Hello,

How are you doing?

Another two weeks have passed, and it is time for me to share with you again. 

Next week, our Muslim brothers and sisters will celebrate Eid al-Adha, which honours Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah’s command. This celebration got me thinking about sacrifice and giving. 

Even before coming into government, I had always believed in the benefits of philanthropy. I did not start giving because I had a lot. I started giving even when I had little. I think being a willing giver is about our heart, not how much we have. We can have a poor generous person and a rich selfish person. 

Sometimes though, people wonder what the benefit of giving is? If we look at some of the people celebrated in the political circles, you will find more people who only care about what they can grab than what they can give. Politics in our part of the world has become the domain of selfish people who really do not care about the people that voted for them.

It is narratives like this that I live each day to change. I have always said that this is a big reason why I got into politics – to serve. But if people who cared about good governance did not come out in their numbers to vote for me, I would never have had this opportunity. 

This is why I am using this week’s newsletter to call on all who have not done so already to take advantage of the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) online registration. There has been so much talk about what direction we want Nigeria to go in 2023. But if you don’t register and then cast your vote wisely, these conversations won’t count.

So, here is the link to the INEC Continuous Voter Registration Portal. As of the last count, about half a million people have registered. I won the elections in Oyo State in 2019 with 515,621 votes. I am sharing this number so you can better appreciate how 500,000 people can change history. 

I know there are still more people out there who have not registered. So please, visit the site and pre-register. Although the registration will end in July 2022, you do not have to wait for the last-minute rush. 

I am yet to decide what book I want to read next. But when I do, you’ll be the first to know 🙂

Have a great rest of the week and Eid Mubarak in advance!