From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A retired federal permanent secretary and lecturer, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru, Jos, Tunji Olaopa, has said Nigeria urgently needs politicians, who are not mere jobbers but motivated.
He gave the charge during a day of tributes organised by Oyo State political class in collaboration with the state government in Ibadan, yesterday, in honour of a former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, who died on January 12 at the age of 71.
The programme kick-started a week-long funeral activities lined up to pay last respect to Alao-Akala, who would be buried on Friday in Ogbomoso.
Olaopa, founder of Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), said Alao-Akala was an example of a motivated politician by his background and existential deprivation.
“Whatever motivates anyone running for office, the critical matter is that such a person must be ready to do whatever it takes to make life more abundantly richer than what exists before he gets there. This is what it means to make politics the act of the possible, and Alao-Akala was our exemplar.
“The charge for the political class, taking a cue or the baton from him (Alao-Akala), is therefore, to keep pushing the political interest of their constituencies while forging alliances that are critical to the fruition of a political culture and resilience that are required to building a strong and prosperous Nigerian state, with sensitivity to better harness our diversity to not only position the South West in the larger federation but to salvage our ailing and failing Nigerian nation-state.”