By Munachimso Obienyi
The Peoples House of Representatives’ candidate for Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in Lagos, Bankole Wellington popularly called “Banky W” says he is not contesting to defend the PDP’s history but to innovate and reform it.
Wellington made this known during a programme monitored by NwafoLive in Lagos on Wednesday.
He noted that as much as he has remained relevant in music business, art, film and entrepreneurship, he has been very vocal about the need for good governance and for the youths to participate in politics.
When quizzed as to how he made his money and how funds can be sourced to run his campaign, Wellington said;
“God has blessed him through his many owned ventures ranging from music, movie, restaurant and marketing businesses.”
“Elections are incredibly expensive. For instance, in Eti-Osa, almost every billboard from Obalende to Epe is owned by the ruling party. So you cannot even get on a billboard and if you were going to get on a billboard, the 20 or 25 per cent that are not owned by the ruling party, they are going to charge you 10 times as much because they know they may lose their license next year.”
“So we’re really faced with an uphill task of how to counteract that and even if choose a non-violent street approach, how do we have about 30,000 T shirts and caps and wristbands and bumper stickers, and little mini activations and rallies and so many things, knowing that these things cost a lot of money.”
“The only way that a candidate like myself or any other candidate like myself is able to do this is for the private sector to get up and get involved. I strongly believe that we are way out of the mess that we are in as a nation through innovation and reform.”
Now, innovation doesn’t happen in government offices. Innovation happens in the private sector, in our FinTech in our investments in our music, agric in the private sector”
He noted Africa has seven unicorns as of today, five of those are Nigeria while adding that there is absence of reforms despite the FG’s chase for innovation.
“Reform can only happen at the table of government and if we continue to ignore the chance to reform, then eventually policy will come that will kill your innovation in its tracks. The key is how do we put people at the table of policymaking? People that have the interests of private businesses or small businesses, our young people are women at heart.” he said.
