Nicholas Akobada a political scientist, business man and 2023 People's Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate, Lagos East spoke to TUNDE ESO on his mission and project plan to serve his district.
Brief us about your background
I'm Nicholas Adekunle Akobada from Akobada family in Epe, also from Orunbon family in ibeju lekki. A Political Scientist, who has been in politics for decades.
I spent my early days in Shomolu and Bariga. I have also traveled to nooks and crannies of this world.
My exposure outside the shores of Nigeria wasn’t limited to travels alone but also availed me the opportunity to establish various lines of businesses in places like Belgium (Antwerpen), Italy (Napoli) and of course in my home country, Nigeria, precisely, Lagos State.
I’d worked in various government parastatals as Health and Work Supervisor, between 2008 and 2014, in ibeju lekki local government area.
My decades of experience as a serial entrepreneur and political expert has helped in molding me to the persona that I am today, some of the defining learnings and attributes I have built in the course of my experience, are : people management skills, emotional intelligence capacity, inter and intrapersonal relationship skills, leadership managements skills, and so on.
All of these aforementioned attributes and learnings played a significant role in pivoting my success story and how I was able to sail through the inevitable huddles and challenges that constantly prey on the minds and ventures of mankind.
I can proudly say that my progress till date, I have measured by business growth, projects executed, constant feedbacks from the populace in my jurisdiction, whilst in office, my staff, colleagues and of course some of my mentors, in both political and the business space, that have impacted my life positively in various capacity.
As the senatorial candidate of your party, what are the things you plan to do differently if you win?
Thank you for this brilliant ask. I think my first step will be to ameliorate that stigma that sadly some of our politicians are proving the populace right about, that is the derogatory belief that senators are mere bench warmers, who do nothing but relax all day and get paid.
As we speak, I have prepared nothing less than 10 bills,that I am going to sponsor God helping me. These bills I have drafted from the ask of the vast majority of the people in my senatorial district, through a survey we’d carried out just so we give the people a voice. Needless to mention that my senatorial manifesto must not go unfulfilled by Gods grace.
What are your plans for the senatorial district?
I will mention but a few of the projects I have lined up because I don’t encourage unrealistic promises, I like to under promise and over deliver. I want to be able to write my name in the book of history because what is more profitable for your children and generations to come than a name that will forever yield prayers from the people.
- I want to effect some brilliant change in our educational system, good standard education must be accessible by all from the top to the button of the pyramid. Money should not be the determinant factor for good quality education, it must be affordable by all. - Industrialization is key for job opportunities and overall growth in the economy.
- Good roads of course.
- Health for me is as important as education on my list - quality and accessibility is key.
- Then from the survey I had conducted, credit facilities will put a smile on the faces of a lot of our traders, facilities that parades very low interest rate.
- A plan to manage the plights of widows, less privileged individuals, - Youth empowerment projects - to get as many youths as possible occupied so that the surge in youthful decadence will depreciate drastically.
How do you think People’s Democratic Party can win elections in 2023?
The simple answer is structure. Unlike previous elections, the structure in place this time around is well thought out, I think INEC made a significant progress in beefing up the process flow and fixing the loops that people usually will explore to rig.
This will work in our Favour and secondly, the crop of candidates that we are parading this time around are people with high integrity profile and tested leadership capabilities, willing to get the work done toward revamping Nigeria.
What makes you different from others who have served your senatorial district?
I will say experience and results. I have worked as a transformational leader for over 20 years and the results I have recorded both in politics and businesses, supports my stand. I also strongly believe in inclusivity, I don’t plan to alienate myself from my people.
I have experienced life from the terrestrial phase to the top most. I am not one for the silver spoon products who doesn’t know what it means to be a common man with no voice. This is what I plan to change.
Even in business, they say to start up a venture, focus on solving a problem and not copying your competition, and you will record optimal progress. I want to be a problem solver and not just a talker.
I want to listen and act, I want break the wall of inaccessibility, I want to be that leader that is accessible for his people. I already have in my team, brilliant progressive individuals from different walks of life who daily share their opinions on how we can do things differently from our predecessors. Share of voice should not be limited to a segment of the people, it should be for all!
I love to reward results and I’m sure everyone that had worked with me at some point can testify to this. One step at a time, we’ll get there.
Who is your role model and why?
Barack Obama tops the chat for me. He is a man of integrity who never perceived himself as an African- American but as an American with equal rights and privileges as due a white citizen. He broke the record that no one ever thought could be broken, to become the first non white president in a country that has the white as her vast majority. He made me realize that “impossible” is an illusion, a myth.
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