RETHINKING ESAN'S AGENDA AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: OCTOBER 07, 2022
MY CASE FOR THE SENATORIAL SEAT!
By Barr Alex Aidaghese.
In a country plagued by a culture of low expectations, cronyism, nepotism, and godfatherism, the "anything goes" slogan becomes the dominant ethos of public service. And that’s our sad reality as a nation-state. Be that as it may, change is possible. We want to change the narrative of performance metrics, with specific reference to Esanland and the caliber of the individuals we are sending to the National Assembly. Performance metrics in this case have nothing to do with philanthropic zest or gratuitous giving in view of an elective office. We have had a history of that. It's about legislative skills and the ability to influence projects in your Senatorial District. The emerging trend should be international best practices or Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro's performance in the old Western Regional House of Assembly.
The Esan Naigbe of Chief Anthony Enenih, of Great Enahoro, and the selfless, pace-setter, Professor Ambrose Alli, are not reputed as back-benchers or noted for sleeping on their legislative responsibility. In the past twenty-four years, we have had Senators who did not rise to the position of substantive recognition or relevance at the National Assembly - a position of relevance defined by the benefits that accrued to our people and communities. It doesn't take twelve years to become the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives or to influence major projects for your people. It's your ability to "scheme" and rise to the demands of the legislative process. Where are the completed water projects? What about irrigation, the dams? Where are the Military Institutions? Where is the Federal Security apparatus to ensure our safety and security throughout the regions? We have none.
Chief Anthony Eromonsele Enahoro, at age 25 in 1953, moved the first motion for Nigerian Independence. And that's indisputable. His performance was the epitome of selflessness and unparalleled patriotic fervor. The question is, where is his picture in Nigerian currency? There's none. God willing, as your Senator, Chief Anthony Enahoro's national monument or picture in our currency will be my first motion in his honor. The Esan people will and must have a voice in how Nigeria is governed. It's not a promise; it's a task I set before me, my motivation, and the cornerstone of my senatorial endeavor. And by the Grace of God, it shall come to pass. Amen.
How many Federal Government projects or institutions can we boast of in Edo Central Setile to trust them for another four years. They slumber on our, rights while a one-time flourishing Ewu Flour Mills went under before the carcass was acquired by Pastor Chris Oyakhilomen.
Today, many of our communities in Esanland do not have electricity. On my first day in office as your Senator-elect, l will be in consultation with the power distribution company in charge of Esanland and the relevant NERC team to resolve the gridlock that paralyzed the power supply of our people for many years.
And as you must know, the two major federal highways to Esanland, the Agbor/Uromi Rd as well as the Benin/Auchi have been in chaotic condition since 2015. And there is no solution in sight. (In my manifesto, I gave a breakdown of the actions myself and my Legislative Advisers will take to ensure that every new road project in Esanland meets international standards).
Right now, the continuous existence of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma as one institution hangs precariously in uncertainties. The threat of its being dismantled by the present administration in Edo State should not be taken with a grain of salt. The fact that no pronouncement on the record has emerged from any of our members at the National Assembly condemning the plan of the Governor of Edo State, exemplifies the morbid disconnect between them and the reality on the ground in Edo Central Senatorial District. AAU is a landmark. Whoever fights AAU is fighting every man and woman in the entire Esanland. It will not happen under my watch as a Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District. Period.
The issue here goes beyond their inability to perform. It is whether they are ever conscious of the enormity of the power and privileges that accompanied their mandate to serve at the National Assembly. The lack of wisdom to assemble a formidable team and discern the existence of a void within your team and how to deal with them is the worst anomaly as a people representative. And that's the harbinger of the culture of low expectations underlying Esan's presence at the National Assembly.
If they couldn't ascend to the position of President of the Senate within eight years of continuous sitting, and could not influence Federal presence in Edo Central Senatorial District in twenty-four years, Esan voters cannot afford to trust them again for another four years.
In my first two years in the Senate, about half of the entire Esan tribal region will be connected with pipe-borne water. And in four years, the entire Esan region will be enjoying an uninterrupted stream of clean water.
I am not promising miracles; with the right information at the disposal of our members of the National Assembly, coupled with diligent management and oversight in place, there's nothing the Federal Government cannot do for our community.
It is about communication and it is about setting goals and meeting expectations. I want to fill that void. And I have what it takes to break the jinx and low expectations and fill the void. It's about giving the Esan people a voice in how Nigeria is governed.
How many times have you seen your Senator driving around your community or conducting a Town Hall Meeting? Not in Edo Central Senatorial District. If you accept the troubling disconnect at the federal level as an evil that must be condemned, you must also condemn the unhinged disconnect between our Senators at Abuja and the reality on the ground in Esan Senatorial District.
The ability to fathom the existence of a void (disconnect), and how to go about eliminating it is what makes the difference. That ability is what differentiates me from the other candidates as well as those you have been clapping after before now. And that's what I'm bringing to the table. As a Senator, you are a servant of the people, not the Lord of the Manor.
How many times have you seen or heard of Esan members at the National Assembly, as a team, seeking an audience with the President or the decision-takers at the Budget Office to draw their attention to the lack of Federal presence in Esanland or lobby for opportunities for the region? Nothing on the record. I will do things differently, believing that information is power. And that's what I'm bringing to the table.
The Minister of Agriculture or Water Resources, for instance, doesn't know where the Odu River is in the Esan region. I know that. In a similar vein, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not aware of the existence of the Odu River Dam in Ewohimi and its capacity to generate clean water ceaselessly. I know that, as well.
As your Senator, it is my responsibility to bring this information as well as information about similar untapped resources all over Esanland to the attention of the Presidency, the President of the Senate, and the appropriate Ministers and Ministries for appropriate action.
Please, don't let them tell you it can't be done. Surely, it can be done. Surely, I can do it. That's what governance is about. It's happening in other villages and towns all over Nigeria. Why not in Esanland? And that is where I will make a difference - meetings and consultations.
I am not an accidental public servant. And I do not seek your mandate on someone else's goodwill or because I have plenty of money to throw around. I am in the race because I am prepared. And I'm going to do things differently.
This is the time for a new start. And I represent that new start, the present, and the future. I am your son. And I seek your support to serve you selflessly as a Senator at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
My name is Alex Ehimhantie Aidaghese. I am a Lawyer and I am from Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government Council, Edo State. I have a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) from Edo State University, Ekpoma. (Now named Ambrose Alli University). And I have a Master of Law (LLM) in the Laws of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law and Policy from the Sturm College of Law, University of Denver, Colorado, USA, and I specialize in Permitting Processes, Licensing, and Regulatory Compliance. Adding to that, I completed the one-year Masters level Certificate of Special Studies (CSS) in Administration and Management from Harvard University, Division of Continuing Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, (Now called the Masters of Liberal Arts in Management). In addition, I am a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE).
I worked for a few years in the IT industry as a Desktop Support and Network Administrator during the dot com era, and at some of the top law firms in New York City and Philadelphia, USA, notably at Sullivan and Cromwell, Dechert LLP, and Hughes Hubbard and Reeds. And most often, I drove a taxi in between jobs. I am presently a Principal Partner at Alex and Partners, a boutique law firm, based in Lagos, Lagos State.
MOVING FORWARD
Today, the demand for Decentralization of Power and Restructuring is at the front burner of the Nigerian leadership struggle, and I have written extensively on the subject. So, as we match towards the actualization of True Federalism, the Esan people cannot afford to be represented at those debates by mere spectators who cannot make an informed distinction between Unitary, Federal, and Confederal systems of government, or Resource Control. We need a strong candidate, an articulate voice, and astuteness in Constitutional Law to be the eyes and ears of Esanland in the upper chamber.
In my private capacity and, thousands of miles outside of Abuja, I have made substantial impacts in nurturing our constitutional democracy. When the demand for the removal of the Immunity clause (Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended) reached its crescendo, my essay made the most impact in its retention by the Constitutional Review Committee. Though I have not been in government, I have been substantively involved in my essays and writings.
I do not have a godfather, God is my God Father. And I am accountable to no one, but you - the people of Esanland. I won't be going to Abuja alone. And I won't surround myself exclusively with my village folks. I am going to assemble a formidable team of the Esan's Finest Men and Women with vast knowledge of the legislative process and public affairs. And I will pick my team from all the five local government councils of Esanland to accompany me to Abuja. We will be meeting every day to strategize on how to ensure that Esan is not left out in the deliberations of what becomes of Nigeria and in the management and disbursement of our national wealth.
Politically, I am Progressive (a Social Democrat) and I espouse Chief Obafemi Awolowo's populist philosophy of government, being about service to the people and for the people. I will strive to sponsor and support motions and bills that are poverty alleviation-focused, and geared toward the sustainable development of our infrastructural facilities. I am not going to be a Senator of Agbazilo or a Senator of Okpebho, but a Senator of the men and women of every community in Edo Central Senatorial District, focusing on even development.
This struggle, this mandate that I seek transcends tribes and political affiliation. I humbly ask that you Judge me based on what I'm bringing to the table, and not by the name of my village. If you consider the marginalization at Abuja and Osadebe Avenue abhorrent, you should also consider the age-old marginalization in Esanland, abhorrent.
My dear people of Esanland, we are one big family. Let's support the candidate with bold visions and an innate understanding of leadership as well as the working of the government. And I am that candidate.
We are better than a little block of classrooms and community health centers here and there, without Teachers, Doctors, and Nurses. We deserve modern hospitals with Doctors and Nurses. I will be paying unscheduled visits to our schools and hospitals regularly to ensure that our sick folks are professionally attended to and the medical staff are working in a comfortable environment.
I will bring Abuja to Esanland, spending most of my weekends at home, visiting hospitals and schools to be able to forestall the disconnect that turned our members of the National Assembly into aliens in their native homelands.
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It's time we send a trusted, selfless, articulate, credible, and reliable Esan son to the National Assembly - a son who will not be lost in the crowd or short of visions. And I am your son, your brother, your cousin, your uncle, your nephew, and your friend, Barr Alex Ehi Aidaghese.
This is not about me or my ambition. This dream is not motivated by the desire to get "settled" by other candidates and smile my way to the bank, richer. The motivation is about the interests of my beloved people of Esanland - to facilitate the federal presence that's abysmally lacking in Edo Central Senatorial District. I want to be a catalyst for a bold industrial revolution throughout Esanland, focusing on advanced infrastructural facilities.
Above all, I am involved, because, compared to the other candidates in the race, I firmly believe that I have a better understanding of the working of government and its various institutions, as well as how to harness the available opportunities within the system, to benefit and meet the expectations of my beloved people of Esanland. It's about the Esanland, not my bank account or the volume of gifts I have given out to people to garner their sympathy, love, and endorsement.
Finally, in the memory of Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro and Professor Ambrose Alli, and those who have died or made enormous sacrifices in the struggle for the fulfillment of our constitutional democracy, I honor you today, believing that President Abraham Lincoln's most cited lines in his Gettysburg address of November 19, 1863, also apply to you: “that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Amen.
Please, I cannot do it without you. I need your support to be able to give you the leadership you deserve. Together we can make the change we seek in the political system.
God Bless Esanland and may God bless the good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
My name is Alex Ehimhantie Aidaghese (LL.M), and I endorse this message.
0704 921 5084
March 23, 2022.
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