Senator Kola Balogun has said amendment of the 1999 Constitution to accommodate independent candidates in future elections will help to produce strong public office holders who can frontally tackle the myriad of problems confronting the country.
The senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District said this at the 3rd Akeem Kareem Foundation Lecture Series and Maiden Award of Excellence, held in Ibadan, on Thursday.
Senator Balogun also said such an amendment, encapsulating independent candidature, would also help in curbing the agitations by youth for more representation in politics.
He said the topic of the lecture, “Engineering Change Through The Sorosoke Generation: 2023 And The Path To Follow”, is germane to the 2023 elections.
Senator Balogun, who was one of the awardees at the event, however, urged the Nigerian youths to be ready to make sacrifice in their quest to make a change and become relevant in the polity.
“It is not just about sorosoke. It is beyond EndSARS. How many of you have your Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)? The youths should get their PVCs. Go and get registered and make your voice known.
“It is good to sorosoke but you need to make it more concrete. Jumpstart the process and create awareness. Sorosoke, but jerk it up with critical awareness.
“Youths of today should take the bull by the horn. You should take control and make positive impacts. The political kitchen will be very hot and those who cannot stand it will find their ways out.
“2023 is around the corner. Don’t sit on the fence. Get your PVC; get your relatives and friends to register to vote. Educate them and exercise your power.
“Politicians will come to you with money. Given the fact that poverty is a reality in the land, collect their money but don’t vote for them. That will go a long a way to teach them some good lessons,” he said.
Senator Balogun was also full of praises for the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, who he described as a God-fearing man that conducted the 2019 elections without let and fear.
“How many people can resist the temptation of $2million? That was the money that was taken all around, in a bid to induce him to change the result of the election.
“But Dr Agboke is a good man. He is a man of God, not necessarily a pastor. He is a God-fearing man who used his position to do what is right in respect of elections in Oyo State,” he added.
The Oyo REC, Dr Mutiu Agboke, also acknowleged the role of youths in political development and offered ways by which the Nigerian youths can bring about the desired positive change.
He said money plays critical role in the polity but added that, for youths to be effective, they should start from the grassroots level where he said enormous power resided.
“Start from the ward level. Go back to participate in politics at the grassroots level where enormous power resides. You should forget stereotypes about contesting for elections at the national and state levels.
“All the political parties that we have in the land are the same. So, for the youths to be talking about raising money to find elections and expect the desired change is not in tune with realities.
“INEC has been campaigning for the mainstreaming of people considered to be less privileged. These include women and youths. They should not be marginalised.
“However, the youths should start a movement that will not be cosmetic. It should be one that is clear-headed without any sinister motives. Everybody in politics has thrown away morality, but voting is now counting, though we are not there yet,” Agboke said.
Various other speakers who also spoke at the event emphasised the need for a change in the system to allow for more youth and women participation in the political process.
