Politics
Atedo Peterside Urges Young Nigerians to Standout in their Business Pursuit + Take an interest in politics
… Eulogises Hamzat Lawal’s Success at 35
The Founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank + President & Founder, Anap Foundation, Mr. Atedo Peterside, has charged Nigerian youths to renew their commitment towards excellence that can make them stand out in their personal and business pursuits thereby earning them pride of place among exceptional Nigerians that have contributed to the nation’s development. He however argued that they must do this simultaneously with taking an interest in the economy plus influencing the political destiny of Nigeria.
The erudite investment banker, entrepreneur, and economist made this admonition while delivering a keynote speech at the ‘’Hamzat Lawal at 35″ lecture in Abuja, on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
According to Peterside, ‘’Young Nigerians can rise to be recognised in their businesses, academics, politics, and other works of life if they have the strong determination to do so’’, even as he cited the exceptional case of the celebrant, Hamzat Lawal, Founder, Connected Development (CODE), and a GoNigeria advocate, as one of the inspirational stories worthy of commendation and emulation by Nigerian youths.
This is the position of Atedo Peterside, who with the support of some eminent Nigerians is currently powering an enlightenment campaign on youths’ participation in the country’s electoral process, themed GoNigeria. It is a campaign to sensitize Nigerian youths to participate in the electoral process leading to the election of visionary leaders by registering en-masse to vote and collecting their voter’s cards in preparation for voting for visionary candidates in the 2023 general elections. Mr Peterside said, in spite of the undeniable harsh economic climate in Nigeria, there still abound immense opportunities for Nigerian youths to stand out in whatever field young individuals resolve to play in as typified by the sterling example of Hamzat Lawal.
During his remark which he titled ‘’A Call to Action’’, Peterside pointed out to the audience which was mainly a youth-target audience that there is no place for sentiments in business while drawing from his own personal IBTC/Stanbic IBTC story, from its evolution thirty-three years ago to its present status as one of the leading financial institutions in the country. He urged youthful entrepreneurs to invest in themselves and their own businesses. Drawing from his own personal succession experience and lessons, the current business environment, and how to make it work for you, Mr. Peterside listed familiar challenges of growing a business and common mistakes that hinder growth. He then drew attention to some worsening socio-economic indicators and told youths to respond to falling living standards by reversing voter apathy and replacing that with enthusiasm and an eagerness to participate in elections and vote only competent persons into political offices.
In his address, while drawing a similar analogy between his personal success story as one of the youngest bank Chief Executive at 33 years of age and that of Hamzat Lawal, Peterside emphasized Lawal’s exemplary achievements at age 35, affirming that the young activist has over 9 years of experience, backed by grassroots involvement in other African countries, via Connected Development’s (CODE) “Follow the Money” initiative.
He pointed out that Lawal’s NGO is dedicated to helping the African continent attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), empowering marginalised communities in Africa, and better engagement of government for the implementation of public services. Also, the technology-based initiative termed “Follow the Money” is an action advocacy-based scheme that advocates for proper utilization of funds in government, and international interventions in grassroots communities.
The budding entrepreneur also shared insightful vignettes on attaining personal and business growth that can propel the Nigerian youths to the lofty pedestals in their chosen field of endeavours during the event which was highly applauded by the participants.
Corroborating Peterside’s position during the event, His Excellency Kayode Fayemi, Executive Governor of Ekiti State who also delivered a keynote speech, urged the Nigerian youths to use the power of their numbers to take decisive and collective action in redefining their future.
According to Fayemi, ‘’There is always a pressing business of the day that must be done today, Nigerian youths must be ready to take decisive and collective action on the leadership across all the tiers of government that can deliver their Nigerian dreams.’’
Commenting further, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum stressed that deliberate action of getting involved in the political process and politics of governance is the solution that the Nigerian youths can deploy to effect the necessary changes to end their agitations against the incessant strikes by the Academics Staff Union of Universities [ASUU], EndSARS, fuel, and power outages that have pathologically delivered slower pace of national development as well as militate against a better Nigeria for the Nigerian youths.
Other participants at the event included Her Excellency, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; and other Nigerians of the youth demographic such as Amina Salihu, MacArthur Foundation; Dr. Halimah Nuhu Sanda, ROMZAIB Foundation; Bella Anne Ndubuisi, Public Affairs Specialist; Maryam Laushi, Not Too Young To Run Movement; Rinsola Abiola, Derinsola Abiola Foundation; and Chioma Agwuegbo of TechHer,
GoNigeria is an initiative of Anap Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to promoting good governance in Nigeria. Anap Foundation is partnering with enlightened celebrities (GoAmbassadors), corporate bodies eager to support the initiative via co-branding (GoPartners) as well as many enthusiastic young volunteers (GoVolunteers) who will help to amplify the messaging to their age mates, towards ensuring a huge success is attained in encouraging the youths to register and vote en-masse in the 2023 General Elections. Hamzat Lawal is one of 18 Initial Advocates of the GoNigeria Movement who are drawn from all the 6 geopolitical zones (3 from each zone).
To know more about Anap Foundation’s GoNigeria Initiative, visit: www.GoNigeria.com
The majority leader of the Lagos House of Assembly, Noheem Adams, on Friday raised alarm over alleged plans by some people to manipulate the result of the primary election that produced him as a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adams reportedly won the primary election of the party to produce a candidate for the House of Assembly in Eti-Osa Constituency 1 on Wednesday after polling 7,638 against his opponent’s 1225 votes.
Speaking to thousands of APC supporters during a Victory March, Adams said accused a top monarch (name withheld) in Eti-Osa of being behind the plan to doctor the result in favour of Saheed Adesegun Bankole, who was defeated in the election.
“I want you all very much for the love and passion you have for me and APC. Today is what we call victory walk. We started from VGC with over 4000 APC members. Even inside the rain you stood your ground and you are here to protect your mandate.
“Thank you very much for voting for me. I won the election throughout our wards and the INEC officials, DSS and police personnel were there and even the agents of our opponent were there as well.
“Let me put it on record that his agents and the police signed that the election was free and fair and they took all the results to the local government collation centre.
“When they got there, they presented all the results to the DSS, INEC officials and also to the returning officer and he collected everything and announced that Adams was the winner of the election.
“We believe in this party. The only crime I have committed was during the impeachment of the Speaker; that I did not follow them and did not stand against the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” he alleged.
He said being a politician, he understood “loyalty and how to always be loyal. That is the only crime I committed and today, I’m calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to caution the Oba.
“The Oba is the reason why we lost the presidential election in 2023 in the constituency and he is the reason why we lost the House of Representatives seat. He lost in his own kingdom and the results are there at the INEC for all to see.
“I’m calling on the Inspector General of Police that if anything happens to me, he should hold the Oba responsible. And in 2027, if we lose the presidential election in the local government, the President should hold him responsible. We have assured the President that we are going to vote for him and he will win.”
He urged his loyalists and supporters to remain calm as he trusts the party enough to resolve the issue.
President of the Lekki Residents and Stakeholders Association, Sulyman Bello, also thanked the supporters for having faith in Adams.
“On behalf of all of all the estates from 1004 and across the entire Lekki peninsula, we thank all the APC members for standing by our friend, brother, father Hon. Noheem Adams.
“If all the estates in Eti -Osa Osa, call on him at the same time, he will respond. We also thank God that he got over 7,000 votes and his opponent a little above 1,000 votes. The winning margin is above 90%.
“We thank all those of you that voted and also thank President Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership. We extend our gratitude to the APC leaders in Lagos state. If it is not Noheem, it is not Noheem,” he said.
Politics
Governor Dauda Lawal Emerges APC Consensus Governorship Candidate for Zamfara 2027 Election
Governor Dauda Lawal Ph.d has officially emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in Zamfara State, following a consensus arrangement adopted by the party for its primaries.The governor secured the ticket after party members and supporters gathered across various wards to endorse him as the APC’s flagbearer for the forthcoming election. The consensus model, which allowed party stakeholders to unite behind a single candidate, was embraced as a strategy to avoid a contentious primary and strengthen internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 polls.Speaking with journalists shortly after the exercise, Governor Lawal expressed profound gratitude to party members for the confidence reposed in him. He reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Zamfara, pledging to consolidate ongoing developmental projects aimed at improving the lives of residents across the state.“I am deeply honored by the trust and support of our party faithful,” Lawal said. “We will not relent in our efforts to deliver meaningful development, enhance security, and create opportunities for all citizens of Zamfara State.”His emergence underscores the party’s push to build continuity and strong leadership in the northwest region.Political analysts note that the adoption of consensus candidate signals the APC’s preference for unity and reduced internal friction as the party prepares for the next electoral cycle.
Lagos lawmaker, Adewale Temitope Adedeji, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the party’s candidacy in Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 1 ahead of the 2027 general election.Adewale, a current member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, scored 19,111 to defeat his closest rival, Obawole Quadri lawal, who polled 295 votes.Three other aspirants in the election that was monitored by the state electoral officers, the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies, Afolabi Ajiboye, Akinyemi Temitope, and Adewale Lateef, scored 165, 73 and 33 votes respectively.The primary election was conducted peacefully on Wednesday across seven political wards in the constituency.A youth leader and participant in the exercise, Demola Olajide, said the peaceful exercise was the result of the maturity of the aspirants and the members’ respect for party supremacy.In a ‘thank you’ message to his constituents on Thursday, Adewale described his victory at the primary election as democracy in action.He noted that the beauty of the exercise was that he had despite having other aspirants, the election was peaceful.”What makes this moment special wasn’t just the win. It was the voices that were heard, the choices people made freely, and the peaceful process that let a community decide its own path forward.”That’s the heart of democracy: every vote counts, every opinion matters, and power flows from the people up.”May this new chapter bring the progress and unity we have promised to fight for. The real work starts now and our leaders are watching with hope.”Let’s be further determined to increase our support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and other candidates of the party in the 2027 election,” he urged.
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