… As Lagos philanthropist joins Governorship race
By Ben Ogbemudia, Abuja
Ose Anineh, one of the son of late Chief Tony Anineh on Monday picked nomination form under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party to represent Esan North East, Esan South East Federal constituency at the National Assembly.

Anineh who spoke with journalists shortly after obtaining the form said ge will be focusing on water, security which is the major challenge to his people.

“My constituency has a problem with access to water, I know the Federal Government and State have done some work and we will be focusing on ensuring that work is sustainable and my constituency has access to free, clean healthy water.

” We will also be focusing on general insecurity. Currently, you have trouble traveling between towns, so even though the towns are relatively safe, travelling between towns are very unsafe. If you can recall a couple of weeks ago, there was this deadly bank robbery that happened in Uromi, my town where robbers came and held the town for almost three hours, unmolested and I strongly believe that the way out of this current security troubles is state police in restructuring our security architecture and I will be pushing very hard to make sure that is done.

” I actually came out to run in 2010 for the same seat so this is actually the second time I am expressing interest and intent to run.

” Sergius Ogun is my friend and my brother. He was a brilliant House of Rep member who I think I’m one of the best in the current House of Rep cohorts, if I can even match him I will be more than happy to. He did a lot of work, he has almost forty bills in the house but there are still some work left undone. I think his focus was more on education and I will be tackling fundamental issues we are suffering in the constituency such as water, security, general insecurity and a more specific focus on education that is relevant to the 21st century.

” I am not trying to fit into anybody shoe, I think everybody has their shoe they need to fit and he never actually contested for elective office and his own politics is slightly different from mine. I am looking to contest specifically for legislative office because I believe that democracy is literally built on the law that State House of Assembly and House of Rep members has. Nigeria is in a precarious situation where we’ve seen strong men who are not really caught for a democratic Club can bring the nation to the edge and I am hoping that my tenure in the House of Representatives will safeguard our democracy a little bit more than it is currently protected.

” if you go into some spaces and the fact that I am a son, they opens doors but you go into some other places and you don’t get such a warm reception, so I think it balance it out and I had to stand on my own pedigree. like I said I came out 12 years ago and I have had more than a decade to develop myself, professionally I have two master’s degree I am a project manager, I have served the party for 12 years at the state and federal level and I am not here as chief Anineh’s son, I am here as Ose Anineh.”

On part, Dr. Abdulaziz Olajide said he was in the party National Secretariat to obtained nomination and expression of interest form to run for the office of Governor on the platform of People’s people’s Democratic.

” If you’ve been following our movements in Lagos regarding movements, we’ve been on for the past seven years, and just for one reason to take Lagos, return it back to the people.

” What Lagos needs right now is that breath of fresh air, and that is what I represent, a breath of fresh air in the sense that I haven’t been appointed before, I haven’t been elected before. I’ve been on the sideline, watching and studying the situation and whatever you see us doing today, I want to tell you, it’s a result of a thorough research on how to play the game.

“That is why we consider ourselves in a very vantaged position to winning the state of Lagos for PDP. And this is largely due to the amount of work that we have put into this. We know it’s not just going to be a tea party to win Lagos from those that have held onto power for the past two decades. This is why we devised our strategy of starting early, that strategy of long term planning.

“What is obtainable everywhere is that people come out several months without decision to say they want to run for office. We know it’s gonna take a whole lot from us delivering the gospel of the PDP because of what it is. We all know how important is Lagos to the country, to the economy of Nigeria.

“We moved from APC to PDP on the 21st of January this year. I’m sure you have not witnessed such a movement. The very first time you’ll be having people moving from the ruling party to the opposing one, speaks a lot to what we stand for and what we represent.

“If it’s about bread and butter, we will remain in it because we have that promise of a better tomorrow. We believe we’ve sacrificed everything that we’re probably enjoying in APC and joined the party, where we’ll be able to subject our aspiration to the wishes of negotiations, the people as against subjecting it to the mood of an individual where we’re coming from and I’ll tell you that you don’t need me to explain, you know how it is.

“I think first and foremost, everybody knows that this is a call to service. Okay, and if you’re running for office I mean, just like one of my principals said to me, when I hinted him of my intention to run for office of Governor sometimes in 2016. He reminded me that the office you desire is going to take a whole lot away from you. To be a governor of any state, you don’t have access to your foreign accounts anymore, pull yourself out of your personal businesses, even if you’ve got business interest anywhere you first pull yourself out of those businesses. Meaning that I don’t need someone to tell me I’m ready to serve my people. And if that is what I’ve been doing, because like you pointed out effortlessly, while I was on my own so it comes in handy.

“To stay successful or to be in public office successfully, then there must be that emotional intelligence, you must be able to feel the pain of the people and see how you can be a part of their success story everyday. This is a call to service I understand clearly. That is something that we’ve been doing effortlessly before now with my own means and resources.

“Be rest assured that we are ready to put in our best and making sure that the wealth of Lagos is seen on the streets of Lagos, is felt by the people of Lagos.

” So for us with ambition, we intend to take that wealth away from the pockets of an individual put it to use for the benefit of everybody living and working and paying taxes in Lagos.

If you’ve been following, you see that PDP ve been doing between 34 and 36%, you know, in every election year and after the review by our committee, which first created an implosion within the strong base of the ruling party, and moving that huge number to PDP, be rest assured that it is 20% that PDP needs to cross that threshold and then win Lagos for the people of Lagos. So even the APC in Lagos already knows. That’s why they are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that they keep firing, using campaign of calumny so they try to infiltrate into our land so that we don’t get on the ballot. But we know that we’re going to get on the ballot. And we’re going to win Lagos for PDP in general, and I’ve given you the data, okay, go check. And what we’ve just brought in into PDP is what we need to deliver the state for PDP.

So everybody in Lagos is just waiting for us to be on the ballot. And the moment that happened, then you can rest assured that on May 29 2023, I will be sworn in as governor.

For us in Lagos for Lagos where we’re coming from, but even before joining, just like I said earlier on, what we are doing is the result of a thorough research.

When you can come to Lagos what you see is a very poor traffic management with that huge resources that has accrued to us. It’s unfortunate that in the state of Lagos, we only have one iconic projects, meaning that you don’t need anybody to tell you that the city of Dubai is rich.

Lagos is the state, let me speak about SMS first because it’s the state where you have huge number of SMS, about 3.3 million, but we have 11,600 successes in operation, you know, these are the engine room of any economy, you understand. But what would you do with them in ensuring that because they employ close to 50%, of employment rate of the state of Lagos and that is true, but the manner in which we treat this economy. I’ll give you three examples of logic for markets, computer village or Aspanda.

Bandits’ attacks on Zamfara communities cowardly – Matawalle

You see Lagos state government pay lip service to be primary education, free education is not enough, to say, come to school don’t pay. If you understand what that means.

We’re going to do a free and compulsory primary education, free and compulsory. You can’t make it compulsory. If you’ve not provided all those little things that will make your children stay back home. You don’t have any excuse not to send these children to school.