.Says he will be a torch bearer
By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the Federal House of Representatives, Ikeja federal constituency, Callistus Odoemenam (Cally), has promised to provide effective and accountable representation if elected into office.
Also giving the status recognition of his constituency (Ikeja) as the capital of Lagos State and by extension the economic capital of Nigeria, he assured that he would be the torch bearer that would stimulate other legislators into action.
The accomplished banker is peeved that the incumbent representative (Hon Abiodun Faleke) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has done nothing remarkable after eight years in the Lower House.
“Unfortunately, the incumbent has not done anything for our constituency except to service his pay master, his godfather. He has not represented the interest of Ikeja residents.
“In his eight years of representation, he doesn’t have a constituency office where you can lay complain. You can’t access him even in his neighborhood where he lives.
“We have it on good reports that he does not attend even his estate meetings in Ojodu where he lives. That is not the attitude of a representative. You must be accountable to the people; you must be there for the people to give you their complaints,” Odoemenam said.
Odoemenam saaured: “With my experience in finance management, in banking and in economy, I know that there are legislations, bills that I will sponsor that will spur economic growth; that will cause the banking industry to be supportive to the economy. Those things I have already articulated and will be committed to them as soon as I get elected.”
He told The Niche in an exclusive interview that he would be accessible to his people, just as he vowed to provide vibrant and result-oriented representation.
Said Odoemenam, “You know Ikeja is the capital of Lagos State and as the capital of Lagos State the constituency should be a torch bearer to other constituencies across the federation, both in terms of representation at the National Assembly and in terms of the services that people in Ikeja constituency receive from their representatives.
“Unfortunately, that is not happening. Hardly will you see a bill sponsored by the representative of our (Ikeja) constituency in the current dispensation and he has been there for eight years.
“I want to go to the National Assembly to be a torch bearer, both in terms of initiating bills that will impact not only members of the constituency but across the federation because Ikeja is the capital of Lagos state and by extension the capital of Nigeria in terms of the economy.
“The current policies that the federal government will articulate can also emanate from the quality of representation in the National Assembly. I am a banker and economist by training and I know that the hardship that the people are facing today is because government has not come up with policies to address poverty.
“Government has not come up with policies that will encourage businesses to thrive”.
On the Trader Moni being distributed by the APC as a way of alleviating poverty, Odoemenam said the action was a trick on Nigerians, saying, “it is simply buying votes with the money”.
According to him, “That is the worst thing that has happened to this administration. You don’t go to the market and be distributing ten thousand naira (N10,000) and you call it trader moni. You don’t alleviate poverty by such gift, rather you alleviate poverty by encouraging people to be productive.
“You have to create a productive economy that people can fit into. If you don’t create jobs you cannot alleviate poverty. They are simply buying votes with the money, let’s stop deceiving ourselves.”
