Reasons Lagosians should want Funke Akindele as Deputy Governor [Editor's Comment]

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos has reacted to the nomination of popular actress, Funke Akindele as the running mate to Dr. Abdulaziz Olajide Adediran aka Jandor, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos.

The party’s spokesperson, Seye Oladejo said the choice of Akindele as a deputy governorship candidate “underscores the unseriousness of Lagos state PDP.”

This piece targets progressive Lagosians... and any other person willing to learn about Progressivism...

Who are Progressives?

Progressivism is a way of thinking that holds that it is possible through political action for human societies to improve over time. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on advancements in science, technology, economic development, and social organization. 

In modern political discourse, progressivism is often gets associated with social liberalism. This is in spite of the fact that certain types of progressives can sometimes be in opposition to some liberal principles such as gay rights and representative democracy, thus creating confusion and misrepresentation of both liberal thought and tradition. 

In the 21st century, a person that identifies as progressive has the belief that the interest of the ordinary people should be socially and politically represented through political change and the support of government actions.

Characteristics of Progressivism include a favorable attitude toward urban-industrial society, belief in mankind's ability to improve the environment and conditions of life, belief in an obligation to intervene in economic and social affairs, and the belief in the ability of experts and in the efficiency of the government.

FYI, Women have been leading Lagos for a long time…

Most backlashes on Funke Akindele have majorly been around the fact that she is a woman. But this should not come as a surprise to progressives because Nigerian society is still highly patriarchal.

While a few Lagosians who are politically naive have maintained this position, alongside the mass sexist opinions by residents of less-progressive states, the politically conscious know that Lagos has presented five women as deputy governors since 1990. Hence, out of seven governors that have democratically been elected to lead the state, five of them had female deputies. 

Many have also raised very regressive concerns as to her inability to sustain marriages, and this class of idiots should be totally ignored. What the focus should be is a mind that is healthy enough to lead a society despite intimacy gaps in their personal lives. 

Inspire successful transitioning in careers…

Inspire-to-aspire speakers really don't inspire enough. What really inspires are success stories. While a growing number of Nigerians have been in career transitions, searching for more money, self-worth, or purpose, there is a need for an actual inspirational figure.

Banky Wellington and Desmond Elliot had successful transitions into politics, attracting both praises and backlashes to them. However, they kicked off politicking with base levels. Funke’s gunning to be the second most constitutionally powerful person in Lagos, is the kind of ambition many are too chicken to accept that they admire; so naturally, they criticize. 

The creative industry might finally get valuable government support

The Nigerian creative industry is not given the attention it deserves from Nigerian leaders. Most of this is owed to the country's over-dependence on oil, which everyone tries to tap from for selfless and selfish reasons. 

Lagos being the creative hub of the country pays little to no special attention to the possibilities of the creative economy, despite the international interests in the Nigerian creative space.

While creatives may have just grown past expecting cash donations from the government, many of them have engaged in conversations around other ways, in terms of policies, in which the government can help increase the local valuation of creative products.

Progressive director and producer, James Omokwe, once addressed the issue of piracy of Nigerian films and distribution as two major setbacks of Nollywood. He further suggested government policies guiding legal partnerships between pirates and filmmakers; because, pirates tend to know the most rewarding ways to distribute films locally and abroad, targeting the actual masses. He further suggested that the government can benefit from this by taxing individual distributors who would have been pirates anyways.

The point is, creatives know solutions to the discomforts in their shoes. All they need is a government that listens and applies. It is expected that Akindele would help the government understand how to get the best of the creative economy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger successfully transitioned from being an actor, and became the 38th Governor of California, retaining a reputation of a successful tenure. While the APC mocks the PDP for picking Funke as Jandor's running mate, based on the fact that she is currently transitioning from the creative industry into politics, the joke is actually on them. So much for the "progressives congress."