By Joseph Ebi Kanjo 

The Edo State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Asue Ighodalo has disclosed how he was drafted into the pro-democracy struggle.

Ighodalo said he was actively involved in the fight to end military rule in Nigeria as a young professional.

The governorship candidate stated this in his goodwill message at the close out ceremony of the British Council sponsored and European Union backed Agents for Citizens-Driven Transformation (ACT) .

Ighodalo, who called on civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations to engage the governments more on policy formulation and implementation, promised to engage civil society organizations if elected as governor of the state.

He urged civil society groups to educate Nigerians on their rights and engage the government on their responsibilities to the people.

Ighodalo promised that as a product of the civil society, he would run an open policy that would not in any way be injurious to the people.

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He said: “We had Concerned Professionals and Dr. Beko Kuti helped us to organise ourselves. We had many professionals; bankers, lawyers, engineers, architects who were truly concerned that the military could not just wake up one morning and dictate for us. So, we got together as concerned professionals agitating against military rule.

“We were young, we risked our lives, and everyday we were in the public space; we were in the media; we were campaigning. But despite all our best efforts, we all know what happened at the end of the day, the military prevailed.

“Fast forward, NADECO was established. NADECO wanted representation from all the civil society organizations that were agitating for the restoration of Abiola’s mandate, and they asked us to send representatives to NADECO.

“So, lo and behold, my colleagues in Concerned Professionals nominated me, I don’t know why. So I found myself now being with the people I read about in the newspapers everyday, involved in the history of Nigeria.

“Again, many of us know what happened through that process. The agitations by NADECO; the works that were done; the loss of lives; loss of livelihood; loss of resources; loss of time by the group that was truly agitating with one or two other groups for the restoration of Chief Abiola’s mandate.

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“I spent about five or six years of my life running all over the places with organized civil society, trying to ensure the restoration of what we thought was right.”

To underscore the importance of civil society groups in democracy, Ighodalo said: “I think in an emerging democracy, there must be those who are the true safeguards of that democracy.

“There must be because if you don’t have the true safeguards of democracy, democracy will not grow well; will not grow strong and will not go well for the benefit of the people of the country of the states.

“It is only civil society in all its strength, and intellectual capacity that can achieve this.

“So, in looking at it over time, we are asking a lot from civil society because if civil society doesn’t do it, who will?

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“Most of our citizens are poor; most of our citizens feel oppressed? Most of us citizens do not have the capability to then start getting involved in the process to ensure governance is effective.”

He added: “I can assure you that if by the grace of God Almighty, I am elected as the governor of the state through the will of the people of the state, I will continuously engaged the civil society.

“We will run a transparent and accountable government. We will dialogue; we will be accessible; we will speak because one of the most important things is to ensure the development of this state and by God’s grace, our goal is to move Edo state from where it is.

“You can only have a prosperous state when you have a well run state, running in accordance with the tenets of democracy.

“I will ensure that we stay in communication. I will be accessible in the government. We will speak and we will exchange ideas.

“And we may have disagreements, but we will agree to disagree. Our disagreements will be on processes of execution, it will not be on policy or good governance processes.

“I keep telling people that since 1956, the money earned by this country is enough to build four or five Dubais.”