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Mr Cosmas Okiri, an aspirant to represent Obudu State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, comes 2023 under the People’s Democratic Party PDP, has stated that the disconnect between the constituents and their representative is his major motivation to aspire to bridge the gap.
In this interview with The Lumine News, he bares his mind.
TLN: Can we meet you please?
Cosmas: My name is Cosmas Okiri, from Ukwutia village in Utugwang North ward of Obudu LGA. I hold a masters in Business Administration from the University of Calabar and an international certified Supply Chain Professional with about 15 years experience in the oil and Gas industry. A former student unionist and Trade union leader with a passion for serving and liberating people.
TLN: What is your motivation to serve?
Cosmas: My motivation to offer myself to serve the people of Obudu state constituency is drawn from the obvious disconnect between the constituents and the supposed Representative in the state Assembly in the past administrations. Majority of Obudu constituents do not know who is representing them presently in the House of Assembly. worse still is the fact that the representative doesn’t know upto 2% of those she represents. How then can we achieve the best for our people when there is this gap disconnecting the people. I intend to bridge this gap and bring on board an all inclusive participatory approach of representation to midwife group impact and effect on the people and not individuals effect, where others are only onlookers.
TLN: What is your plan for youth inclusiveness in your policy formulation and implementation?
Cosmas: The youths remains the main focus of my policy blue print as I personally have a passion for youth development as the youths constitute more than 60% of the populace and remains the most active resource for our collective growth and development as a nation. I intend to engage the youths and carry them along in every project to be embarked on. I will work with the youth council and students associations to synergize and achieve this.
TLN: How do you intend to harness the vast potentials in the youths to solving the myriads of challenges confronting us using the Tech Solution?
Cosmas: The youths remains the most active part of the entire population in our constituency and the world over, this should be seen as an advantage to be utilized for the good of the populace. If the energy and active ingredients that the youths go about with is not properly harnessed and positively utilized, they will channel it to something negative and unwholesome to the detriment of the society. I will engage and encourage the youths in capacity building by providing the right activities and resources required to keep them on the positive track. This includes but not limited to special skills acquisition in ICT training majorly and other important sectors of the economy where they can provide needed services and earn income.
TLN: How do you intend to advance the course of empowerment in your constituency?
Cosmas: My approach to empewring my constituents will be first to engage the people in quarterly town hall meetings and getting first hand priorities from a collective perspective, the areas that would best benefit our people and then providing the needed resources to boost such activities our people engage in. Empowerment should have a collective impact and effect on the people and not only individual effect where others are only onlookers.
TLN: Bearing in mind that your constituents are predominantly peasant farmers, what is your plan to advance their livelihood?
Cosmas: Agriculture remains the most important aspect of any economy as we need food for sustenance and commercial purposes. The raw materials required by most of our industries are from the Agricultural sector and this has to be properly harnessed by our local farmers. We will encourage the peasant farmers with the necessary things required to boost and expand their farming scope to be able to earn better income from their farming activities. Empowerment in the Agricultural sector will be a focal point.
TLN: How do you intend to strengthen stakeholders engagement in your constituency?
Cosmas: I intend to be holding townhall meetings with the constituents every quarter, thereby providing opportunity for continued engagement with the people where needs assessment will be carried out per time and worked on for the collective good of the people.
TLN: Your party, the PDP is all over saying that it has returned the powers to the people to elect their leaders, do you have the confidence that you will have a level playing ground to advance your aspiration?
Cosmas: The people’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State is on a new pedestal with a leadership that fought strongly against imposition and anti-democratic tendency of previous party leaders. The narratives have changed as witnessed by party faithfuls in the recent by-elections for Akpabuyo state house of Assembly seat and Ogoja/Yala Federal house of Representative. The party conducted a transparent primaries where all aspirants had a level playing field and accepted the outcome of the process without bickering.
This has given me confidence as an aspirant to remain hopeful that the party will do the right thing.
I have been a long standing party faithful and strongly believe that PDP is the right democratic platform to progress my ambition to serve our people.
TLN: How have you impacted your people previously?
Cosmas: In my private and personal life, I have reached out and supported a lot of students and youths from the constituency and believe that with the expanded scope of public office will offer me, it will give a better opportunity and liverage to impact the general populace through programs and projects that will benefit the people.
TLN: What is your campaign ideology and your advice to your supporters?
Cosmas: My campaign ideology is providing an all inclusive participatory representation in the house of Assembly if voted into office, comes 2023.
The Obudu constituents have not felt any sense of representation for some years going in the CRSHA and we intend to bring back those days of reckoning where the people are properly carried along and people oriented legislation is being promoted in the legislative assembly.
We will review obsolete laws in existence and bring on more relevant motions and bulls related to trending issues that best suits the modern and evolving society of this digital age.
