As Nigerians join others across the globe to step into the New Year, a call has gone to those in places of authority to look with retrospect into the living conditions of the generality of the people and show concern on how to ameliorate the plethora of problems confronting them.
This was contained in the New Year message released by the Oyo State gubernatorial candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) for the February 2019 election, Mr. Oyedele Hakeem Alao ,an engineer, and made available to journalists in Ibadan.
The AD gubernatorial candidate, who expressed fear at the danger posed by the unfavourable condition under which people live said; “we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder, which can explode at anytime and the repercussion as we all know cannot be wholesome”.
Mr. Alao, while counseling that the country cannot afford bloody revolution enjoined all concerned to think deeply on how to revert the ugly trend of youth unemployment, harsh economic conditions and rural-urban migration.
According to him, “the New Year we have just begun is a veritable opportunity for us as a nation to halt the downward trend of the socio-economic life of our people by ensuring that we get it right at the elections holding in February and March this year. I strongly believe that if we have the right people in office, things will change for better”.
The AD standard-bearer in Oyo State used the opportunity to appeal to those participating in the elections early in the New Year, either as contestants or as voters to look beyond the immediate in their actions during the elections, stressing that vote buying and selling would not bring the desired change.
“When people talk of vote buying, I always feel that the whole matter is not being addressed because it takes two to tango. For any act of buying, there must be selling. So, as we allege politicians of buying votes, the electorates that sell votes are equally culpable.
“Since people have been selling their votes, the time now is to ask themselves what gains have they made? Those buying the votes have only been the ones reaping bountiful gains which is why we all need to have a rethink. Those who have nothing to offer the people in terms of service delivery when they get to office must stay clear and let those of us with genuine interest and concern for the people take charge”, he said.
While praying for a prosperous 2019 for all, Engr. Alao insisted that the elections holding early in the New Year would afford the people to sow the seeds of the prosperity which everybody yearn and pray for, not only for 2019 but beyond, adding, “the key to prosperity in the New Year and beyond is with us to use by electing the right people into office during the elections early this year”.
