The Declaration Speech
Funso Doherty during his declaration speech on March 22nd 2022
TEXT OF SPEECH BY FUNSO DOHERTY
AT THE JOINING AND DECLARATION CEREMONY
FOR THE AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC)
22nd MARCH, 2022
The ADC National Chairman,
Distinguished Compatriots,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Welcome!
It is with a great sense of humility that I stand before you today to say a few words on this momentous occasion. In doing so, am humbled on the one hand by the historic symbolism of this ground on which we stand and, on the other hand, by the significance of the purpose for which we are gathered,
This ground, in its current incarnation as Freedom Park, is a celebration of culture, heritage and the age-long aspiration of the human spirit for liberty. Paradoxically, as many of us will know, back in the colonial era, this same ground housed the structure that was then known as Her Majesty’s Broad Street Prisons. A structure that by definition, represents the very antithesis of the idea of Freedom. It is a place where some of our most revered leaders, leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Herbert Macaulay were once incarcerated.
But paradoxes and contradictions, are very familiar to us as Nigerians and Lagosians. We are daily confronted with baffling examples. How can a petty trader
- so oppressed and downtrodden, arise each new day with such energy and an indomitable spirit to set out her humble wares and fight the daily battle to eke out a paltry living. How can new businesses spring up every day, each one more hopeful than the last in a such harsh environment where business failures are the norm. How can a young generation, with so little encouragement and support, ride on sheer talent, grit and creative energy to develop an authentic fusion of musical genres that is now respected and loved globally? How can a Nation, so blessed with human capacity making groundbreaking contributions in Nations across the world, continue to yearn and struggle for inspired leadership at home?
It is my hope that today will mark one resolute step forward towards unwinding some of these paradoxes.
When we look back at the history of Nigeria, it is true that we have had a checkered history dating back to the Colonial and Pre-Colonial eras. Some have argued that the prevailing lens through which governance has been understood for much of Nigeria’s history is based on the colonial model and that vestiges of these have been carried over from that era, not least in the attitudes and behaviours of our post-colonial leaders, whether civilian or military.
This model is one of administrative control by a minority ruling class, to pursue an extractive rather than a developmental agenda.
I believe that many Nigerians and Lagosians will recognize this picture. They experience it daily. They survive, and a few thrive, in spite of it.
We have torn down the old prison structure on this site and rebuilt and renamed this place where we stand Freedom Park. Let me ask though, how free are Lagosians really?
The Nobel-Prizewinning development economist Amartya Sen advocates measuring societal Development by the Freedoms that citizens of that society enjoy. The idea being that the more developed a society, the greater the freedom enjoyed by its citizens, politically, economically, socially, and in terms of transparency and personal security.
It is these freedoms that are expressed in terms of education options, health, employment, security, life expectancy, freedom from poverty and quality of life and livelihoods
So, again I ask you, how much freedom do our people really enjoy?
Government exists to administer the resources of a people to expand the freedoms that they enjoy. Discharging this sacred trust, which is what public office represents, requires the dual capacities of competence and character. Public sector leaders must know the right things to do, and be committed to doing the right things, acting consistently in the interest of the people. This last point is where many fall short. Placing self-interest, or vested interests ahead of public interest guarantees that the freedoms of the people will be diminished. The consequences of this are real not theoretical:
Educational standards will fall, life expectancy will be curtailed, mothers and newborns will die from illnesses that they ought not to, high rise buildings will collapse killing many and so on and so on.
I am stepping forward today because all around us we see evidence of this misalignment between the actions of leadership and the interests of the people. Officers of government agencies that should be instruments of service to the people often act like predators preying on the very people they exist to serve.
Importantly, they should be paid decent wages, without which the moral authority to insist on integrity is undermined and without which there can be no lasting solution. Transparency in Government’s dealings must also improve to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest, self-dealing and corruption. The principles of merit must be applied in appointing, assessing and advancing public officers. All of these, while always important, are critically important in the case of Lagos, with its vastly greater resource base and economic potential than any and every other state of the Federation.
Indeed, particularly in Lagos, We Can Be More.
Reforming the public service, will free up resources that can be re-directed in the enlightened public interest to enable Lagos do more and be more in the following areas:
Reducing the burden of tax and regulatory harassment on Small Enterprises, Improving the ease of starting and doing business, Delivering Innovative Traffic, Power and Broadband solutions, Investing in Primary, Maternal, Child and Mental Health, Rebuilding quality in Education, including qualitative vocational options, safety net programs especially for children, the elderly and disabled.
By 2023, the current democratic era which started in 1999, will be one year shy of a quarter century. That is almost a whole generation. Nations have gone from third world to first world status in a generation.
The 2022 approved budget for Lagos State is approximately N1.7 trillion. This is equivalent to the budget of several states combined. Just Imagine if that expenditure is put to work competently, faithfully, honestly and transparently with the best public interest in mind and devoid of self-dealing. Then imagine this
scenario is built on and repeated every year for 25 years. This is how states and nations are transformed.
Mr Chairman, Fellow Compatriots, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
President Barack Obama famously said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek.”
It is with a great sense of humility, responsibility and history, that I announce that I have joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC and that by the Grace of God, I intend to contest for the office of Governor of my home state, Lagos.
Why ADC – You might ask. Well, you didn’t ask, but I will tell you anyway.
For change agents with a progressive agenda, ADC offers a compelling alternative platform to the two political parties that have dominated governance in Nigeria. The values espoused by the party - Patriotism, Leadership, Equity, Inclusion, Knowledge, Transparency, Accountability and Diversity are synthesized, encapsulated and sealed in the Handshake – A veritable and universal symbol of affinity, respect, acceptance and agreement.
Secondly, it offers a path to contesting for elective office that does not require the surrendering of agency and the freedom and ability of a successful candidate to bring real change. This is of fundamental importance.
Third, the observant will discern that there is an on-going movement in which change agents pursuing a progressive agenda are increasingly being drawn to and are coalescing under the banner of the ADC, recognizing a confluence of opportunity, calling and ethos that is resonant with the times.
I am convinced that we are at a seminal moment and stand at the threshold of a pivotal phase in our history. Can you sense it? I can.
It was Victor Hugo, the French writer turned politician that said “Nothing else in the World…Not all the armies….Is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.”
Today, we are lighting a fire. The fire of hope. Over the next few months, I ask you to partner with me in fanning the flames and ultimately that strong Wind that is the collective will of the people will drive it across the State and usher us into Victory and a New Dawn.
