By Emmanuel Adeleke
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate for Ibarapa North/Central Federal Constituency, Dr. Adebayo Adepoju, aka Ibarapa kan, has promised to take the constituency to limelight and steer it to an enviable position.
Adepoju made the promise during a press conference in Igboora, Ibarapa Central Local Government, on Wednesday.
He said a good politician must possess the quality to network among people to get things done and be able to manage people, stressing that his focus will be on education and empowerment of youths and women as well as other vital sectors of the local economy.
“If given an opportunity to serve, the bills I intend to introduce will revolve around those things that directly impact us as a people, such as the security of lives and property, agriculture development, healthcare of children and the aged, sports, the social and physical infrastructure of our community, and the overall economic prosperity of our people.
“As I have always done, I will operate an open-door policy. I promise to be readily reachable through my phone lines and constituency offices, which will be maintained in both Ibarapa North and Ibarapa Central Local Government Areas. Regular quarterly interactive town hall sessions will be done to engage with my constituents. Such town hall gatherings will be rotated across the constituent towns and villages.
“Constant engagements with the local, state and federal governments to ensure positive life-impacting interventions are implemented. We shall include the community leaders and royal fathers in these conversations because we will empower them and count on them to monitor the implementation of our various intervention programmes and for valuable feedback on progress and information about our collective desired interest.
“Aside from coming home and staying in touch with my constituency, we shall have two easy-to-reach and functional constituency offices. One within Ibarapa Central Local Government and another within Ibarapa North local Government Area. One legislative assistant will be engaged in each of the 20 wards within our federal constituency. The objective is to have hands and ears within every immediate community to relay the needs of such communities to my team and I for intervention programmes. This multifaceted approach will constantly keep me abreast of the yearnings of my people and how best to deploy the necessary impactful interventions in place,” he said.
Adepoju maintained that sponsoring and supporting relevant bills and motions that will positively impact the lives and fortunes of the Ibarapa people, Oyo State, South West region and Nigeria will be his primary focus.
“Helping make laws where micro, small, and medium businesses can access funds to increase their capacity for growth and expansion to create more jobs and enhance investment opportunities in our communities. This will be achieved primarily by exploring global contacts in the finance, banking and government sectors and investing funds to get this intervention going,” he added.
The PDP candidate promised to revive the hope of the youths by working vigorously to help with gainful employment and empowering them in different fields that can enhance self-employment and productivity.
“One of our plans is to support our people in diverse fields by training and motivating them in the areas of agricultural farming, photography, bead making, tie & dye, soap making, hair making, sewing and fashion designing, leather works (shoes & handbags), fish farming and animal husbandry and a host of others. Our empowerment will not follow the existing manner currently done nationwide.
“Statistics have proven that when we give out things to empower people who are not adequately trained to use those items, the results may not be the intended. As a fix, we will facilitate interventions that will teach people and then empower the graduates of such programmes with excellent products that can help them continue on that path to prosperity and self-independence.
“My goal will be to use my resources and contacts at the federal and state levels, including agencies overseas, to facilitate all types of support for our farmers. The intervention will not be limited to purchasing tools for farming, financial aid, technological support, and the provision of fertilizers, seeds, and machinery needed to produce. Our farmers will also be supported with innovative ideas and assisted with connecting diverse markets to sell their products. The assistance given to our farmers will enable other people sitting on the fence to go into farming as a means of livelihood, thereby reducing the employment deficit we are currently experiencing.
“As a lawmaker, I may be limited to what I do in terms of direct approval of interventions, but I am not limited to what I can influence and how much I can influence to and for my constituency. There will be a sincere drive to improve upon investments in existing college infrastructures while trying to get more sited in my constituency because of its positive impact on the well-being of our community.
“I will sponsor our information technology trainees to get technical certifications while facilitating expert mentoring and ICT training in programming, coding, software development, phone repairs, and hardware maintenance. The provision of hardware, maintenance kits, take-off grants, and smart internet hubs will help the trainees get traction on their trade, thereby creating an environment for productivity and community development,” he said.
Adepoju knocked the incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Ajibola Muraina for failing to deliver on his mandate, promising to change the narratives.
“Enough is Enough, he has offered nothing for the past 16 years. He only comes around when the election approaches, and people’s need changes on daily basis,” he said.
He enjoined the people of the state to troop out en masse to vote their conscience and not allow any inducement in the forthcoming general elections.
