Lagos-based entrepreneur and renown private sector player, Ken Egbas, says he’s contesting to represent the people of Obubra/Etung in the Federal House of Representatives from the platform of the PDP, because “it is time to engage our growing army of fresh graduates, as white-collar opportunities evaporate.”
Speaking of the moment he decided to hurl his hat into the electioneering ring, Egbas, who has garnered local and international awards for his Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, says; “There was this night, four years ago, when I stayed up from failing to find sleep.
“I tried to pray. I did pray. I don’t remember what I prayed about because I was grieving in my spirit and broken.
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“I had just returned from the village where I attended a funeral of a long time supporter of mine who had believed in me and supported me since 2014. I was visiting Onyen-Okpon village in Obubra to bid my departed elder farewell.Â
“This visit was my second to this village. But this was the first time I spent enough time to be able to move around and first-hand observe the squalid and abjectly hopeless conditions of my people.
“To date, I still cannot get the scenery I witnessed out of my head. This scenery is replicated almost everywhere one looks at in the hinterlands.Â
“My wife awoke at some point around 3am; when she didn’t find me beside her on the bed, she sought me out until she found me standing outside in the garden. She was a little anxious and asked if something was amiss. I assured her I was fine, but just a bit worried.
“I could not understand why my industry could celebrate me this much for my achievements through my work; I could not understand why I could get frequent invitations to speak on the work we are doing around Africa to reduce poverty and promote social enterprise.
“I could not understand the recognition and accolades I have received from various international bodies for the impact we were making, and yet the people of the land of my origin live the way I have seen them live.
“Suddenly all my feelings of self-importance paled with the frustration of being somewhat insignificant.
“That was the moment I decided to again vie for elective office.”
The son of subsistence and peasant farmers from Ofodua village of Cross River State, Egbas says his “BELIEVE” campaign is predicated on getting the people of Obubra/Etung gainfully employed, because “it is jobs, and more jobs, that will shape the immediate future and get Nigeria back on track and back into global reckoning.”
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He adds that; “old solutions would not work against present or future problems.
“Leadership that would solve problems must be futuristic. The world has evolved.
“If we must develop and make economic progress, we must show our young men and women how to comprehend the future of global economics so they can apprehend their portion of the coming wealth transfer.
“In 2020 alone, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria recorded job losses–in the private and public sectors–of 56%.
“With people opting to work from home and replacing men with machines in many organisations, those jobs are not coming back any time soon.
“So how do we engage our growing army of fresh graduates when the white-collar opportunities are evaporating?
“We much look towards unlocking social enterprise and teach our young people to create their jobs by grouping them to activate small and medium scale enterprises where we empower them to help employ others.
“This is how we shall grow Obubra-Etung into the fastest growing SME and start-up hub in West Africa.Â
“Research has shown that since 2000, the poorest half of the world has received just 1% of the total increase in global wealth, while the top 1% received 50% of the increase. Inequality is bad for us all – socially, morally, ethically, economically and politically.
“Entrepreneurs never give up; they think outside the box and are willing to empower ‘others’ to help solve their own challenges.
“Entrepreneurship—especially social entrepreneurship—brings value to the fight against poverty that other players—governments, corporations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) don’t.
“Entrepreneurship can be harnessed to fuel positive, sustainable global impact much faster than any other form of social good.Â
“We shall create young millionaires in the process and create role models that would drive industry and innovation. Poverty can be defeated.Â
“We have the master plan. This is a terrain I am most familiar with. I have a rich contact list of international donor agencies and the relationships necessary to make this possible,” Egbas adds.
Egbas and his campaign team have been combing the 21 wards and every hamlet in Obubra-Etung, as they seek to get out the votes and secure the buy-in of voting delegates and critical stakeholders, ahead of the PDP primary election.
“This has been my most gruelling campaign trail yet,” he says, wiping a generous amount of sweat off his brow. “But it has been well worth the while and worth every penny.”
