Popular musician and EME Boss, Bankole Wellington, also known as Banky W, on Wednesday in an interview with Arise Television revealed why he veered into politics. He explained that he wanted to go beyond advocacy.
The musician is running for the House of Representatives in the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He said on Arise TV that the longer young people neglect mainstream politics, the more the dysfunction will remain.
He asserted that the only way to alter corrupt systems was to get involved in politics. Additionally, he said, “We must engage with the system from where it is and fight for what we stand for and what we want to happen.
“We need more people to participate in politics. I have participated in peaceful protests just like anybody that I know among my peers.
“But the goal of activism and advocacy is improvement; and if you haven’t seen the impact you seek, then that activism is not enough.
“So, for me, the message started changing from just raising awareness via activism and advocacy to saying we have to start moving from protests to politics.
“We have to start taking these energies and channeling them toward getting like-minds into the government; and using that consensus of like-minds to get a change and that is where my mindset started changing…in 2018 I started feeling like the problem in Nigeria is top-down and the solution is from the bottom up.
“So, we need to start focusing on the National Assembly, the Senate and House of Representatives, and the States House of Assembly. So, when I ask young people about their representatives, most of them don’t know who is running in their constituencies.
“And I started thinking that if with my education, success, background, audience, following, and voice, I can’t stick my neck out…who am I waiting for to get involved in the system?
“So, in 2018, I prayed about it and I informed my wife…what she told me was that ‘you know politics in Nigeria is dirty and I know your heart; and I know the system is what it is and I don’t want anything that will soil your hands’; and I told her that the truth of the matter is politics will always be dirty and dangerous; until good people start to be intentional about putting like-minds in the system.”
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