The Primary Purpose of Governance is to Add Value to People – Sen. Akinyelure
… As he gives his Account of Stewardship
Olanrewaju Ayo
The Senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Dr. Ayo Patrick Akinyelure, known widely as “Allover” on Saturday, 3rd of April 2020 gave an extensive report of his first eighteen months in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, while he also emphatically analysis the need for the southerners to be more political conscious like their Northern counterparts.
The ranking Senator in a Media Chat with Journalists at the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) Press Center also disclosed that in the last eighteen months at the Upper Chamber, he has facilitated and distributed over 200 employment letters to graduates from the six Local Government Areas within the Senatorial District.
The Lawmaker was first elected to represent his people between 2011 and 2015, before he was re-elected in 2019 when he defeated two bigwigs, Senator Tayo Alasoadura of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who at that time was the incumbent Senator seeking reelection and immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) respectively.
Senator Akinyelure, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, said he had worked on over 50 petitions and laid reports to that effect to the Senate.
The Federal Legislator said he had sponsored seven bills and several motions in the last 18months to give quality representation. In his words, he said “I have demonstrated my capacity to add value to the people of Nigeria especially Ondo central, I have used this platform to secure various employments in different agencies of government to add value to my people because the primary purpose of governance is for you to add value to the people you are representing.”
He noted that since June 2019 when he returned to the Senate, he has empowered over 400 unemployed constituents through enterprise development, while palliative and empowerment materials worth millions of naira had been distributed to Artisans and less privileged in Akure South, Ifedore, Ondo East, Akure North, Idanre and Ondo West local government Areas.
Akinyelure said he had purchased a Grader to grade rural roads in the district free of charge, noting that over 100km of roads linking farms and rural communities have been graded under his constituency’s project.
He advised the people of Ondo State to shun voting out their National Assembly members unnecessarily to enable them properly play the national politics as ranking members of the National Assembly, while he beckoned on the media to always give appropriate political education to the people, claiming that politics of the National Assembly is different from other politics because it is only bigwigs that have says in the floor of the house.
When answering some questions from journalists, the ranking Senator also cleared the grid on the issue of casualization of Nigerian graduates by companies and industries, whereby they employ them for menial jobs and bring in people from other countries or children, relatives and friends of the political big wigs in the country and based on connections and including outsiders to fill in the managerial positions, he said the Senate under the leadership of the President, Ahmed Lawan has taken it as a priority to pass a bill that will pave way for Nigerian graduates to be more relevant and accord good treatment In any company or industry in the country.
In fulfillment of his promises, Akinyelure presented employment letters to twenty youths carefully selected across the Ondo Central Constituencies.
In the same vein, the ranking Senator also admonished Governor Akeredolu to pay the salary arrears of the public servants, claiming that most of them are hungry, in his words he said “I can only use this medium to talk to the Governor, we can see his road projects and other projects, but as a member of the opposition party, I can’t just walk into your office, but I believe that he will hear or see this, you are still our Governor, we beg you to pay up the worker’s salary, the complaints are much, they are hungry, please pay the worker’s salary.”
Representatives of various print and electronic media outfits, with the Chairman of Ondo NUJ, Comrade Adetona Aderoboye, and other executives, President of the Association of Independent Newspapers Publishers of Nigeria, Adefemi Ojopagogo and other political admirers were in attendance.
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