My Senatorial Candidacy will usher in a new direction on Legislative administration in Edo South

Hon Neda Imasuen is the Labour Party Senatorial Candidate for Oredo Senatorial Districts. He is a trained Lawyer who has worked as an administrator and a senior political aide to Senator Mathew Urhoghide.He obtained his primary leaving school certificate from St. Thomas Catholic School, Ogbe  and his secondary education from Edo Boys High School , where he bagged his West African School Certificate.He hold an LL.B Degree from the University of Maiduguri and was certified and enrolled as a Solicitor /Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1985, before traveling to New York where he furthered bagged a Master LLB in Public Administration from New York University ,Brooklyn Campus , in 2004.

In 2010, he came back to Nigeria as a Consultant for the European Union State Reforming Institutional Program, (STRIP) Project and was the Jigawa State Coordinator of the program. He was also the policy Consultant in charge of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum under the State Peer Review Mechanism Project (SPRM).   

Barrister Neda Imasuen has also served as the  Legislative Consultant for the World Bank Project which collaborated with SEEFOR, Asaba, Delta State in the development of the Single Treasury Account Policy.He has also served as Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Mathew Urhoghide before resigning to contest for Edo South Senatorial Position under Labour Party, Edo State. 

Having served in various capacities , he has acquired so much experience in his consultancy engagements, and has also acquired so much insights in the functioning of  policies, legislation and programs.

In this interview with the Crusaders Voice, he talked about his experience and how he is the most qualified to serve as Senator representing Edo South Senatorial Districts.

Enjoy the excerpts.

Sir, Can I meet you?

I am barrister Neda Imasuen , the Gubernatorial Candidate of Labour party , Edo South Senatorial District.

Can you take us through some of the political or elective positions you have held, or your political experience?

That is very interesting, back in the state, I was the Legal Adviser of PDP in the Diaspora, (USA) I was one time , Assistant Auditor of PDP in Edo State and I have  also run for  chairmanship position in Uhumwonde local government area. I had been very active politically and I was the senior legislative aide to Senator Mathew Urhoghide  for the past seven years until my resignation. I supervised all the projects that he executed which are unprecedented in the history of Edo South Senatorial District. 

This is the reason why I said, I must continue from where he stopped, mostly in the area where he has touched the lives of ordinary Edo South indigenes. He executed projects in all the local governments, wards  and gave scholarships to indigents in Edo South . If I am elected, I would do lots more for my Senatorial District. 

You are vying for the position of a Senator in Edo South Senatorial Districts ,what do you think would endear you to  Edo South People?

Apart from one of the Candidates from one of the party, which I don’t want to mention names here, apart from that individual, I don’t think there is anyone that has parliamentary experience as much as I do in parliamentary activities. Like I said, for the past seven years, I have been with Senator Mathew where I supervised his projects and from the bills to motions, budget preparations and the nitty gritty that the works entails. I think, am the only person that has such an experience, it is not theoretical but is also practical. In spite of all of these, I am always there for the Senator, I am the next in the office, every file comes to my desk before getting to his desks, and with my life long experience with international bodies like World Bank, European Union and several others, I think am best positioned to be the next Senator for Edo South Senatorial District.

Since the inception of Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, the popularity of your party has quadrupled,  how prepaid are you to leverage on this popularity to project your Senatorial ambition?

As  you rightly remarked, Obi’s emergence has increased the popularity of our party, Labour Party. As a matter of fact, I was reading on the internet today, the tickets they sold in America to attend the dinner party has gone up from 500 to 600 dollars because of the rush and people are still yearning for more tickets. And this is not even Nigeria we are talking about, you know is a rock star of politics,  and the kind of crowd he usually pulls in any state he goes to is mind blowing. I can boldly tell you that his popularity is not just on internet alone, because his candidacy is based on ideas, knowledge, he knows what the problems of the country are and he has solutions to them as well. He gives you figures with comparative analysis of what Nigeria needs  and if other countries can do it, Nigeria can do it as well. He tells you the road maps to the end result and it is no surprise that Obi’s popularity has increased and he can confidently tell you where the country should be and I believe that some of us who had key into these ideas would be able to benefit from the process.

You talked about your experience in parliamentary business, how you have been able to understand the nittygrity of lawmaking and how it affects your people, with that  , what areas do you think if given the mandate you would be able to focus on?

I am very concern about the unemployment of our youths , even when that do not fall in the table of an individual Senator, I believe with the understanding that I have about legislative activities, I would be able to attract like minds in that direction and arrest the situations. That is with other Senators in the red Chambers, and Obi winning, God’s willing would even make it easier because the manifestoes of the party,  would become what the party must do to arrest this seemingly unemployment of our Youths today. That is what am looking at, another area am looking at, is the area of the diaspora, I am a diaspora Nigerian, having participated in Nigeria politics as well, I know that Nigeria in diaspora contribute enormously to the economy of Nigeria. In the last count, over $40 billion that comes from Diaspora Nigerians into Nigeria economy. And you also  know that, Edo State has the chunk of the money that comes to Nigeria because I don’t think that there is any house in Edo State that do not have a son or a daughter living abroad, and they all contribute to the welfare of their parents or school fess of their siblings and these money comes in to help the economy and their families, therefore, if Nigerians can contribute that much into the economy of Nigeria, I also believe they have a voice in electing who becomes their leader. Therefore, the bill to make it possible that diaspora Nigerians vote in any election in Nigeria, is what I will sponsor, to ensure  it becomes a reality.

If elected, would you sponsor bills that would proffer deterrents measures for human traffickers?

I understand your question; let’s go back to the root of the problems, first of all, why do Nigerians or Edo people want to travel out of their country, not minding the process? is purely as a result of the  harsh economy. Peter Obi economic policy would be able to address these problems. I believe that the tide for people leaving the country would be reduced, as a matter of fact, making allusion to the state government working in reducing it, is not just talk the talk, they are providing alternative for people to discourage them from taking such dehumanizing risk. For those, they have been able to bring back to the country, the government has helped them with start up packs that they used in starting up their business. So, that is helping out, and it is a program that should be supported. I will support it, with everything within my power to expand it, to make sure there are alternatives for our youths, because there is really nothing over there if you are not a professional. Otherwise, you will just go there and work like a slave.  People have not been made to understand what happened over there. They are being told all the good things that happened there which are not true, until they go there and see that is a journey of no return, and they begin to wish they never went. Therefore, if the right economic policies  as said by His Excellency, Peter Obi is allowed to come to fruition as the President and of course with his Senators and House of Reps to be able to help him achieve this goal, all these issues  we are talking about can be reduced to the barest minimum. 

Talking about your Presidential Candidate, so many persons still believe his massive support is just on internet without much physical presence on ground, with the electoral act in place, are you sure, Peter Obi would be able to emerge as President come 2023?

I am very sure that with the electoral acts which has significantly reduced incidences of corruptions, stuffing of ballot boxes and vote buying, Peter Obi has a very good chance to emerge as President ,come 2023. But for those  who believes that Peter Obi’s popularity is mainly on internet, if you permit me to use the word, I hope it won’t be hash enough., I would say that they are living in fool’s paradise, if they have not woken up to the reality of today, it means they are living in the past. Nigerians are tired, we have had it but it has never been this bad. You look at all the indices, is it Education? Insecurity? As we speak, students  are still home, after 7 months, is it the economy, dollar to naira  exchange? you can’t even talk about it. Airlines are even having problems to fly in to Nigeria because  the naira is almost becoming worthless, every indices in this country is looking downward. There is nothing to write home about, we need a change, and the ordinary Nigeria has come to understand that a change is needed, the recycling of these old people coming back and forth, telling us is their turn as if is a family affairs wont work. That they have made people and therefore is time for them to make themselves. I don’t get it? It doesn’t put food in anybody’s table. As a matter of fact, such statement, is giving  everyone headache. The people are tired of it and they  are ready for a new direction and Peter Obi is that new direction. Let me remind you, that people are donating their houses, offices, donating money into his campaign. In egor local government recently, someone donated a building, in Oredo, Labour party secretariat was donated by a supporter. Are you telling me this is an internet affair?. No, it is not, and for those who are living in that fool’s paradise, let them stay where they are, until election day when the result is announced that Peter Obi won, then, they would wake up  to reality.My advice to  Edo South people is to please shine their eyes, look  at the issues critically, look at those that have been field in the past, do not go back there. People in one circle are not going to have a different result. The circle of PDP, APC  is a circle of Abyss taking us to bottomless pit. We want someone who will cool us off from this abyss that we seem to be falling into, and that person is Peter Obi. Voting him alone would not help matters, and I want them to understand that voting Peter Obi alone would not help matters, because he need Senators , House of Rep Members that would propagate his ideas and executive bills that would be coming in. He needs people that will also stand with him to defend these bills so that, at the end of the day, it would be an excise that would bring the enduring growth in our society.