"National Assembly Members Should Not Be Chasing Contracts" - Former DG, Oyo Liaison Office, Wale Ajani

 

A former President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Wale Ajani has stated that members of the National Assembly are not supposed to be chasing contracts. Ajani, who was a senatorial aspirant in the build up to the last general elections made the assertion in Ibadan recently while

speaking during a media chat organised by the South West Guild of Online Publishers (SWEGOP). While noting that physical development of constituencies is a key ingredient in the evaluation of lawmakers these days, Ajani said "making laws is the primary responsibility but let us not deceive ourselves, no one will go to the National Assembly and come back and say 'I have gone there to speak grammar, I sponsored 10 bills', You need to understand your people; the people you are leading". 

The former DG also took time to explain that people relate better with what they can see physically or experience firsthand. "I met some young people when I was running for election in 2019 and they were like oh, this is the kind of guy we have been looking for they said they loved what I had been doing so they invited me and I went. 

After all my grammar, I was about going to the car to take my leave and they said 'oga, how far now? I said but you people were the ones that said you loved my style. I thought people were beginning to see what I was preaching. So there is no how you would do politics locally and you will not part with money, except you want to deceive yourself because you cannot deceive those people. They know more than you". 

Continuing, he said "physical things are what people see as your achievements. If you don't put that borehole there, they will say you have not achieved anything, if you have not given jobs to people they will say you have not done anything even if you come up with a fantastic legislation that can generate employment for everybody in Nigeria, they will say what is this one talking about? But to me it should be balanced. We should also not go to National Assembly and be chasing contracts because all these things are being gazetted. If you have been somewhere for four years and your name is not mentioned one day, it is not a good thing. They won't write your name as people that attended the plenary. If you are now there and you don't speak for four years, it means something is wrong with such legislators." 

Ajani also took time to explain why he chose to obtain a degree in Law despite his Engineering background. "I am still learning. It is just to search for knowledge. My Bible tells me that wisdom is the principal thing and in all thy getting get understanding. If you want to lead you need to be informed. if you really want to be a good leader, you need to seek for knowledge. If anybody says he wants to govern Oyo State today, and he doesn't actually know the problem of the people of Oyo State, he is just wasting time.I believe that the more you know the better for you. I have been able to blend"

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