Ondo bye-election: Lawmaking should not be for secondary school certificate holders — PDP candidate

By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday bye-election Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency, Olumuyiwa Adu, has said that he would adopt a new empowerment module that would benefit a greater number of people rather than a select few.

Adu, who spoke at a debate organised by the Correspondents Chapel of the Ondo State NUJ said he was not comfortable with the distribution of sewing machines, motorcycles, grinding machines as empowerment for constituents.

According to him, such an approach only benefits those close to the elected representatives.

Other aspirants such as Mayokun Lawson-Alade of the All Progressives Congress, Olawale Oyemakinde for Accord Party, Fadeke Felicia for African Democratic Party, Joseph Ajayi for the All Peoples Party, Johnson Oluwasuyi for the National Redemption Movement, and Opawole Tajudeen for the Social Democratic Party were absent at the debate.

Adu who decried insinuations that he was dismissed from the military said he voluntarily left after he was offered a job that paid higher wages than the N28,000 monthly he was earning as a soldier.

He pointed out that lawmaking is a serious business not meant for secondary school certificate holders.

According to him, “My empowerment will be focused on job creation, skills development and for businesses to thrive. In Akure, there is no recreational centre. If the constituency is used as a PPP for setting up a recreational centre, do you know how many people will be employed there?

“The present empowerment modules being used are not sustainable. I will ensure the right empowerment for the right people. I am not satisfied with the way it is done. We should begin to think of sustainable ways to help our people to develop themselves.

“You cannot be a leader when you are not academically qualified, have no skill or character. It should be commensurate with what you can offer. We do not get the right person in the right place.

“With the current structure, we aren’t going forward. How do we elect a school certificate held to the National Assembly to go and make laws?

“He will only rely on the salary he has never received before to come and share on the streets.”