ANAMBRA GUBERNATORIAL: TONY NWOYE; AN EXAMINATION ON THE #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN BILL.
By ENIOLA OPEYEMI

The Emergence of Hon. Tony NWOYE as a flag bearer of the All progressive Party (APC) may have gotten many think partisan as regards the former President of National association of Nigerian Students (NANS) ambition, but on the other hand, he represents a larger percentage of youths whose plight is to get best brains at the youthful age to take up the responsibilities of leadership in the country's politics. At 42, Nwoye's stride may not just be a run of the mill individual but he has not relent in giving his best in quest to serve , thus, like the saying goes, he paid his price.


Going through his profile, Tony Okechukwu Nwoye is a Nigerian politician, a medical doctor, member of the Federal House of Representatives representing the people of Anambra East/West constituency of ANAMBRA state, he was born September 13, 1974, he started his political career as medical student where he functioned in different capacity as a leader. He was noted to having fought for student unionism, later became the first medical student to become the speaker of the student union house of representative in the university of Nigeria. He received an award from the then Vice Chancellor, Prof Ginigeme Mbanefo, for the role he played in fighting cultism in the school. He became the national president of National association of Nigeria Students in December 2003 , He arose to state power as Assistant Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Anambra State PDP in 2005 and by 2006 at the age of 31, he became the Chairman of the State Executive Committee of the Anambra State PDP making him the youngest State Chairman of a major political party in the entire nation. In 2014 he unsuccessfully contested for Anambra state election under PDP. NWOYE after few years of decamping to the All Progressive Party (APC), the die hard ambitious young politician secured the gubernatorial ticket the ruling party, APC in 2017.


The #notTooYoungToRun bill as widely celebrated for its tendency to bring an end to the neo-imperialism by some of our old hands, but on the other way round it may just be a continuous slavery or transfer of leadership baton from the old leaders to their children, considering the power play, financial strength and their influential prowess which as grown over the decade. This may not be new, we have quite many of leaders who has ruled us and their children are now in charge of leadership, nothing wrong at that if everyone is given a level playing ground. The legitimacy of the bill is having committed youths that shuns all manner of interjectory tools such as bribery, promises of employment chances and other ridiculous bargain to make the few minority rule over the masses, like a text on Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism by Kwame Nkrumah, paragraphs of the text quotes, "Where neo-colonialism exists the power exercising control is often the State which formerly ruled the territory in question, but this is not necessarily so. For example, in the case of South Vietnam the former imperial power was France, but neo-colonial control of the State has now gone to the United States. It is possible that neo-colonial control may be exercised by a consortium of financial interests which are not specifically identifiable with any particular State. The control of the Congo by great international financial concerns is a case in point."

"The result of neo-colonialism is that foreign capital is used for the exploitation rather than for the development of the less developed parts of the world. Investment under neo-colonialism increases rather than decreases the gap between the rich and the poor countries of the world."

"The struggle against neo-colonialism is not aimed at excluding the capital of the developed world from operating in less developed countries. It is aimed at preventing the financial power of the developed countries being used in such a way as to impoverish the less developed."

A long drive from the history, we still dance to modern slavery in the hands of our own political leaders who are tools in the hands of the existing white colonials whose aims are not far from getting the foreign back up against their own citizens, the young committed citizens can change the rhythm of the long existing mode of governance, wedging war against the old wine in new bottle sort of leaders through the ballots. NWOYE's ambition is a pointer like many few others, not too many weeks from here, the world celebrated a young man taking up the leadership of France, Nigeria's turn is not too far from here, only if we can get it right, now!

Nigeria's legend, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in his comment in taking up the leadership challenge said, "There are plenty rooms at the top, because very few people care to travel beyond the average route, and most of us seem satisfied to remain within the confines of mediocrity". Out of the very committed few, Comrade Dr. Tony NWOYE is a test to see if the youths are ready to take up the mantle of leadership, an examination on the #notTOOyoungRUN bill.

I advocate for Tony NWOYE as the next Governor of ANAMBRA state.

ENIOLA Opeyemi writes.
ENIOLA is a former coordinator of National association of Nigerian students, South-West, Nigeria.