APC Progressive Youth, Francis Okoye Makes An Honest Appeal To Anambra Legislatures

APC Progressive Youth, Francis Okoye Makes An Honest Appeal To Anambra Legislatures

Hush Gist

09 May 2022

Akweke Francis Okoye (Oyi Umunri) has taken to his social media handle to make an honest Appeal to Anambra State legislatures.

In his Appeal, the Progressive Youth of the All Progressive Congress, APC has called on Anambra legislatures to desist from giving stipends to their supporters rather, they should invest properly in them.

He appreciated them for their efforts and draws a comparison between them and Northern legislatures.

He further explained the kind of empowerment he feels would be more beneficial to the people.

Below is the full text:

DEAR ANAMBRA LEGISLATORS,

PLEASE, INVEST IN THE LIVES OF YOUR SUPPORTERS AND MEDIA AIDES, NOT THROWING STIPENDS AT THEM !

Constitutionally Legislators Are Not Elected To Provide Jobs For Their Constituents But They Can Go A Very Long Way To Facilitate Or Influence Job Opportunities For Them.

I Have Been In The National Assembly For 3 Years And I Know How These Things Work. I Know Of Legislators Who Go Out Of Their Ways And Even On Their Knees Begging Heads Of Agencies, Parastatals And Ministers To Give Them Some Job Slots For Their Constituents. Some Legislators Even Go As Far As Paying Millions Of Naira To Get Those Slots And Use It To Settle The Graduate Members Of Thier Constituencies.

I Have Equally Observed That Legislators Who Were Billionaires Or Former Governors Before They Enter The National Assembly Find It Difficult To Use This Strategy Of Going To Ministries And Agencies To Beg For Job Slots. To These Set Of Legislators They See It As Demeaning And Bellitling For Them To Do So.

I Remember A Particular Anambra Legislator Who Said “How Can I Get To A Minister’s Office On Appointment, Only To Meet His Absence. Does He Know Who I Am…. Does He Know That When I Made My First Million He Was Still A Nobody” Oga Legislator Please Keep Your Ego Aside, If You Go To A Minister’s Office And You Did Not See Him, Wait For Him Or Go And Come Back Another Day.

Some Legislators Feel Too Big To Go Out Of Their Ways To Seek For Assistance For Their Subjects. Many Of Them Cannot Even issue You With Ordinary Letter Of Recommendation Let Alone making A Call On Your Behalf. This Set Of Leaders Should Not Be Allowed Near Government Positions Again In 2023.

I Know Of A Rep Member From Anambra Who Has Regularly Empowered Many Young People In His Constituency With Atleast 3 Million Naira Each. But Is This Strategy Fashionable These Days? Because Many Of Them Will Use That Money And Do Baba Ijebu And Vuum The Whole Money Is Squandered. Sustainable Human Capital Investment Like Federal Job And Contract May Be Better Than Dolling Out Cash Without Requisite Investment Plan.

I Also Know Of Some Legislators From Anambra Who Have Empowered Their Constituents With Cars, Keke Napep, Sewing Machines And Motorcycles. While These are Still Good And Necessary Because It Benefits Most Of The Uneducated Rural Dwellers Who Form Bulk Of The Voting Populace

But Where I Want Our Legislators To Improve On, Is In the Area Of Showing Our Youthful Graduates How To Fish And Not Regular Dishing Out Of Stipends Or Fishes To Them. Influence Federal Job Slots For The Youths And Graduates Who Are Your Supporters, Subjects And Media Aides. Use Your Good Offices To Connect Them To Their Destiny Helpers.

This Is One Area Where Many Northern Legislators Have Performed Better. Let Our South East Legislators Learn From This. Fix Your Subjects Into Federal Government Agencies, Departments, Boards And Parastatals. By So Doing You Have Succeeded In Truly Investing In That Person’s Life.

This is What I Call Real Empowerment And I Urge Anambra Legislators To Sit Up And Touch The Lives Of Their Supporters And Media Aides And Not Reducing Them To Mere Attack Or Defence Dogs On The Media Space, Who Deserve No Concrete Means Of Livelihood.

In South West And Northern Nigeria, I Have Seen Many Aides And Supporters Rise From Their Obscure Level To Become Heads Of Government Agencies, Senior Government Functionaries, Board Members, Party Leaders, State And Federal Legislators, All Facilitated By Their Principals.