We have allowed the worst to rule — Akin-Alamu

‘Femi Akin-Alamu is the candidate of the Labour Party for the Ibadan North federal constituency seat in the 2023 general election. In this interview with Olawale Olaniyan, he talks about governance in Nigeria over the years and how Nigerians have allowed the worst to rule the best.

 

What informed your decision to join the race for the Ibadan North federal constituency seat?

I don’t believe politics should be driven by age; I believe politics should be driven by competence. I should not get the mandate because I’m young but I should get the mandate because I am the best person to deliver for the good of our nation. It shouldn’t be whether I am Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa, but it should be who the best person for the job is. Nigeria is in trouble today because we hire people to run our nation who we cannot hire to run our business. If they sit down for an interview to run a business, nobody is going to give them the job because they don’t have a precedence to deliver. Yet we put our nation, states, local governments and wards in their care, so what do you expect? Politics is not a volunteer job. It is high time you ask questions before giving your mandate to an individual. I believe the young also need the old, we cannot discard them. We have to learn from their wisdom. If they have failed in terms of integrity, character, then, they don’t qualify. But that does not mean they don’t have wisdom that they can give to those who can help them to navigate the journey and redeem Nigeria.

 

Do you think Labour Party is popular enough for you to win next year’s election in your constituency?

Like I said, I’m not in politics because I just want to do politics. For me, it is not politics of money or popularity but a politics of conscience. My name is very important to me and before I associate with a political party, I want to be sure of what its ideology is. When you look at the other parties around, they also have ideologies but what do they stand for? I don’t know what they stand for and the only way to know what they stand for is to see precedence. What have they done all the times they were in government? Let me look for that party that has not been tainted; the party that can show us that it is really after a new Nigeria. That party is Labour Party. Right from the top, we have seen that quest for a new Nigeria and that is why I’m glad to be associated with the Labour Party. And, I really believe that the time has come. I believe Labour party is the party to watch out for in the 2023 general elections. The drive is ongoing, beyond online. We are taking steps to move offline and really work for a new Nigeria. I believe I am going to win the Ibadan North ticket for the House of Representatives because people are craving for better representatives. I can tell you that the Labour Party will dominate every corner of Nigeria in 2023. Like I said, it is service for the people. The three core areas that we are going to focus on are; education, infrastructure and giving people adequate representation.

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You are a pastor; are you ready to go dirty as politics is regarded as a dirty game.

As a pastor, I think that politics is said to be dirty because clean people leave it to dirty people. Politics is said to be bad because good people leave it for bad people. If there is going to be a change in our nation, God is not going to come from Heaven to change it. He is going to empower humans like you and I to rise and allow themselves to be counted. The reason good people like myself have to enter into politics is because we have seen bad politics and we have seen what people of that generation can offer, from military rule to the fourth republic. We have seen that things have to change. A new breed of people without greed must arise; people who have the interest of the nation and people at heart; people who don’t see politics as a means of making money; people who genuinely want to see a Nigeria that is the envy of nations. I have travelled around the world and everywhere you get to, you would see Nigerians  doing very well, so, we have human resources; we have the brains, but why would we, since 1960 Independence, still be like this as a nation; we have allowed the worst of us to rule the best of us and that has to change. People who have something to offer need to come out and redeem our nation and move this nation in the right direction that it should be going.

 

How have you been engaging the youth in your constituency ahead of the election?

I have always done my own bit to help our community, especially the young people. Last year, we completed what we call, Entrepreneur Developmental Initiatives, where we invited 10,000 young people in this city to get training in various skills. It was absolutely free of charge and my personal initiative. The beneficiaries had free training on web-design development, wig making, shoe making, social media management, event planning, among others. Not only are we training them, but we also gave them money for start up. You will be surprised at how many people struggle with daily living, and it is not that they are not hardworking but the atmosphere is frustrating. We are demanding change and a better Nigeria.