Nigeria Content Online

Aderemi
Banjo, the protem national chairman of the Mega Progressive Peoples’
Party, on his plan for the party and how he intends to defeat the PDP
in next year’s election. Excerpts:

Vision for the party

I was formerly in
Alliance for Democracy (AD). I contested in 2007 as a House of
Representatives member and I have been a functionary during the time. I
am going to my 40s and I believe that the politics we have now is for
the Generation Next.

So I am optimistic
that the vibrant youth of today will have a role to play in building a
future that we desire of our tomorrow. That is why we are sensitizing
the youth on how to manage their roles. We don’t want them to be
deceived and disenfranchised, and we don’t want their voters’ cards to
be used against their future by giving them money and robbing them of
the future. With all this, we will be sure that there will be people
whose votes will count in the 2011 election.

Challenges ahead of the party

One of the
challenges I foresee now is the task ahead of us. Like I said, I am
determined that we will stand against the tyrant Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) and another thing is how we are going to mobilize people
into our party, to come on board. Also, to mobilize people for the next
voters registration so that they can participate in electing people
into governance themselves. You know that without a good structure and
a good platform, there is no way to have good governance and those are
the challenges that we are set to face.

Vision for the future

I can see a bright
future; I mean the kind of future that America had. You understand, we
want to be innovative because we can’t afford to put round pegs in
square holes again. We want a situation where individuals can begin to
start asking for their rights. So, the youth are supposed to be the
ones that have information for the next generation and if I can
recollect, in 1978, Obasanjo was addressing some group of youth and he
told them that “you are the leader of tomorrow” and an average youth
even right since then was supposed to be above or around 30 years old.
Now, imagine those people that are called the leaders have, however,
not portrayed themselves as true leaders.

Obasanjo that
encouraged the youth years ago, later turned around and wanted a third
term in office, while the youth were all around the streets looking for
jobs. Then when is it that the tomorrow will come and when are those
leaders he referred to then taking over?

Assessment of Lagos state

For now, we want to
build on what every other person has done, and not to condemn. We know
we can do better, considering the likes of the progressive elements we
have brought together. We can reason together as one Nigeria without
been dictated to. So that is what I think.

Whatever they are
doing now in Lagos, the assessment is not really a means to affect or
influence us, but to serve as a basis for the delivery of our promises
on bringing quality leadership to the doorsteps of all Nigerians.

Godfathers in politics

I have leaders in
politics. They were before me, but no one is a godfather to a visionary
mind and I can promise you that Mega Progressive Peoples Party leaders
are capable minds that have earned legacy and if you look at the
members of the executive of the party, then you will know that when it
comes to the Mega Party, it is a progressive party and the issue of
leadership is what we know and there is no room for godfatherism.