Good And Purposeful Leadership Decides The Direction Of Governance; Not Political Party
Whereas there are over 50 registered political parties in Nigeria, only a few majors have been able to hold on to the apron strings of our nation; some have been there since the beginning of the current democratic era, others were established during the life of our evolving democracy, meanwhile a plethora of political parties that once existed as major opposition force have today become non-existent; where others have gone as far as marrying themselves in order to build a virile opposition base.
It takes people of like minds to successfully administer a political party as interest may at one time or the other conflict resulting to party herra-kirry which most often does the party more harm than good. Whereas a political party may possess the influencing power to decide who flags its ticket in gunning for the various political offices seemingly directed towards the good of the people, it does not however, have the universal acceptance and backing; ordinarily to flex such muscle in deciding the direction of the nation's government; what matters more at this point is for the government in power to fashion out policies and programs that will complement the yearnings and aspirations of the larger majority, which is the sole responsibility of not the ruling party per se but the people whose responsibility it is to ensure the best of a government is directed towards the people.
As a disciplined and loyal party (PDP) man with many years of selfless service to God and humanity, I can no longer be limited in my ability to draw the line between party politics and good governance; where the earlier is a collection of a few individuals with similar ideals on the sustainable relevance of the party in the State polity, the latter has a broadened horizon as it seeks to address the collective and general interests of the larger majority for which leaders ought to be constructively addressing. As a former member and Majority Leader in the Edo State House of Assembly, a Commissioner representative of Edo State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chairman and member at different times, of several development driven committes, councils and boards, a community leader and development agent, a successful business owner, a United Nations (UN) Peace Ambassador and a dogged and long-standing advocate for the total liberation of the youth, women and children, I cannot claim to be ignorant and therefore less-concerned of the fears and uncertainties of our people which has been largely propelled by the imperfections of successive governance for which we have all become victims; yet we have kept hope alive, courageous in our dealings, resolute and resilient, strongly believing in a better country someday soon.
As Governor of our dear Edo State come 2016, the workings of my administration shall be directed towards the restoration of the value of hardwork; purposeful thinking and leadership through youthful engagement and popular solidarity; geared towards recreating a better Edo State where everyone is a stakeholder, making short-term plans capable of addressing the immediate needs and aspirations of our people, and long-term plans with the possessive ingredients of addressing the now-unforseeable needs of generations yet unborn with the primary motive of getting the State to work for all. It is against this backdrop that my interest and zeal in vying for the Office of Governor, Edo State, is burning and uncompromising; it will take the Power of God and your relentless support to achieve this.
We are all strengthened by the Almighty God to take extra steps in our determination for success and the good life; this has been my driving force especially in the business, political and philanthrophic circle where I strongly belong. My current investment in the hospitality business sited in my home town of Benin City, Edo State will see to a further liberation and employment of a minimum of Eighty Two (82) persons (youth, women and men) from the streets; this is among the already existing huge number of people I have liberated. I am proud to have no investment outside Edo State, I have remained at home, just as I have remained with my PDP since 1999. Eighty Two (82) persons and more out of our streets is a huge reduction in unemployment rate, which could have resulted to crime and the attendant consequences. A political figure approached me recently and lambasted me for siting a hospitality business in Benin; to quote him 'with this kind of business in Benin, you will not be able to recoup your profits in the next ten (10) years; you should have taken this project to Lagos, Abuja or Port-Harcourt, even overseas'. To reply him softly, I said the business neither belong to me nor my family, it belongs to Edo people, who ordinarily, should be major stakeholders in our governance blueprint.
As Governor of Edo State, I am determined to address the various issues and challenges that continue to relegate our State to the background in our nation's government; with my far-reaching relationship and contacts locally and internationally, and most importantly your support, I shall undertake a complete reactivation of our governance policies to get our State back on track; creating a most ideal and enabling environment for everyone to succeed; while holding dearly and sacrosanct our guiding laws. I intend to revamp our agricultural base to create a more agric-friendly community; by turning Edo into a bread-basket, a power-house for increased food production; to get this right and sustain its tempo, we must make a fundamental paradigm shift, where agriculture must be seen as not just a developmental program that must be left for the government alone, but a business and venture that ordinary individuals can invest, feeding the state and making a meaningful living out of it. With a strong political will-power which I humbly do not lack, our agriculture base will be structured, resourced, developed and financed as a business so as to open the gains and potentials for easy accessibility by stakeholders, with this we would have become independent and self-reliant in production, while creating meaningful employment for our people.
The far-reaching benefits and gains of well-funded education cannot be over-emphasized; our State has been a major contributor to the total development of our nation's education sector; however recent educational measurement and evaluation reveal that we may have lost track somewhere; probably due to unfriendly government policies which ordinarily was intended towards improving educational statndards but has now become a monumental source of embarrassment. What a reverse. My administration shall enact human-face and people-oriented educational policies and programs; where renowned and upcoming educational administrators and experts shall make up the larger part of our education for all program; geared towards the re-orientation of our students to be self-dependent and promising future leaders who can contribute to the growth of our state even as students and youth. As an alumni of our Great UNIBEN and Ambrose Alli University all in Edo State, I cannot perform less than excellent in driving our education to compete and match up with United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-set standards which will become a cynosure of all eyes, attractive and highly sort after in our country.
As Governor of our dear State, I intend to run an all-inclusive administrative program with a rejuvenated focus and drive in addressing the ideals, principles and characteristics of good governance. I intend to run my government in the direction of popular participation which shall be participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law; which shall capably reduce or ensure that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It shall also be responsive to the present and future needs of our society. To further drive the practicability of my points:
Participation: Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives. It is important to point out that representative democracy does not necessarily mean that the concerns of the most vulnerable in society would be taken into consideration in decision making. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand.
Rule of law: Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force. With this on the foreground, we would have naturally assisted the government at the centre in revamping the police and our nation's other security agencies.
Transparency: Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media.
Responsiveness: Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.
Consensus Oriented: There are several actors and as many view points in a given society. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of a given society or community. To the extent that I have grown with the people, I can say confidently that I understand the fears and challenges of Edo people better than any of my contemporaries.
Equity and Inclusiveness: A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.
Effectiveness and Efficiency: Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.
Accountability: Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organanization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.
As the current administration works round the clock to sustain its good dovernance posture, the good people of Edo State have a choice to make in their effort to herald a successive government; however, the extent to which the incoming government can meet the expectations of the people depends largely on the choice we make in 2016; for me, I have three cardinal threads in my administration; 1. the people, 2. the people, 3. the people. As a man of and for the people, I cannot do less than the excellent in delivering the ideals of good governance, sustainable development and popular participation on the seat of Governor. As a long-standing member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) with no existing record(s) of having abandoned the party in its turbulent and challenging times even with guarantees of mouth-watery government offerings from here and there; I have remained steadfast, committed and loyal to the founding fathers, members and principles of our party and State; for me, should the PDP remain in existence for another one thousand years, and God spare our lives; I remain a loyal PDP man who cannot be hoodwinked or hijacked for flimsy political gains; and I am running for the seat of Governor of Edo State on the platform of the PDP. There is a lot to do for our people.
There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken to the flood, leads to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shadows and miseries. God bless Edo State.
Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen is my name
PDP is the party
Edo is the State
#agreateredoispossiblewithmai