Outgoing Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu Candido, has charged political appointees in the council to brace for life after politics by acquiring skills and establishing businesses that will sustain them and cater for their families.
Speaking Tuesday in Abuja, during a two-day training workshop he organised for political appointees in the council, Candido said that it will be a disgrace to the political appointees to be seen hanging around the secretariat after the end of their tenures and begging those in the system for money to survive.
He said: “All of us are mature people. Most of us had things doing before joining government. Some are used to using packages that are supposedly free as a result of the offices they presently occupy. However, from next month, our tenure will elapse and many appointees will be thrown into the reality of life after politics as the monthly stipends will stop and they will be addressed as former this or former that, depending on the position they occupied.
“When the monthly alert stops coming, what will you do? That is the reason for this two-day workshop. From June, you won’t get anything again from the Council and you will start facing realities of life after service. You will start facing fear of the unknown. That is why you need to get skills to survive life after service. If you don’t already have one, now is the time to set up businesses you will fall back on after the expiration of our tenure on May 20. From experience, people will start to avoid you after this administration has elapsed.
“I have a personal experience of life after politics. I served as councillor and was outside politics for 10 years before becoming AMAC Chairman and the experience was not funny. That is why this training is important to all appointees. I don’t want us to leave office and start to loiter; doing nothing. In fact, you don’t have any business being at the secretariat after office and be sniffed at as former this or former that; with no job to do.
“At the end of May, I will stand here and bid you farewell. We may not likely meet again after office, but my charge to you is to pay attention to this training and get skills that will help you in life after office. If you need advice or assistance, I am always here. As you are disengaged, don’t have fear. Some deliberately avoided this training because they feel it may not be important, but you will sympathise with them with the right skills.”
Also speaking, the trainer and CEO of Starex Global Consults, Mr Baba Abdul Bala, said that Candido has made provisions for the appointees to continually engage the organisation even after the two day workshop as the Council Chairman is interested in making sure that his appointees enjoy life after service.
“This is a remarkable workshop, the first of its kind in the history of AMAC. The appointees have a lot to learn on how to cope with life after service. The engagement will not end after two days as the chairman has made provision for interested appointees to continue to meet us for discussion. The aim is to ensure that they get skills and businesses to survive life after service, so it is our sincere hope that the appointees take the workshop seriously,” he said.