RAMS AND GOATS ARE NOT DEMOCRATIC DIVIDENDS!" — SAMSON FATOLA BOMBS PARLIAMENTARIANS, PROMISES COMPULSORY UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

By Seyifunmi Odunuga 

​Ahead of the upcoming electoral cycle, a prominent chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Honorable Samson opeyemi Fatola, has launched a scathing attack on sitting lawmakers, declaring that the era of using seasonal handouts to manipulate voters is officially over.

​Speaking on a current affairs program, The Poliscope on Dominion Television, the Ibadan Northwest/Southwest Federal Constituency hopeful criticized the prevailing political culture where representatives abandon their core legislative duties, only to return during Ramadan and festive periods to distribute rams, goats, and food items.

​Fatola described these gestures as insulting, temporary relief measures that impact less than three percent of the population—mostly restricted to political cronies—while doing absolutely nothing to solve the systemic poverty and lack of infrastructure plaguing the grassroots.

​"It goes beyond you going to the House and coming back every Ramadan time giving them rams, goats, and all that. It is not impacting their lives. It is just a temporary relief," Fatola fired. "Where are we heading to in this country? People are no longer satisfied with rhetoric alone. They are demanding measurable impact.

​To bridge this governance deficit, Fatola revealed that he is not entering the legislative race to scramble for ideas, announcing that he has already meticulously drafted 121 bills ready for presentation on the floor of the National Assembly.

​Chief among his legislative blueprints is a radical social security framework designed to rescue unemployed graduates who are left stranded after their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. Fatola promised to sponsor a bill that makes the payment of temporary unemployment benefits a legal obligation for the government until the youth can find gainful employment.

​"We have youth that graduated from the university and after the NYSC, they are left with no jobs. They are walking around, doing all sorts of things. We are going to have something like unemployment benefits. It’s going to be a law.

 You will be collecting a certain amount of money from the government until you get a job," he explained.

​Expressing deep worry over the future of the nation, the PDP stalwart warned that Nigeria is sitting on a "keg of gunpowder" due to the systemic neglect of its youth population, which constitutes over 60 percent of the citizens.

​He lamented how brilliant minds are being destroyed by drug abuse, singling out notorious flashpoints within his constituency, such as the popular Moby area. Fatola vowed to use federal oversight functions to forcefully reclaim these "red zones" and convert them into standard rehabilitation and youth empowerment centers.

​Beyond youth welfare, the grassroots politician promised to introduce a Workman Compensation Act to ensure that local artisans, bricklayers, and carpenters are legally and financially insulated by insurance if they suffer catastrophic accidents while working on government contract sites.

​Promising a complete departure from the standard norms, Fatola stated that his tenure would institutionalize an all-inclusive governance model, anchored on mandatory town hall meetings every three months to give directly accountability to the people of Ibadan Northwest/Southwest, irrespective of their political affiliations.