AN ADDRESS BY THE APC LAGOS WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT CANDIDATE FOR THE 2023 ELECTION, DR. IDIAT OLURANTI ADEBULE, AT HER CAMPAIGN FLAG-OFF CEREMONY HELD ON WEDNESDAY 14TH DECEMBER, 2022 AT THE RADDISSON BLU HOTEL, GRA IKEJA.
PROTOCOL
Dear compatriots and good people of Lagos West Senatorial District, leaders and members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC); religious leaders, civil society organisations, representatives of interest groups, gentlemen of the fourth estate of the realm, distinguished ladies and gentlemen; it is with great sense of gratitude, humility and affection that I present myself before you today to formally flag-off my campaign as the APC candidate in the forthcoming Lagos West Senatorial District elections scheduled to hold on 25th February, 2023.
The 2023 general elections will be a defining event in the history of our great country Nigeria due to the significance of the consequences of the decisions we will be making by electing political leaders and representatives at various levels. Successive progressive administrations in Lagos have delivered steady development since our country’s return to democracy in 1999 and this feat has made Lagos State stand tall amongst other states in Nigeria.
This is a product of continuity and stability in governance as well as consistent leadership provided by our great party, the All Progressives Congress. The people of Lagos are smart, intelligent, highly educated, and trusted to always make the right decision to guarantee the tradition of progressive political inclination by voting the APC at all levels. This is a sure path to trail-blazing and sustainable development of our dear state.
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, it is a cherished privilege to humbly present myself before you in the company of my campaign team to unveil my proposed agenda for the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District as I seek your votes to serve you as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is important to bring to your attention the fact that my ambition to serve as Senator is predicated on simple and well set-out values, vision, mission and statements of intent which I will present to you in the course of this interaction.
As a professional in politics with rich experience in public service and leadership, I have imbibed and lived by my personal time-tested values which include:
•To serve my people and community with Integrity
•To always serve with compassion for the vulnerable as well as the general public, and
•To place honesty of purpose at the foundation of my service to the people
These are the values I intend to promote when by the grace of God and your votes I am elected a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I am a professional educator and I have been a public servant that is tested and trusted to always deliver on promises and I possess enviable credentials which stands me in better position to represent you creditably. I have risen through the ranks from the Ivory towers through public service to the state executive council. This is a feat that I achieved through the grace of God, consistent hard work and focus on service to people.
Who is Idiat Oluranti Adebule?
I am a native of the ancient Ojo Alaworo kingdom of Lagos State and by implication an Awori. My educational pursuit started from St. Michael Primary School, Ojo through Awori College, Ojo to the Lagos State University, Ojo, where I bagged a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies among other certifications and qualifications I have achieved through the years.
I have under my wings about two decades of teaching experience at both the Lagos State College of Primary Education, Noforija-Epe (now Michael Otedola University of Education) and the Lagos State University, Ojo (LASU).
My public service experience started with my appointment to the board of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission in year 2000 and the Lagos State Scholarship Board in 2004 by the then Governor, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In recognition of my performance in those previous appointments His Excellency, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola appointed me Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG) in 2011, a position which gave me exposure to the highest level of government in the state.
In further recognition of my performance as the SSG, the leadership of our great Party, the APC nominated me as the Deputy Governorship Candidate in 2014 and I was elected and sworn-in as Deputy Governor in 2015.
Apart from being the Deputy Governor and Vice Chairman of the State Executive Council, I was assigned the responsibility of superintending over the State’s education affairs as the Coordinating Commissioner of the Ministry of Education. Under my stewardship and purposeful leadership, the Ministry of Education recorded giant strides and successes. I will highlight a few of these successes to include:
➢Improvement in performance of students in internal and external examinations which dovetailed into our public school students winning many awards at national and international academic competitions during my tenure.
➢Review of the 30-year-old Lagos State Policy on Education which attracted the endorsement of UNESCO, UNICEF and the Federal Ministry of Education;
➢The re-establishment of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission to deliver on proper management of teachers’ affairs in the state;
➢Introduction of examination and mock teaching in the entry assessment of new teachers in Lagos State;
➢Introduction of Code-Lagos Edutech Initiative across public and private primary and secondary schools with the active collaboration and resourcefulness of the office of the Special Adviser on Education;
➢Bringing to fruition the first Lagos State Girls Model College, Agunfoye-Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos;
➢Implementation and sustenance of Unified School Ethics and Discipline Policy in State primary and secondary schools which drastically reduced incidences of truancy and indiscipline in public schools;
➢To progressively eliminate the spate of unapproved private schools in the state, we introduced an innovative and simplified intervention to assist private schools in meeting the physical infrastructure requirement for approval with the State Government. This intervention resulted in over 200% leap in number of schools meeting approval threshold as at May 2019.
➢We employed thousands of teachers into both public primary and secondary schools.
Ladies and gentlemen, apart from my achievements in the education sector, I was voted the best performing Deputy Governor in Nigeria in 2018 by the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
As a private citizen, I am involved in many community service endeavours including running a yearly scholarship awards to some deserving indigent students of the Lagos State University (LASU) and empowerment programme for vulnerable people as well as many other interventions for the needy. I have received several awards from youth organisations, societies, professional bodies, religious organisations, and academic associations in recognition of my contribution to society. I am a proud member of the distinguished Governance Advisory Council of Lagos State (G.A.C.) since 2019.
Ladies and gentlemen, having enunciated my driving principles and values as well as public service experience, it is important that I unveil my vision, mission and legislative intendments for the people of Lagos West Senatorial District.
MY VISION:
My driving vision is to place Lagos West Senatorial District and indeed Lagos State on a higher pedestal of excellence in governance to drive prosperity, peace and progress through legislative interventions.
MY MISSION:
My mission in respect of this social contract with the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District is to serve as the impactful representative of my people in a manner that inspire and propel them towards prosperity, healthy and good living, and strengthens their believe in the Nigerian project.
STATEMENTS OF INTENT:
When the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District in consonance with the grace of God elect me as their Senator in February 2023, I intend to pursue the following ideals, policies and programmes for which I consider to be my pact with the people of Lagos west, the benefit of my people and Nigerians in general:
❖In partnership with colleague Senators, I intend to pursue the actualisation of special status for Lagos State to enhance the socio-economic viability of the people of Lagos.
❖Deliver essential and people oriented legislative interventions that are required to promote sustainable good governance for the peoples and nationalities of Nigeria.
❖Promote legislative interventions to strengthen national educational policies, programmes and attainment throughout the value chain with special emphasis on functionality of the Nigerian education system as the pivot for sustainable development.
❖Prioritize the implementation of legislative programmes that would engender economic empowerment and upliftment of the people of Lagos West through targeted professional and vocational training as well as new skills acquisition including infotech training to harness the enormous talents of our people in order to discourage outward pull of our professionals to other countries.
❖Support Lagos West small-scale entrepreneurs with knowledge upgrades to enhance their capacity to sustain and grow their businesses and vocations.
❖Work and collaborate with government agencies at both federal and state levels to sustainably develop and expand the rich cultural and vast historical tourism potentials of Lagos West and give it the pride of place as the prime hub of tourism in Nigeria.
❖Initiate programmes that supports the vulnerable, economically disadvantaged, aged, physically challenged, widows and the unemployed to improve their well-being and health choices.
❖Promote and support legislative interventions targeted at the youth, women and children to ameliorate their vulnerability as regards education, employment, entrepreneurship and socio-political engagement in the Nigerian project.
❖Pursue and support government policies regarding infrastructural development of Lagos West Senatorial District by engaging government ministries, departments and Agencies (MDAs) at both federal and state levels.
❖Advocate and support all government policies and programmes aimed at creating the enabling environment for our people of all generations to thrive and be self-sufficient with special focus on the Lagos West Senatorial District.
❖Set up mechanism to engage the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District periodically and consistently to hear directly from them as feedback for actionable government interventions, policies and programmes.
Ladies and gentlemen, I humbly submit that with my level of educational attainment, decent record of public service and my proposed people-oriented statements of intent, I stand head and shoulders above other candidates seeking to represent the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District.
Well-meaning Lagosians, I have briefly enunciated my focus and plan for you and I urge you to invest your votes in me and I will not disappoint you. Since the period of the primary elections, my team and I have been consulting stakeholders and party members and our campaign offices at both Ikeja and Iba LCDA have been opened to manage the campaign process for the benefit of the electorate. Our official telephone lines and social media platforms & handles dedicated to engaging with the voting public on our activities and campaign enquiries will be unveiled by Hon. Rasaq Ajala, the resourceful and amiable Director-General of our Campaign organisation.
As we formally launch our campaign today and begin the mass mobilisation of the electorate towards the 2023 elections, I humbly call on all political actors and supporters to keep the atmosphere decent, peaceful, issue-based and rancour-free. We must tolerate divergent views and opinions. We owe our nation and citizens the duty of care to ensure we prosecute this election in a manner that gives renewed hope for the future of our great country.
Distinguish Ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion, permit me to acknowledge and appreciate a few of the wonderful people who have supported my humble ambition and quest to represent the good people of Lagos West Senatorial District at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. First is my mentor and benefactor, the national leader and Presidential Candidate of the APC, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (OON) for their unwavering support always. I have enjoyed tremendous support of His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu, Governor of Lagos State and his deputy, His Excellency, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat. I also enjoyed the confidence and support Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker and all members of the State House of Assembly. My profound gratitude also goes to our Party elders in the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) under the leadership of our father, Prince Tajudeen Olusi. The state working committee of our party in Lagos under the chairmanship of my dear brother, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi is well appreciated for always being available to attend to our needs. My appreciation will be incomplete without recognising the contribution of zonal and constituency leaders, Local Council Chairmen (conference 57) and Councillors. Our highly loyal and dedicated LGA Chairmen and their EXCO have been wonderful as well as the ward chairmen and EXCO. Lastly but not the least by any stretch of imagination, I specially appreciate my ever loving and caring husband and family for being my pillar of support and forgetting my very loyal friends who have stood by me on this journey. I say a huge thank you for all your support and encouragement which have been invaluable thus far. I am eternally grateful.
Again, my appreciation goes to the special guests here present, the DG and members of my campaign team, gentlemen of the press, members of the public and other distinguished guest for attending and listening to this press interaction.
God bless you all
God bless our great party, the All Progressives Congress
God bless Lagos West Senatorial District
God bless Lagos State
God bless Nigeria.
Signed by
Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule
