Cephas Dyako-Ashwa, at just 27 years will start his political journey as the representative of Konshisha State Constituency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, when the House is inaugurated.
In this interview with DOOSHIMA HIR, Dyako-Ashwa spoke on politics, his victory and challenges.
TNE: The 2019 general elections have come and gone. How would you assess the entire process?
To a large extent, the 2019 election was free, fair and credible. Coming from an opposition that was almost not on ground and winning on that platform is a testimony that the wish of the people was allowed to prevail and that the votes also counted. So it was very fair. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, did a very good job even in places where they had challenges; they worked hard to rectify it. The politicians also did well in the last elections.
TNE: Now that you have been elected to represent your people of Konshisha state constituency, what should they expect from you?
My people should expect much because I know their challenges. I went to the villages campaigning and I saw with my eyes what my people are going through. I made promises, so I owe my people because they believed so much in me to have elected me among the big names and rich people out there.
Among the numerous things I will be doing, one thing that bothers my heart is that the people of Konshisha constituency, which I represent, have this particular challenge of land crisis. My ward in particular is a case study. I want to as much as possible sponsor a bill that will find a lasting solution to this problem and I believe that it won’t be restricted to my constituency alone but the entire state. I hope that other parts of the country will learn from us when that happens.
I think the best solution to land disputes has always been dialogue. So, I will gather my people to the dialogue table to come to certain compromises that will help us achieve peace and a lasting one at that.
TNE: Can you assess the performance of the youths in the last election?
I think it was better this time compared to the last ones. I had a lot of my friends coming home to vote and most of them followed me for campaigns round the villages. It was better this time compared to the 2015 elections when I had most of my friends staying back in town and in school because that time they believed they had nothing at stake. My campaign and some other young people made a lot of men and women to go back home to participate and vote for their friends. So, I think the youth did well in terms of participation this time.
TNE: How do you feel about your victory over the big names who contested with you?
It feels very good. It is very wonderful. I know that my people believe in me and I have this conviction that I’m representing a generation of young people and I know that I have to deliver against all odds. But this is one opportunity that is going to speak for me and the young people around. I feel they won’t have this opportunity again if I mess it up. So, I have to deliver to protect myself and every other young person in politics.
TNE: Did the not too young to run bill make any impact on your ambition to vie for this position?
Before now, the age limits were not favourable to a lot of us but the bill has changed the age limit. I’m 27 years, if that bill had not been signed, I would have lost out completely on the grounds of just age. So, I think it did and has done so much. It has given young people a sense of belonging and now, we feel more included, we feel accepted in the system and I think by 2023, we, the youths will give the older ones a much stiffer run for these positions.
TNE: Can you share some of the challenges you faced in the course of your campaigns?
Basically, it was finance. The big guys had so much and they never gave us a chance. It was the N1000 and N500 from friends and donations around, support from my mothers, and well wishers that I had. It was small money against the big money bags. So finance was the major challenge. We had every other thing; the message was good, we knew the terrain, we went into the villages, went house to house and the acceptance was huge and it paid off.
TNE: If you had issues of finance, what was that magic wand that gave you an edge over the big money bags?
It was basically the message. The message was clear, concise and precise. I was able to tell them in clear terms what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. I didn’t tell them I was going to give them the whole world, I just told them how I was going to bring that whole world to them. For instance, I believe that one basic thing that will make us prosper in Benue is agriculture and I have told the young people that you don’t need to stay here in Makurdi to make that money. That money is right there in the villages. I have been in agric business since I graduated from the university. I never had a white collar job; I had to start with the little I had. I had been into poultry, fish farming and farm management. So, I hope to rally young people in clusters and help them with finances to start farms for themselves and grow it into big businesses.
TNE: What advice do you have for other young men and women who are also aspiring to hold political positions in the future?
As at December 2017 when this idea came, I never had enough money, not even enough for the purchase of forms, but I was convinced that if given a chance, I want to do something for my people. So the basic thing is deciding what you want and going for it. When I started, I was just with my few friends and we just started with the little finance we had and then we started consulting with the big guys. They never gave us a chance but we continued. At some points when we had problems, God or nature would just make a way and somebody will just pop up with some little money. So, I advise the young people to decide on what they want to do and just start no matter how small. If it is meant to be, you will scale through.
TNE: How did your party support your ambition and campaigns towards victory?
In the few years that I have been on this journey of going to the assembly, I have been in three political parties. I started with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, later All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and then ADC. It was a tough fight for me and the truth is that the few people in charge of political parties; the big names and the money bags, don’t give you a chance as a young man. They feel you just want to try it like the students’ union thing. So, the challenge was there; ticket problem, nomination problem and I had to switch and switch and finally, I got to ADC. So, I won’t say my party did much for me. No. I would say my friends and my people did all the work.
TNE: What do you think are the challenges facing the youths generally?
The one thing is readiness. Many young people are not really ready. Most of them know what they want but they have not prepared themselves to go on to start. That’s one big challenge, even the few ones that really want to do this and are ready for the challenges have always had problems of finance, sponsorship, capital, mentorship and all that. So the problem has been the resources and the readiness.
READ ALSO: NAHCON Defends 2019 Budget Proposal of N1.49bn
TNE: What in your view is the solution or way forward?
There is always a way out. I want to use myself as a reference. I decided I want to run for the seat of the Benue house of assembly to represent my constituency and as of the time I took the decision, I never knew how I was going to start, but I wanted to start and I just did. I started with my friends, with discussions on tables and all of that. From there we started meeting people, some got interested and some did not and sponsorship set in. I can’t forget my mentor RT. Hon Hembe, he has been wonderful since I knew him and we started a relationship. He did so much. I’m grateful. I want young people to look for those kinds of people who are always willing to help.
TNE: What were you doing before now? Have you been in any leadership position before?
Basically while I was in school, it was the students’ union thing, I was the vice president of students’ union association of my local government, that’s Konshisha, back in University of Maiduguri. I served for two tenures as Vice President of National Association of Konshisha Students, University of Maiduguri Chapter and before I got into politics, I was as a director of programmes and administration Shengeit Global. That has been my little experience about leadership but I know that I’m a first born so I have always been a potential leader.
My father is a polygamist and he has about six wives, my mum is the third and I’m the second born from my mum but of course as a boy I took responsibility as the head of the family.
TNE: What was their response or reaction to this victory?
Before the victory, when I conceived this idea, I approached my mum and to my greatest surprise she never opposed it even at the first instance. So I was sure after her response that I was going to win. Every other challenge never bothered me because my mum approved it from the start, I say that because she is so afraid of risk especially when it involves me, so for her to have agreed or accepted me going into politics and not just going into it but running for the first time, it was huge for me. So I believed that it was a message from God.
TNE: Did other family members support you at that?
My dad did, but it took me time to convince him because he has been into politics for thirty to forty years. He believes the game is dirty and is not healthy for a young Cephas. So it took me time to convince him. At some point it was even a fight, but I believed in myself and I was convinced from day one, so I wouldn’t let him hold me down.
TNE: In the course of your campaign towards the election, did you face any kind of harassment by the opposition?
Yes I did. It first started with scolding; you are just a boy, get away from here, you are not fit to run, you are just twenty something, we have been doing this for years we don’t know how you are going to come in and take over; but it never mattered to me. They started destroying campaign offices and bill boards and all of that and later it became face to face intimidation with the other big opponents and it has continued up to this point. As we speak, my father has been detained. The All Progressives Candidate accused him of master minding the vandalization of his vehicle and house during the election. He believes that my father sent people to destroy his vehicle and house.
TNE: With all that you went through, do you think politics is a dirty game?
No, politics is not a dirty game. I believe that it is some politicians who are dirty but I played it clean.
TNE: With all the friends that supported your election, you already have a large crowd following you with many looking up to you, how do you intend to manage the pressure that comes with this office?
I’m optimistic and I am going to do my best. Luckily for me, the many friends that surround me are reasonable people. We started with nothing and we are able to attain this height. Now I believe that with the little we are going to make from this, it’s going to speak so much for us. So we are going to utilize this opportunity. Majority of them are farmers and I know that a seed grows into a plant so if I’m able to give one seed to all of them, I believe they are going to make so much out of that.
TNE: Any last words for your people?
I want to assure my people, the people of Konshisha and not just Konshisha, but the people of Benue and Nigeria and especially the young people that because they have honoured me, I am promising that I would not let them down; against all odds, I promise to deliver. I know that I am going to be held responsible not just for me; so I have to deliver to protect my friends and a host of other young people who may have such future ambition.