Emulating Imoke’s Exemplary Life At 53
At a public lecture organized to mark his 53rd birthday anniversary in Calabar, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke used the occasion to 'Kill and burry' unnecessary guesses and speculations about his next political move in 2015.
The governor while expressing disapproval over the trendy attitude of his contemporaries to leadership said: 'It is only those who are insecure and looking for where to hide that plot for the next office even when they are yet to serve out their current term.'
He stated further 'I strongly believe that as leaders, if there is one thing we must do as a matter of deliberate policy, it is to build a new generation of leaders. If we keep moving or running from one office to the other without creating opportunities for a younger or a new generation, then society will never evolve and there will be no purposeful leadership.'
However, I was shocked to hear in some quarters that, Imoke is bowing out of politics because he has been outsmarted in the permutations and calculations for Cross River Central Senatorial District in the 2015 National Assembly elections in the state; while others say it's because of his health challenge! Before I add my humble voice to the issue; I want to say that it's very unfortunate that we live in a country where people read wrong meanings to every innocuous move made by some of our leaders!
Imoke's advocacy for political opportunities for younger Nigerians is not something that started today; rather, he has just demonstrated his belief and conviction that, the younger generation needs the chance or opportunity to prove themselves being one of the greatest beneficiaries of such opportunities in recent times!
It will be recalled that Senator Imoke is the youngest Nigerian to ever get elected in to the Senate or the red chamber of our National Assembly at the age of 30. Ever since then, he has occupied various appointive and elective political positions in the country. His progressive political progression has been filled with a lot of opportunities for younger generations.
As a Special Adviser to the President, Minister of Power and supervising Minister of Education under whose watch the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) was formed, he has been helpful to many! They are many in limelight today as well some occupying political positions in the country today that came through Imoke's assistance. Even as the governor of Cross River State and Chairman, South-South Governors Forum, he has been preaching and practicing the same belief that younger people should be given opportunities to serve.
Encountering him when he was the Director-General of Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization in late 2010 is one encounter I will never forget. I never imagined that I would ever meet a Nigerian leader who would be very humble and nice to people without minding the place they come from as I saw in Imoke! Imoke is a perfect gentleman to the core and humility personified. So, when he decided to demonstrate his strong belief in generational change, nobody should read any meaning in to it.
Since I got to know to him, this is the second time the gentleman governor would be using his birthday anniversary to give gifts to the younger people. First, when he celebrated his golden jubilee in 2011, he floated a leadership training foundation for the youth. The Bridge Leadership Foundation (TBLF) founded by Imoke is to provide platform for young Nigerians and graduates who are seeking to enter the job market at the start of their career or aspiring to be entrepreneurs, to learn from accomplished Nigerians that made major achievements in their chosen field of endeavor.
Again, this year's July 11, the day he celebrated his 53rd birthday anniversary, he announced to the world that, he would not be seeking political office next year so as to give new generation of leaders the opportunity to unlock their leadership potentials. This should be a commendable move which our politicians should emulate!
There are states in this country; the electorates never knew anyone else apart from the few names that keep coming up at every election periods. This does not mean those states are bereft of credible people or younger people who will preside over the affairs of their states, but, the truth is that, the state actors don't want to give others the chance to do so. Hence, Imoke deserves our accolades especially the youth who hitherto have been made to believe that, they are good for nothing apart from being used as political thugs and ballot box snatchings during elections and dumping them after the polls.
Nonetheless, the youths on their own should wake-up and face the tasks ahead fairly and squarely. There may be ephemeral hurdles on our way, but, with abiding faith in God and through humility, hard work, honesty, loyalty, determination and perseverance, God who make a way where there is no way will send messiahs like Imoke who will champion our course for us!
Comrade Edwin Ekene Uhara is a Journalist and Public Affairs Commentator.
Reach him on 07065862479 or [email protected]
He writes from Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.