In the spirit of the not too young to run recently passed by President Muhammadu Buhari, a 35 year old professional technopreneur, Engineer Faozey Oladotun Nurudeen has joined the race to occupy the Oyo Central Senatorial District Seat of the National Assembly, come 2019 general elections on the platform of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
He hails from the Onilada, Pakoyi/Idode, Oyo West Local Government Area, Oyo town.
Nurudeen who has business interests in telecommunications, mining and Information Communication Technologies (ICT) companies which he started after obtaining a degree from the electrical department, University of Ilorin said he decided to throw his hat into the ring to challenge the status quo ante of the older generation who has held sway the legislative seat since the advent of the present political dispensation.
Citing the case of the banking sector, which reform was aided by the introduction of ICT tools driven by youths, Nurudeen said, the time has come for the youths with energy, passion, knowledge and ICT skills to contribute to the processes of policy making through legislative opportunities.
While addressing thousands of his supporters who accompanied him to the Oke Ado, Ibadan, State secretariat of the party, Nurudeen who is a member of the Presidential Steering Committee of the United Nations-WSIS implementation in Nigeria said he has six focal points of action in the interest of young business starters and entrepreneurs in his senatorial district.
Some of the focal areas he mentioned include, implementation of a workable and pragmatic template of legislative duties, setting a pace for collaborative development, facilitating and setting up an industrial free zone (IFZ) for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), setting g up a world-class business incubator and accelerator, setting up a 0-or-single digit interest rate for start up loan for new businesses and facilitating the establishment of international healthcare centre.
While thanking the governor for creating what he described as the enabling environment for his likes to want to participate actively in the political space, Nurudeen urged other youths to join him in embracing politics and contribute their quota to the development of the state and improve the lives of the people.
He was received at the party secretariat by members of the state executives, elders and leaders who commended him for his courage and vision to contest the elective position even at his young age, describing him as the youngest aspirant to do so in the present political dispensation.
(The Nation)