A cursory look at Etsako history reveals that Hon. Anamero Sunday Dekeri is the first lawmaker in the Etsako Constituency to reach for the heavens in his desire to empower the youths to secure a future, returning from the heavens with one hand full of stars and the other full of dust. Who would have imagined that the liberty and prosperity of thousands of Etsako youths would be determined by the character of one man? The same man that was deprived of various political office positions but was resilient. What gave Danco the courage to reject the old ways of legislative representation when the temptation to act like his predecessors or do something less noble must have been overwhelming? A trained and disciplined conscience makes the difference. He is not one of the regular politicians, who rises at the ruin of others.
Hon. Anamero Sunday Dekeri has restored a sense of nobleness to Legislative business in Etsako by always acting as if he is lucky to be with you irrespective of your social status. A man with a rare combination of fine qualities: character refinement, exceptional intellectual power and perspicacity, grace, modesty, self-discipline, and a trained and disciplined conscience. One who has described the youth as the strength of democracy and openly advocated for youths to drive technological reform in various government agencies through massive employment and human capital development, which can transform the country into a land of job creators rather than job seekers. A man who believes that we must do today what Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt did over a century ago to protect their people’s interests against all odds.
Danco is the first politician in our era to take on the challenge of youth unemployment as a personal project. He is worried about the terror of being young and poor. He is restless about the terror of being young and hopeless. This has forced him to explore various avenues in search of productive ways to engage youth by providing hope to the hopeless and jobs to the idle, both in the public and private sectors. To him, the youth are the key to the future. No wonder he had a large amount of public goodwill behind him.
He stepped out with his best foot forward when the bell rolled on the need for a legislative leadership that is courageous, selfless, and insightful. Appropriating the words of existential philosopher Frederick Nietzsche, Hon. Sunday Anamero Dekeri remains “…a genuine man. A proper simple man. A man of one meaning and all honesty. A repository of wisdom. A saint of knowledge and a great man.”
Since the inception of democracy in 1999 till date, one crucial cry of the public has been the need for effective representation by politicians who has failed in the past to translate the gains of democracy down the lines. Politics is considered a dirty game by the average Nigerian, and its practitioners are viewed with suspicion. This is not unexpected due to the suffocating and repressive military regime. But today, this public perception has been swept off by the uncommon Legislative representation being offered by the most accessible and responsive lawmaker that Etsako Federal Constituency has ever produced since 1999.
Etsako, like Awoism and Zikism, has given birth to Dancoism as a political ideology and a representative benchmark for evaluating future lawmakers in a society where ethics and values have grown wings and flown away. In today’s politics, where everyone compromises and sells their principles and integrity for a price, Hon. Anamero Sunday Dekeri has remained steadfast in his federal constituency. Etsako is fortunate to parade a refined and Urbane politician with high moral compass who has been responsive to the masses with his action rooted in conscience and not convenience.
Today in the history of Afemai land, we can say it boldly that we know of a man that stood tall, forthright, determined, resolute and who refused to compromised the benefits of the suffering masses of Etsako federal Constituency for self enrichment. The axiom “you never know a man until he has power and money” has come true in Afemai land. We have seen a man who has power and money yet has made himself of no reputation for public benefits. Since his assumption of office in 2023, Hon. Sunday Anamero (Danco) has projected himself as the most responsive lawmaker that Etsako federal Constituency has ever produced by producing millionaires in his desire to fastrack human resource development. He is down to earth. Simple and humble, he picks up calls and responds to messages almost immediately, willing to do the bidding of his people regardless of his status as a classless personality in a class sick society.
Hon. Anamero Sunday Dekeri (DANCO) has portrayed himself as a one-man army who has constantly railed against the status quo of unemployment in Afemai land by making frantic efforts to place Etsako youth in both private and public service. He has used his conscience as a crucial tool to guides his officials conduct with integrity, by ensuring that his public actions promote the common good and human dignity of his people.
While others used conscience as a sword to defend their shortcomings, here comes an Afemai-born lawmaker who has used conscience as a shield to embrace everyone, regardless of political affiliation, fostering ethical governance and public trust, which has distinguished him from others for fearlessly defending his position with a clean conscience. As a moral compass, he has consistently advocated for public actions that advance human dignity by encouraging leaders to prioritize justice and fairness, which are critical for societal progress and stability.
Rather than focusing on his various motions, bills, and legislative activism over the last two years of impactful service, I have deliberately focused on a specific aspect of his influence. I would like to remind our dear people that the greatest gap in Afemai representation today is not infrastructural provision, but rather human resource development. Etsako has been left behind in all federal agencies and offices and this vacuum is what Danco has committed himself to fill. I recently met someone who told me how she called Danco to request that her husband be promoted in the Nigeria Naval, where he has been stuck in the same position for years. She stated that Danco gave her his office number and asked her to come right away. It’s only a man of trained Disciplined Conscience that takes the welfare of others above his own. Danco handles public concerns with conscience, not convenience. Danco’s prompt response in the case of the naval officer remains a reference point that I will never forget.
Tope Popoola was right when he said “The swang swings only once in life time.” Now that the swang has swung by producing Hon. Sunday Anamero Dekeri in our lifetime, it behooves us to celebrate the best among the rest. Its true that “we all are one winged angel.” It is only when we help one another that we can fly faster.” DANCOISM has become an household name by helping others to stand. As an ethnic nationality, let us promote and trend DANCOISM as an idealogy in political discourse, regardless of political affiliation.
Like Winston Churchill said, Truth is incontrovertible, Marlice May attack it, ignorance May deride it but in the end, there it is. “Let conscience be your guide” is a popular moral Maxim and that is why Hon. Sunday Anamero Dekeri trained his conscience as a man of Disciplined Conscience. He that’s good can only become better.
Benjamin Atu
Broadcaster and Publisher.
Former Personal Assistant to Senator Francis Alimikhena and SSA Media to Comrade Philip Shaibu. Former Chief Press Secretary to Hon. (Princess) Benedicta Attoh. Former Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Dr. Ngozi Olejeme based in Igiode Agenebode, Etsako East local Govt.
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