have seen progress,
He however advised that electorates to be careful in making choice of who should represent their interests at the Upper legislative house and not allow politicians to take advantage of their conditions.
“Because, over the years, people have become so cynical, they see politicians who get into the office, they don’t do anything. They just take care of themselves and their families alone. So people also begin to feel that, well, if politicians are going to the office to take care of themselves, why can’t I collect what I can collect now? They won’t think that you collect today, you cannot collect tomorrow.”
Bolaji enjoins member of his senatorial district, Kwara state and Nigeria at large to appreciate performance and not to look out for money.
“We have done some things in the past, can they look at those credentials that we have brought to bear in the course of our service to our home state and Nigeria as a whole. They should look at what I’ve done when I was Commissioner for Education in Kwara State, look at what I did in my capacity as Minister Youth and Sports Development for this country that’s indicative of what I can do.”
Former Commissioner for Education in Kwara state pointed out that he doesn’t want people to vote for him to continue to pay their bill rather they pick their bills themselves. According to him, “I don’t want you to vote for me because I want to continue to pay your children’s school fees, your family hospital bills and many other things that you can actually do for yourselves if you have the opportunity to do so.
“I want to create an opportunity for you to pay your own children’s school fees, because you are productive and for me that’s most important than when people are hungry, when people are poor. Nothing disempowers a man than when he has a responsibility and he cannot live up to that responsibility, nothing disempowers a man more than that, your wife lying in the hospital you cannot pay hospital bill, you have a child lying in hospital you cannot pay, children are being sent home from school you cannot pay.
“So any Jack who comes around and say take money, you will take. Even, if Satan comes and say take money you will take and it would be unfair for us to say don’t take. Because, this man has a problem to solve now, so, how can you tell him not to take money?”
He maintained that he cannot ask people not to take money, “What I’m saying is that, you can take the money because, like I said my friend Turaki is spending a lot of money and that is good, we are also spending money, we don’t have the kind of money that he has good for him, in addition to money we have so many other things that we can offer that he probably cannot because he does not have the experience, he doesn’t have what he has done before.
“Everything that he’s doing or he has done has to do with giving money. Unless, you can tell me, one thing that he has done that does not involve just giving money to people in one way or the other. But we have done so many other things that weren’t involved just giving money. We are also giving money to people. I will continue to keep giving money but beyond giving money, there are so many other things you can do to empower the people that can make them better and take ownership of their lives. As a community, as a people, as a collective than just what somebody can do for individuals. “He concludes.
